2012INDIAN
BLOGGERS
MINDSET - Survey Results
MSLGROUP India is the nation’s largest PR and social media network. Made up of three agencies, HANMER MSL, 20:20 MSL and 2020Social, MSLGROUP India combined includes 15 offices, 565 staff and an activation network reaching an additional 125 Indian cities. With a proven track record of servicing multinational and Indian corporations since 1989 and 40 senior counselors with 15 or more years of strategic communications experience, clients, colleagues and business partners benefit from MSLGROUP India’s breadth and depth of experience and insights.
MSLGROUP is a leading strategic communications firm in Asia offering public relations, digital and social media and a range of communications services tailored for multiple industries. Our Asia team includes 38 offices and 1675 people, plus a strong network of partners in additional Asia markets.
CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 04 Why this study was undertaken METHODOLOGY OVERVIEW
How and where this study was undertaken
06
FINDINGS 07 KEY Insights from the survey SURVEY FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS The quantitative and qualitative analysis
08
INTRODUCTION Blogs have been around from the 1990’s now but the real proliferation in India is being witnessed only since the last couple of years. Increasingly people are adopting this medium of expression and the spurt is being witness not just in one sector or subject, but cuts across numerous verticals and subjects. Slowly and gradually bloggers have garnered a decent fan following and have established themselves as thought leaders.
Given the brand association with bloggers and their increasing influence, it becomes extremely interesting to know what they themselves feel about brands, blogging and industry trends. With this in mind a survey was conducted by 20:20 MSL and Blogathon India, a new network for Indian Bloggers; and compiled by 20:20 MSL. This report aims to be that barometer, that best captures the Indian blogger mindset.
As a result, today there are more number of people who have taken up blogging as a full time profession. Social media has played its role by giving bloggers a platform to showcase their perspective and engage with their audiences.
Blogathon India in Media & Event Partnership with 20:20 MSL organized the first edition of the Blogathon on May 26th, 2012. The event saw bloggers, across specialization, come together in celebration of blogging. The event also became a stage where brands interacted with bloggers.
It is for this reason that bloggers are increasingly being considered as influencers by brands and their engagement with bloggers is naturally on the rise. There are some brands, small and large, across sectors, that are taking the lead and then there are others who are gradually coming to terms with this new medium.
Blogathon became the platform where the inputs from blogger attendees were secured for the purpose of this survey.
METHODOLOGY OVERVIEW Sample
Respondent break-up Bloggers from all domains – from technology to fashion, food and lifestyle. There were also bloggers from unique categories – for instance, a PowerPoint blogger and one who blogs on blogging
Geography
Analysis
All respondents of city’s first blogathon held on May 26, 2012 were from Delhi NCR
Viewpoints broken up between technology and non-technology specialisation bloggers since preliminary research showed there are many who blog on technology; technology brands are more actively engaging with bloggers too
METHODOLOGY OVERVIEW TECH BLOGGERS
44% NON-TECH BLOGGERS
56% • The 2 graphs here reveal more details about the demographics of the respondents • The population included more tech bloggers than any other category specialization bloggers, but on the whole there were more non-tech bloggers, than tech ones • The primary non-tech blogger categories for the purpose of this report are: Fashion, Food & Lifestyle amongst others
FEMALE
37%
MALE
63%
KEY FINDINGS Bloggers are major influencers for brands, society and culture and through this survey we have insights on how the Indian blogger thinks with regards to brands, products, technology and the medium.
Some interesting key findings of the survey are: Dell and Samsung (in this order) engage with bloggers the most Facebook and Twitter are emerging as the top preferred social platforms to connect with bloggers Google+ is the (non-Facebook, non-Twitter) social network, bloggers spend the most time on Pinterest is fast emerging in popularity, as bloggers spend increasing amount of time on it Most bloggers believe that no social network would be able to beat Facebook, in terms of the number of users, in the next 5 years Facebook, followed by Twitter and then Google+, is where bloggers receive most views for their blogs CSR campaigns are the most recollected digital campaigns Conventional brand ambassadors like Aamir Khan, Sachin Tendulkar, Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan, still make for the most favorite brand ambassadors Flipkart is the top ecommerce site for all bloggers A Samsung Tab and a Canon DSLR (apart from all Apple products) is one of the most desired gadgets for bloggers today
Bloggers Mindset on
Brand Blogger Interaction
INTERACTIONS 12%
6%
4%
11% OTHERS
9%
• According to bloggers, Dell is the brand that engages with bloggers the most followed by Samsung and Apple.
5%
• The top three brands that engage the most are all technology brands
53%
TOP 3 BRANDS THAT ENGAGE BLOGGERS THE MOST TECH BLOGGER’S OPINION
NON-TECH BLOGGER’S OPINION
18% 6% 6% 16% 16% 8% 30%
• According to the technology bloggers, Dell engages with them the most followed by Samsung and Apple (tied for the 2nd spot)
OTHERS
• The non-technology bloggers were very divided in their opinion on the brands that engage with them the most. Yet Dell topped this category as well
8% 2% 6% 6% 4% 3% 71%
• The blogger engagement for non-technology bloggers by Samsung is one-third than that for technology bloggers
FORM OF CONTACT PREFERRED BY BLOGGERS (OTHER THAN PHONE CALLS) Facebook
30% 29% • Facebook, followed by e-mail and then Twitter, are the top choices as stated by the bloggers; when it comes to brands getting in touch with them
• Twitter (16%) and SMS (14%) are almost equally preferred by bloggers
16%
SMS
14%
Face-toOthers face
8%
3%
TECH BLOGGER’S OPINION
FORM OF CONTACT PREFERRED BY BLOGGERS 40%
NON-TECH BLOGGER’S OPINION
23%
• Facebook is the most preferred mode for brands to get in touch with technology bloggers
29%
28%
17%
12%
0%
SMS
Face-toface
16%
16%
14%
• By choosing E-mail as their top choice, non-technology bloggers still showcase their preference for traditional means of getting in touch with them
2% Others
3%
TIME SPENT BLOGGING EVERY WEEK Blogging Every Week
10-15 5-10 15-20 20 hrs hrs hrs hrs
Less than 5 hrs
9% 13%13% 30% 35% 10% 10-15hrs10% 5-10 hrs19% 20 hrs 21% Less 40% than
NON-TECH BLOGGER’S OPINION
15-20 hrs
TECH BLOGGER’S OPINION
5hrs
• Majority of bloggers spend less than 5 hours blogging every week
• There are twice the number of technology bloggers (30%) who spend more than 20 hours blogging weekly, than nontechnology bloggers (14%)
45%
24% 14%10% 7%
Less than 5 hrs
5-10 hrs
• Technology bloggers blog as heavily as more than 40 hours per week
20 hrs
1015 hrs
1520 hrs
Bloggers Mindset on
Social Networking
SOCIAL NETWORKING BEYOND FB AND TWITTER
40% 28% OTHERS
• The overall opinion of all bloggers states that Google+ is the top non-Facebook, nonTwitter social network, that they spend the most time on
• Bloggers are also using Pinterest more than Linkedin, hinting that visual information/networking appeals more
16% 10% 6%
TECH BLOGGER’S OPINION
SOCIAL NETWORKING BEYOND FB AND TWITTER
22%
38% 20
%
10% 10%
NON-TECH BLOGGER’S OPINION
OTHERS
54%
• Technology bloggers use Google+ the most, in social networking sites apart from Facebook and Twitter
20%
• Technology bloggers spend equal amounts of time on Linkedin and Digg
13%
• Non-technology bloggers tend to be more experimental in terms of social networking sites they spend their time on
9%
4%
• The preference indicated by non-technology bloggers is st nd Google+ (1 ), Pinterest (2 ) rd and Linkedin (3 )
FACEBOOK FOREVER 11% NO Probability
62%
28% HIGH Probability
TECHBLOGGER’S OPINION
19% LOW Probability
HIGH Probability
19% NO Probability
61% LOW Probability 36% • All Bloggers feel that there is very low probability of a social networking site beating Facebook in the next 5years in terms of user base
• More non-technology bloggers however, believe that a social networking site could take over Facebook, as compared with technology bloggers
61%
3%
NON - TECH BLOGGER’S OPINION
TOP SOCIAL NETWORKS FOR BLOG VIEWS TECH BLOGGER’S OPINION Other
33% 23% 21% 13% 10% Other
12% 11% 16% 26% 35% Other
NON - TECH BLOGGER’S OPINION
• Bloggers receive the most number of views on their blogs through Facebook, followed by Twitter and Google+, irrespective of the category in which they blog
34% 25% 18% 12% 11%
TOP 3 SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGNS
9%
45%
4%
Anna Hazare
Youth ki Awaaz
Others
3%
Samsung
7% Pepsi
6%
Save Our Tigers
3%
3%
Coca Cola
Pink Chaddi Campaign
5%
3%
3%
Jago Re
Dell
Sony
• CSR campaigns are the most recalled digital campaigns by all bloggers; topped by Anna Hazare and followed by Pepsi and Aircel Save Our Tigers campaign
19% 3.Ibibo
3%
Sunsilk
3%
Save Girl Child
Bloggers Mindset on
Internet Access
TIME SPENT ACCESSING THE INTERNET DAILY VIA PHONE AND/ OR TABLET 12%
14%
• Most bloggers (44%) access the internet from their phone and/ or tablet for more than 6 hours • The second highest usage category, is the less than 2 hours category (30%)
4-6 hrs 2-4 hrs
30%
Less than 2 hrs
44%
More than 6 hrs
TIME SPENT ACCESSING THE INTERNET DAILY VIA PHONE AND/ OR TABLET 8%
2-4
hrs
4-6
TECH BLOGGER’S OPINION
hrs
• Technology bloggers access internet on their tablets/phones more prominently than nontechnology bloggers (as observed by the time they in the ‘more than 6 hours’ category)
34% 58%
Less than 2 hrs
More than
6 hrs
• The internet access pattern for non-technology bloggers is evenly spread over all the timebrackets
15%
24%
27%
34%
NON - TECH BLOGGER’S OPINION
0%
TIME SPENT ACCESSING THE INTERNET DAILY VIA LAPTOP AND/ OR DESKTOP 25% More than 6 hrs 58% 4-6 hrs
• Technology bloggers access internet on their tablets/phones more prominently than nontechnology bloggers (As observed by the time they spend on more than 6 hour category)
• Technology bloggers blog as heavily as more than 40 hours per week
5% Less than 2 hrs 12% 2-4 hrs
• The internet access pattern for non-technology bloggers is evenly spread over all the timebrackets
TIME SPENT ACCESSING THE INTERNET DAILY VIA LAPTOP AND/ OR DESKTOP TECH BLOGGER’S OPINION
NON - TECH BLOGGER’S OPINION
7% 11% 19% 63%
• The average time spending pattern for both, technology and non-technology bloggers, is almost the same; for the time brackets of >6 hrs and <2 hrs
Less than 2 hours
2-4
hours
4-6
hours More than 6hours
• Non-technology bloggers access internet on their laptop/desktop almost 1.5 times more than technology bloggers, in the 4-6 hours bracket
3% 12% 30% 55%
Bloggers Mindset on
Brands
FAVORITE INDIAN BRAND AMBASSADORS 3.6%
11.5%
28.6%
MS Dhoni
Sachin Tendulkar
Aishwarya Rai
Others
18.8% Aamir Khan
3.6%
Abhishek Bachchan
3.9% Katrina Kaif
1.8% 1Amitabh Bachchan
10.5%
3.9% Priyanka Chopra
SRK
• Aamir Khan is the most favorite Indian brand ambassador as per Indian bloggers and he maintains a strong lead over the second most favorite brand ambassador i.e. Amitabh Bachchan
• The top 3 pack of Aamir Khan, Amitabh Bachchan and Sachin Tendulkar, also shows that industry stalwarts still hold a good recall amongst the urban Indian youth. (most bloggers surveyed constituted the urban Indian youth)
3.6%
• The top voted brand ambassadors all constitute of Bollywood celebrities, with the exception of Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni
FAVORITE INDIAN BRAND AMBASSADORS TECH BLOGGER’S OPINION
18% 17% 16% 10% 7% 4% 4% 4% 20% 0% 0% 0% • Technology bloggers voted for Shah Rukh Khan as their most favorite brand ambassador • Aamir Khan again tops the charts, in terms of non-technology blogger opinions
NON-TECH BLOGGER’S OPINION SRK Sachin Tendulkar AamirKhan Amitabh Bachchan Abhishek Bachchan Ranbir Kapoor Katrina Kaif Salman Khan OTHERS Priyanka Chopra Aishwarya Rai MS Dhoni
5% 8% 21% 12% 0% 0% 4% 0% 35% 6% 5% 4%
• Aishwarya Rai was voted the most favorite brand ambassadors by the fashion bloggers (Ashwariya Rai tied for the top spot with Amitabh Bachchan)
• Katrina Kaif was the only female brand ambassador that featured in the top 8 favorite’s, of all the 3 lists – technology blogger opinions, non-technology blogger opinions and the overall blogger opinion list
BRANDS IN INDIA WITH GREATEST YOUTH APPEAL Overall opinion of all bloggers put together
50.6% OTHERS
• Samsung is the top brand that bloggers associate to have a youth appeal • There are equal number of tech and non tech brands in the top 10 list of Indian brands that have a youth appeal • Both cola giants of the country are amongst the top 10, with Pepsi having a small edge over Coke in this survey
7.3% 6.9% 6.5% 6.1% 5.4% 4.2% 3.4% 3.4% 3.1% 3.1%
BRANDS IN INDIA WITH GREATEST YOUTH APPEAL TECH BLOGGER’S OPINION NON - TECH BLOGGER’S OPINION
10%
9% 5%
6%
8% 4%
6%
7% 6%
5%
5%
4% 8%
4%
OTHERS
4%%
• Samsung is the top brand with a youth appeal, as per technology bloggers as well
• Wrangler is the only apparel brand mentioned in the top 8 list of brands having youth appeal as per technology bloggers
4%
50 %
• Airtel is the top brand, as per non-technology bloggers, that has a youth appeal
• Maybelline is the only personal care brand to be in the top 10 list of brands having a youth appeal, as per non-technology bloggers
Bloggers Mindset on
e-commerce and Dream Gadgets
TOP 3 E-COMMERCE SITES
39%
36% OTHERS 10
%
6% 5% 4
%
URBAN TOUCH
• True to their claim of being India's leading portal for online shopping, Flipkart is the favorite e-commerce site for all bloggers
• eBay followed by Yebhi.com stand on number 2nd and 3rd spots
TECH BLOGGER’S OPINION
TOP 3 E-COMMERCE SITES
43% 29%
15% 10%
3%
URBAN TOUCH
NON-TECH BLOGGER’S OPINION
OTHERS
35% 41%
• Flipkart is the top most choice for technology as well as nontechnology bloggers
0%
6%
• Almost 3 times the number of technology bloggers use Yebhi.com and eBay, as compared with non-technology bloggers
3%
7%
• While technology bloggers don’t use UrbanTouch.com, nontechnology bloggers use it quite significantly
8%
TOP 3 DREAM GADGETS
% 25 iPad
% 3 Ultrabook
% 6 Canon
% 15 Macbook
OTHERS
% 18 iPhone
% 9 Samsung Tab
• iPad is the most desired gadgets for bloggers followed by iPhone and Macbook; Apple products are the most desired gadgets
% 5 Samsung Phone
• iPad and Samsung Tab are the only two brands mentioned in the tablet category, in the dream lists by the bloggers
% 15 Others
• Apple, Samsung and Canon are the most significant brands in the dream gadgets list
% 4 iPod
TOP 3 DREAM GADGETS TECH BLOGGER’S OPINION
NON-TECH BLOGGER’S OPINION
22% 1% 1% 18% 0% 26% 10% 10%
12%
• A Canon DSLR is the top (nonApple) dream gadget for nontechnology bloggers
28% ULTRABOOK 5% CANON DSLR 10% MACBOOK 12% IPOD 6% IPHONE 11% SAMSUNG TAB 9% SAMSUNG PHONE 2% IPAD
OTHERS
• More non-technology bloggers would like to own a Canon DSLR (10%), as compared with technology bloggers (1%)
17%
• The desire for Apple products is prominent for both the categories
• Ultrabooks, the new category, also features in the top 8 list for dream gadgets for technology and non-technology bloggers
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