Introduction

Companies across all consumer-facing industries, with food and drinks as no exception, agree in the importance of using social media for marketing. However, there is generally less clarity in exactly what social media involves, much less the best practice to follow when using social media to market food and drinks. This report explains how to make the most of social media media platforms.

Features and benefits

* Understand from an analytical perspective what social media actually is and how it relates to marketing food and beverages. * Use market size figures and data breakdowns for key countries to highlight important opportunities in marketing via social media. * Identify the five most important areas within social media and use analysis of recent campaigns to appreciate best practice in those areas. * Identify the impact of demographic and socioeconomic shifts on shifting the focus of social media marketing to the developing world. * Understand the likely impact for marketers of the impending technological shifts in mobile platforms and interactive TV.

Highlights

The key to social media is users sharing with each other. The major difference in practice from previous collaborative projects is that a large proportion of players involved in social media are seeking to generate revenue from the use of collaboratively created content. In developed markets, 79% of social network users are 25 or older, and 32% are over 45. The largest group is the 25-34 year old group, although usage is split relatively evenly between consumers aged 25-54. Usage drops for over-55s – although there are still 16 million social networking users over 65. The number of 3G mobile broadband subscribers worldwide will rise from just over a billion in 2010 to 2.8 billion by 2018, representing 43% of mobile users and 37% of the total global population. Interactive TV growth will drive integration between TV and social media campaigns, both in terms of advertising and sponsorship.

Your key questions answered

* What is the importance of social media for food and drinks marketers? * How can companies develop a successful social media strategy? * Which regions will be the most important growth areas in social media? * What can companies do to attract consumers as people become jaded with online marketing? * What should the impact of mobile and interactive TV growth be on social media strategy?

Executive Summary
Introduction
Overview of the social media landscape
Social media user analysis
Using social media to market food & beverages
Case studies
The future of social media in food & beverages
John Band
Disclaimer
Introduction
Summary
Introduction
Who is this report for and what is it about?
Definitions of social media
Notes on data and sources
Overview of the social media landscape
Summary
Introduction
Development of the social media landscape
Historical evolution
Recent key advances
Current social media types
Factors driving and restricting social media growth
Positive: social network growth
Positive: demographic trends
Positive: emerging platform opportunities
Negative: concerns over trust and security
Negative: social media fatigue
Negative: competitive market for user attention
Social media user profile
Summary
Introduction
Social media user numbers and spending power
Broadband users
Mobile broadband users
Social network users
Spending power
Demographic profile of social media users
Social network platform analysis
Issues in using social media in food & beverages
Summary
Introduction
Key activities in social media strategy
Monitoring and shaping discussions of your brands in social media
Ensuring your social media campaigns match brand values
Aligning your social media campaigns with offline campaigns
Sponsoring or creating online social games
Engaging with consumers through mobile and location-based services
Key food and drinks categories for social media
Case studies
Summary
Introduction
A Bunch of Carrot Farmers
Amoy’s Real Taste of Asia
Domino’s Pizza Holdouts
Lucozade’s Make Energy Flow
Mountain Dew’s DEWmocracy
Polo ‘Sucker or Cruncher’
Oreo’s Guinness World Record attempt
Pringles Oversharers
The future of social media in food and beverages
Summary
Introduction
Demographic and platform evolution
The need to attract seniors
Ensuring that marketers track emerging platforms in developed markets
Following social media trends in the developing world
The impact of different cultures on gender balance in social media
The developing world’s age-related trends will ultimately catch up with the West
Consumer fatigue with social media
Concerns about trusting brands in social media
New platforms will be an important focus
Interactive TV will converge with social media
Appendix
Scope
Methodology
Secondary research
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