Communicating Across Cultures With Social Media - Social Media Brasil 2010 (English)

Jessica Faye Carter // Social Media Brasil // 24 June 2010

Companies are using social media to connect with users on multiple levels. And they are using culture to do it.

In business… State Farm launched Bollystar, a social media site designed to reach South Asian consumers and other fans of Bollywood

In entertainment… The NBA recently launched énebéa, a social media site for Spanish-speaking basketball fans around the world

Even in search… Imhalal.com is a search engine that filters Internet content for Muslims

Why companies are doing this •  Value of The Long Tail •  Provide personalized user experience •  Buying power of cultural groups increasing •  Various market segmentation •  To increase sales and profitability

Today’s discussion •  Culture basics •  What companies and organizations are doing •  Challenges with social media and culture •  Best practices

How we talk about culture •  Different ways we talk about culture –  From the Latin cultura, “to cultivate” –  Refinement, the arts, things congruent with the notion of being civilized –  Mental programming or “software of the mind”

Mental programming Specific to Inherited individual and learned PERSONALITY Specific to group Learned or category CULTURE Universal Inherited HUMAN NATURE Source: Hofstede, Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind, 2005

What is culture? “Collective programming of the mind that distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from others.” Source: Geert Hofstede and Gert Jan Hofstede, Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind, 2005

We all belong to multiple cultures National & Education Regional Religion Level Origin Economic Military Gender Background Service Sexual Ethnicity Orientation/ Etc. Preference

How companies are connecting across culture

NBA // www.nba.com/enebea •  Connect with users on multiple levels of culture •  Provide content for a variety of interests •  Work with other culturally-specific social media sites •  Co-locate target site within larger brand

State Farm // www.BollyStar2009.com •  Provide ways for users to actively engage the site •  Use incentives to encourage participation •  Partner with related sites to increase reach and influence •  Make it fun!

American Airlines // www.BlackAtlas.com •  Test site in multiple stages •  Take audience perspective seriously •  Continual monitoring and engagement •  Highlight previous engagement with group

Unilever •  Target users by platform •  Use word-of-mouth marketing •  Don’t shy away from risk •  Expand the reach of successful strategies

CHALLENGES // Dificuldades •  Everyone won’t like the idea of connecting with culture •  Connect with individuals not “markets” •  Don’t limit cultures •  Avoid stereotyping •  Be careful with humor

BEST PRACTICES // Melhores Práticas •  Choose your platform(s) wisely •  Provide multiple connection points •  Avoid stereotyping •  Track site activity •  Respond to feedback •  Be willing to learn as you go!

http://jessicafayecarter.com	11
http://angel.waol.org	1
http://angel.wwcc.edu	1

Communicating Across Cultures With Social Media - Social Media Brasil 2010 (English)

by Jessica Faye Carter on Jun 30, 2010

Accessibility

Tags

Upload Details

Usage Rights

3 Embeds 13

Statistics

Communicating Across Cultures With Social Media - Social Media Brasil 2010 (English) — Presentation Transcript