Vkontakte is the dominant social network in Russia, particularly popular among teenagers for sharing free music and videos. While seen as a source of national pride, more "global Russians" prefer Facebook to connect internationally. Vkontakte is growing rapidly across Russia in line with increasing internet penetration. Yandex is the leading search engine, while Mail.ru and Odnoklassniki are other prominent social sites. Mobile internet use is growing significantly. Most Russian users spend time on information and entertainment online, while social networks and blogs are also very popular.

1. Social Media in the Ukraine and Russia
A 2011 Snapshot from Ogilvy’s 360°Digital Influence
Irina Manukovskaya
and John Bell

2. Vkontakte is purely Russian. What started as an
unabashed ‘hijack’ of Facebook’s dna has turned into
a service that uniquely meets the user needs of most
Russians. It’s a source of some national pride. But
“global Russians” prefer Facebook – where they can
connect with like-minded people around the world.
But now that Vkontakte is vk.com, they may have
global plans…
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3. Vkontakte – VP Ilya Perekopskyi
Q: How fast is VKontakte growing in different
parts of Russia?
A: We grow exactly in proportion to the level of
internet penetration in the country. As in Moscow
and St. Petersburg lives most people and the
highest level of internet penetration, we have
more users from these cities. At the same
time the share of the two capitals have no more
than 20-25% of all our active users. About 60% of
our audience are over 25 years, contrary to
popular opinion, it consists not of school and
university students.
http://insidevk.com/ 3

4. There are 7.4 million Russian speaking
blogs with a readership of approximately
23 million, according to the Russian
Association of Electronic Communications.
Livejournal, the most popular blogging service
has almost five million registered accounts….
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5. Internet penetration
RUSSIA UKRAINE
• Population 138 M • Population: 45.1M
• About 43% or about 60 • About 34% or 15.3 million
million people use people use Internet*
Internet
* InternetWorldStats
5

6. Russia has the 7th largest audience of
Internet users; 2nd largest in Europe
Internetworldstats 2010
6

7. Russian Internet penetration is growing fast
Internet Telecommunications Union
7

8. Yandex dominates in the market
Live Internet.ru
8

9. Social-demographic
Sex 55+ Age
10%
45-54
15%
14-24
Women
47% Men 35-44 42%
RUSSIA 53%
42%
25-34
24%
55+
Sex Age
4%
45-54
12%
14-24
Men
Women
51% 35-44 36%
49%
19%
UKRAINE 25-34
29%
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10. What users do on-line
RUSSIA UKRAINE
• 87% of users spend their time in • 69% of users spend their time in
information services, 61% - information services, 59% - social
entertainment, 46% - social networks
networks and -17% finance online
• The most popular types of network
• The most popular types of network activity: news (65%), e-mail (85%)
activity: news (77,4%), e-mail on-line games (26%)**
(62,3%) and
check weather (60.5%)*
•(Rumetrika)
•**((InMind)
10

11. Mobile Internet
RUSSIA UKRAINE
• 26% or 22M people used • 23% or 7,5 M used mobile
mobile Internet at least once Internet at least once**
• Daily audience is about 8% of • Mobile penetration is
Russia, who all older than 12 117%***
years old*
• Mobile penetration is
151+%***
*Rumetrika
**InMind
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***Reuters

12. Structure of Internet use
3%
5%
8%
30% Media
Social networks
Blogs
15%
Forums
Microblogs
Hostings
Geolocation services
17% 22%
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13. Social networks
Vkontakte Odnoklassniki Facebook
• Main audience • Main network • Successful
– teenagers for office audience
workers • Everybody
• The main
advantage – • Main fun – to uses
free music and get the applications
video sharing highest point or check-ins
for photo • User “likes”
• Users are ready
to tell the whole • Users are brands in
world about all hunting for order to
minute changes former mates emphasize the
in their life to check how ir status
they look now
64,4 M (9.2011) 35M (6.2011) 4,48 M (9.2011)
8 M (4.2011) 1,48 M (9.2011)
17,9M (9.2011)
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14. Social networks
Mail.ru Live Journal Twitter
• Children is the • LJ users are • Twitter users
main audience the elder are
• Mostly they Internet users "advanced",
write about • Favorite they never
teenagers activities are to leave mobile
troubles and public half- phone or laptop
play games professional
• Sweet notes and to • The goal of
pictures are “troll’ popular any author -
chip of the authors to be retweeted
platform • Most users (cited) most
gradually
move to other
platforms
2,3 M (6.2011) 2,37 M (9.2011) 1 M (7. 2011)
1.5 M (6.2010) 0.4 M (9.2011) 80 ths. (1.2011)
1

15. Local trends
• Global socialization
• Information overload
• On-line integrates into off-line
• Geo-location services
gradually come into use among
the trendsetters
• “Gamefication”
• Mobile Internet becomes
BIG source of traffic
• More and more brands go social
• Public people have become opinion
leaders
• Popularization of online-shopping
and coupons for discounts
15

16. Clearasil used
Vkontakte to engage
Brands are activating in Vkontakte Russian teens and
encourage them to
use the face-cleansing
product on a regular
basis.
See the case >
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17. CONTACT
Irina Manukovskaya
Digital Strategist| 360° Digital Influence
SPN Ogilvy
EMAIL i.manukovskaya@spnogilvy.com
John H. Bell
Global Managing Director | 360° Digital Influence
Ogilvy
EMAIL john.bell@ogilvypr.com
BLOG http://johnbell.typepad.com
TWITTER @jbell99