By Michael Alan Hamlin

Two recent events demonstrated the relevance and impact of communications technology, online social networks, and micro-blogging on the way Filipinos communicate. The first was President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) in July, and the second was the passing and wake of former President Corazon C. Aquino in August. Twitter users provided running commentaries of both events.

While North America—where most Twitter users live—slept, #sona and #cory emerged as top trending topics on the micro-blogging site. In the case of #sona, often brutally critical tweets (some users prefer to use “twits”) far outweighed the tweets of Mrs. Arroyo’s defenders and supporters. A national outpouring of affection was obvious for #cory. Although the number of Twitter users came nowhere close to the number of mourners who celebrated Mrs. Aquino’s life and paid their respects during her wake and final journey along Ayala Avenue, they were impassioned in their praise.

The afternoon of the day before Mrs. Aquino’s internment, almost 11,000 Twitter users had added a yellow ribbon to their Tweeter profile images, and many others were tweeting expressions of support and admiration. The Inquirer.net began posting updates on Twitter during the SONA, and later shifted its focus to Mrs. Aquino’s wake. The arrival of Bongbong and Imee Marcos at the wake stirred a flurry of surprised #cory Tweets and Facebook updates. Congressmen were tweeting from the Manila Cathedral.

A number of Cory Aquino fan pages were available on Facebook. The profile image for Mrs. Aquino’s personal page carried her photograph and the dates of her birth and death. Some fan sites had close to 10,000 fans, and others—three page views worth in all—less than a hundred. Most of those pages will have been abandoned by the time this column appears, but at the time of Mrs. Aquino’s death, they were important outlets for her admirers who just three years ago would not have enjoyed that level of visibility for their feelings.
Many Twitter users commenting on these events were watching streaming video of them simultaneously. Demand far outweighed bandwidth, unfortunately, but given the enthusiasm Twitter users exhibited for the service, that issue is likely to be quickly addressed. One Twitter user exclaimed, “Streaming video! We’ve finally arrived!” Significant numbers of Filipinos were getting their news of the wake online while exchanging views with people with whom the only thing they had in common was Twitter.

The profile of the individuals leveraging these Web 2.0 communication tools varied widely, but most appeared to be young adults who know little of Mrs. Aquino’s administration but were clearly impressed that she could inspire so many people in this fractious country. It was the first time that they had experienced sincere exhilaration for the Philippines’ potential. As journalist Sheila Coronel put it, “She showed us we were capable of greatness once, and can be again.”

What, if anything, does the embrace of Web 2.0 in the Philippines mean to business and especially chief marketing officers? Probably not much. While 10,000 aficionados is nothing to scoff at, that number pales compared to newspaper circulation and broadcast reach. AC Nielsen estimates that there are somewhere around 34 million regular Filipino Internet users—more than one third of the population—and while they may aggregate on Facebook, they are widely dispersed in personal networks.

Although measuring visibility on the Internet is much easier to do than it is with traditional media, measuring return on investment (ROI) is difficult. So difficult that marketing managers—and campaign advisers—aren’t willing to take a risk on online search and display advertising. But according to comScore founder Gian Fulgoni, measuring ROI is easy when the right metrics are used.

Mr. Fulgoni says that comScore studies have shown that online campaigns drive offline sales. The research company “analyzed the impact that online campaigns have on retail sales by matching the name and the address of consumers to retail loyalty card databases,” according to a recent mediapost.com report. “The findings suggest a lift that is five times stronger when people are exposed to search ads.”
According to Mr. Fulgone, around “82% of online ad campaigns measured by comScore have generated an average lift of 22%” in retail stores.” The metric that matters isn’t clicks, but the increase in traffic and sales while a campaign is running. Still, it’s difficult enough to convince chief marketing managers in developed markets to shift advertising budgets online. And more difficult in developing markets, obviously.

But events in July and August demonstrated that we’re getting there. It’s only a matter of time.

Possibly Related Posts:

• Should Apple Dump Foxconn and Wintek?
• Philippine Local Outsourcing: Getting the Best of Both Worlds
• Attracting Investors is The Private Sector’s Job, Too
• Social Networks and Justice Corona’s Impeachment Trial
• Developing a Strategic Perspective for IT-BPO Industry Development

 Print This Post