The phrase, “Brazilians are the most social people in the world” is frequently used by internet executives. According to the research conducted by Nielsen, Brazil is one of the top three nations with the highest number of users of social networks in the world. How might this inform you international student recruitment strategy in Brazil?
Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn are the most popular platforms used by Brazilians. Facebook is the most popular social media platform. 73% of Brazilians who use social media, use Facebook. According to Ibope/YouPix, 92% of the young generation of Brazilians use social networks. Moreover, taking all ages of Brazilians into consideration, 78% of them use social networks.
Source: comScore, February 2014
This exposure to social media is related to the improved socioeconomic conditions that Brazilians have seen in the last ten years. Since 2010 internet access through smartphones and tablets increased 43%, and 25% of Brazilians use smartphones as their main point of access.
Ampfy Communication Agency, together with research consultancy, The Listening Agency, did a study called “Brasil with S of Social.” This study gives detailed aspects of the social networking phenomenon in this country. According to the authors of this study, Brazilians are addicted to social media. “Brazilians like to be inserted in groups and participate in interactive experiences,” says Leonardo Tristão, general director of Facebook in Brazil.
According to Tristão, the time spent by Brazilians on social media is higher than the global average, which is seven hours. According to Facebook, Brazilians spend 12 hours a month on this social media, which is the second highest of any country. Brazil is also second in their number of users of Twitter and Facebook, just behind the US.
Source: comScore, February 2014
In 2013 the Wall Street Journal called Brazil “the capital of social medias of the universe” and Forbes magazine defined Brazil as the “future of the social medias.”
For Gabriel Borges, a partner at Ampfy, “There isn’t an exclusive online behavior. Everything we do digital reflects how we are in our real life.” His study points out six characteristics that define the Brazilian way, all of them reflected in the people’s usage of social media. Brazilians are social and sociable; they love to keep updated with news; they give a lot of value to status symbols; they appreciate informality and relaxation; and they like to observe other people’s lives.
In addition to the characteristics cited above, directors of foreign internet startups perceive sense of humor as a unique characteristic of Brazil. According to Danielle Tiedt, vice-president of YouTube in Brazil, “Humor is always among the most viewed channels [in Brazil].” According to SocialBlade, the company that measures audiences on YouTube, seven out of ten channels with the highest number of people signed up are related to humor. The most viewed channel in Brazil, Porta dos Fundos, has 2.3 million fans on Facebook and 250,000 followers on Twitter.
Gregório Duvivier, one of the members of Porta dos Fundos, says that, “We [Brazilians] have enormous vocation for humor and affection. Sharing a joke is like creating a cycle of affection and confidence.” For Ben Smith, director of the American website BuzzFeed, “Brazilian internet is local and universal,” as it mixes foreign references and local content. For Jeferson Monteiro, “The tendency to see and like fun pages is an extension of the Brazilian real life to the online life.” He adds, “We are the happiest people in the world, on the internet it wouldn’t be different”.
“When we say that Brazilians are more sociable, we have to think in connectivity and inclusion. With the democratization of the access, we are in a world where logic is: I’m connected, therefore I exist,” says Fábio Coelho, president of Google in Brazil.
As the research suggests, Brazil is a very social country, therefore the use of social media should figure heavily in any international student marketing campaign. To get your brand across in Brazil, social media will be your best resource for reaching students and parents.
