In a groundbreaking collaboration, Mindshare, the media services company under the WPP umbrella, and technology giant Snapchat have delved into the intricate world of social media behavior, revealing the subconscious associations that users have with different platforms. The research, conducted in two phases, sheds light on the emotional needs that drive consumers across various social platforms.
The first part of the study, spearheaded by Mindshare’s Worldwide Data Strategy and Insight team, involved a quantitative survey of over 28,000 adults worldwide. This phase focused on understanding consumers’ daily social media behaviors. The second part, conducted by Mindshare’s in-house neuroscience department, the NeuroLab team, delved into the deeper realms of consumers’ unconscious preferences, exploring emotional associations and perceptions tied to different social platforms.
The findings of this comprehensive study unveiled a compelling segmentation of social media behavior, identifying six distinct platform “need states” governing users’ actions:
- Exploring (22%): Users with an openness to new experiences and a penchant for discovering new places.
- Learning (16%): Individuals who find happiness in expanding their knowledge base.
- Progression (15%): Users driven by the desire to build their future and move up in the world.
- Joy (19%): Specifically seeking fun, upbeat moments and experiences.
- Hanging Out/Time Waste (15%): Those passing the time in their day-to-day lives.
- Connection (13%): Users leveraging social technology to share their lives with family and friends.
These need states displayed significant variations across different markets, reflecting the cultural nuances of each region. Notably, the United Kingdom and the United States predominantly perceive social media as a space for entertainment, while emerging markets like India view it as a source of progression. Turkey, the Netherlands, and France place emphasis on exploration and learning, and in Germany, consumers primarily see platforms as tools for changing opinions.
Glen Parker, Head of Data Strategy and Insights at Mindshare Worldwide, emphasized the simplicity yet power of these underlying needs, stating, “A few simple but powerful needs underpin all social behaviour. They are to explore, learn, to connect, to progress, to have fun or just to waste time. This knowledge is the key to unlocking the true power of social media.”
The study didn’t stop there. It correlated these need states with generational preferences and social platforms, revealing insightful nuances in engaging diverse audiences. For instance, Gen Z values Progression the most, while the Post War generation (ages 78-98) finds it the least relevant. However, the needs for Connection and Joy increase with age, highlighting a shift in preferences across generations. Mindshare’s NeuroLab conducted Implicit Association Testing (IAT) as part of the study, quantifying consumers’ subconscious beliefs. This segment aimed to understand the behaviors that set 10 well-known social platforms apart, aligning consumer needs with platform strengths and behaviors. For example, Snapchat was most associated with learning and delivering feelings of joy, Instagram with exploration and recognition, and LinkedIn with building connections and careers.
Terence Scroope, Executive Director of Customer Strategy at Mindshare, stressed the importance of tailoring media strategies to align with the unique need states of each platform. “By tailoring media strategies to align with the unique need states of each platform, we can build programs that truly resonate with different audiences and make a meaningful impact across a wide range of markets,” he said.
Alexander Dao, Global Head of Agency Development & Sales Partnerships at Snap Inc., echoed the sentiment, emphasizing the positive influence of joy Snapchatters feel while using the app on how they view business messages. “The findings from our research with Mindshare reinforce the fact that the joy Snapchatters feel when using the app influence how they view business messages in a positive way, ultimately driving business outcomes for brands.”
Methodology
The methodology employed by Mindshare and Snapchat in their ambitious research aimed to comprehensively understand the nuanced need states of diverse audiences and uncover how each social media platform uniquely caters to these needs. The research spanned from September through December 2022, utilizing a multifaceted approach to gather insights. To initiate this extensive study, online surveys were conducted with the collaboration of Mindshare’s esteemed Worldwide Data Strategy & Insights team. These surveys were carefully designed to delve into the daily social media behaviors of participants, providing a quantitative overview of audience engagement across various platforms.
The study comprised two distinct phases. In the first phase, qualitative questions about social media use were incorporated, allowing participants to share their experiences, preferences, and insights related to their engagement on different social platforms. This phase served as a foundational exploration into the conscious aspects of users’ social media behaviors. The second phase, led by Mindshare’s NeuroLab team, delved deeper into the subconscious realm by employing Implicit Association Tests (IAT). This innovative approach involved assessing participants’ implicit beliefs and associations with social platforms, providing a nuanced understanding of the emotional connections users may have developed over time.
The research platform used for the qualitative phase was Audience Origin, facilitating the collection of rich and detailed information about participants’ social media habits. This platform played a crucial role in analyzing and interpreting the qualitative data, offering valuable insights into the reasons behind users’ behaviors and preferences. Mindshare’s NeuroLab, the agency’s in-house neuroscience department, played a pivotal role in executing the IATs. This specialized testing involved measuring the strength of participants’ subconscious associations with different social platforms. By exploring these implicit beliefs, the researchers gained a deeper understanding of the emotions and perceptions tied to each platform.
In total, an impressive 28,000 participants, aged 18 years or older, contributed to the study’s wealth of data. The participant pool spanned across 14 diverse markets, including the USA, UK, Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Italy, Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Turkey, and the UAE. This broad geographic representation allowed for a comprehensive analysis of cultural nuances, ensuring that the findings were reflective of the diverse global landscape of social media usage.
The meticulous combination of quantitative and qualitative methodologies, coupled with the innovative use of Implicit Association Tests, provided Mindshare and Snapchat with a holistic and deep-seated understanding of audience behaviors, preferences, and emotional connections with different social media platforms. The extensive participant pool and global reach ensured that the study’s insights were robust, representative, and applicable across a wide spectrum of audiences and markets.