Social networking is expanding its reach into the 35+ market and beyond

Picture a social network user. Once upon a time it was easy - they were pimply teens huddled in messy bedrooms. Or young professionals organising their social lives. These days, however, they’re becoming far harder to categorise.

Last year Facebook reported huge growth in the 25 to 54 age group. After a feverish year of growth for social networks in Asia, are there similar signs of a broadening demographic?

Generally, the answer is yes. Figures from Synovate (see below) point to more older consumers engaging with social networks.

Kevin Huang, CEO of Pixel Media, which has worked with online firms including Facebook, agrees that the over-35s are now growing quickly on social networks, especially in sophisticated markets such as Hong Kong and Singapore.

“How many times have you recently heard one of your friends say, ‘Wow, my dad’s just gone on Facebook?’” says Huang. “We’re also seeing [older users on] Windows Live Messenger as well as boards like Discuss and Uwants in Hong Kong. Twitter also seems to appeal to a slightly older crowd.”

Thomas Crampton, Asia-Pacific director of 360 digital influence at Ogilvy PR, agrees there has been a change. “This demographic shift takes place along the lines of internet penetration, which should not be confused with the number of broadband connections. Indonesia, in particular, has lately had a boom of women joining the social internet world via BlackBerry.”

An interesting exception appears to be Japan, according to Adrian Roche, digital lead at OgilvyOne Japan. There, the leading network is Mixi, and Roche says that its user base is still youth-driven. “We still have a dominant user base in the 18 to 34 age range. The 35 to 49 age range comes in second place, but this is a distant second place. The age range of 50-plus doesn’t yet exist.”

Unsurprisingly, market leaders elsewhere are broadening their target demographics in line with the change. Facebook, the global leader and now a significant force in Southeast Asia, is built around personal relationships regardless of age. In China, meanwhile, leading network Xiaonei rebranded as Renren last year to reflect its broadening user base: Xiaonei means ‘on campus’, a reflection of the network’s student origins; Renren simply means ‘everybody’.

Other networks, left in the shade by the leaders, are relying on a more focused approach. Globally, MySpace has recently sought to turn itself around by focusing on entertainment, so far with limited success.

In Southeast Asia, Friendster was the leading network for several years before being widely usurped by Facebook last year. Ian Stewart, head of Asia at Friendster, points out that, unlike the US, the vast majority of internet users in its key markets are young - around 80 per cent are under 40 in the Philippines and Indonesia. So despite growth among older users, the young demographic is still core.

For that reason, Friendster is sticking with a youth positioning. “For Friendster we remain committed to our focus on being the social network for youth and their friends, and thus act as a gateway for brands wanting to connect with a younger demographic online,” he says.

Nevertheless, he admits that older users will “offer opportunities in the future”. For advertisers, a broader demographic on social networks opens up a whole new way of engaging consumers for brands with a more ‘grown-up’ audience. Crampton points to the cosmetics market as an early example of a sector that has had to respond to social media’s advance - many blogs and communities have arisen to discuss brands in the sector.

Lawrence Wan, general manager of OMG Digital in China, agrees, pointing to Chinese campaigns by brands such as Ponds and Neutrogena, which have put networks at the heart of their communications strategy. “Next is to leverage best practices to brands targeting a more mature female audience, where beauty and cosmetic brands are increasingly finding it difficult to differentiate,” he says. “The battle is starting to move from a heavily TV-driven awareness model to a multi-media model driving engagement and socialising, with SNS increasingly proving to be an integral channel in that strategy.”

The widening appeal of social networks

> In January 2009 Facebook reported that its 35 to 54 user base had grown 276.4 per cent in just six months.

> According to Synovate’s 2009 PAX study of Asia’s upmarket consumers, around 70 per cent of 25- to 34-year-olds use social networks, a figure unchanged from 2008. However, among 35- to 39-year-olds, the figure rose from 59 per cent to 65 per cent, and among 40- to 44-year-olds it rose from 54 per cent to 62 per cent.

> In China, according to iResearch, the 35-plus user base of social network users has doubled year on year since 2007 to well over 30 million users. The biggest driver of that growth is Kaixin001, which has the highest reach of 35-plus users.

Got a view?
Email [email protected]

This article was originally published in the 25 Febraury 2010 issue of Media.