SANTA MONICA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--GumGum, the leading computer vision platform for marketers, recently completed two quantitative studies on consumer engagement and social sharing habits across platforms. Regarding the use of hashtags on social platforms, GumGum surveyed 207 people over the age of 18. As a complement to the hashtag research, GumGum also completed a study of 259 18-44 year olds on their social media platform use, preferences and subsequent purchase intent. This study, Millennials Love Visual Social Platforms For The Community, Not The Purchases, illustrates the varying use cases for each social platform such as 37 percent of respondents use Instagram when they’re bored, yet 48 percent using that platform solely browse their friends’ images.
“As content consumption increases, it’s imperative for marketers to understand how their social investments are performing,” said Ben Plomion, Chief Marketing Officer, GumGum. “This research enabled us to identify that while millennials are consistently using social, there is no one-size-fits-all strategy for using these channels to drive brand awareness and sales conversions. To reach their target audiences, marketers must understand the nuances of the consumption habits that are unique to each platform.”
Interesting overall demographic trends presented themselves across the data: Facebook is overwhelmingly the most popular social network across age groups, while Instagram and Snapchat are more popular with millennials, and Pinterest is more popular with those 35 and up. Other findings from the data include:
Ads On Social Media Aren’t Driving Sales
- 60 percent of respondents prefer to skip ads, and only 27 percent said they would be willing to watch if the content was something they were interested in.
- Similarly, respondents were asked if they’ve bought a product after they’ve seen it on social media and the majority had not; Instagram (91 percent), Pinterest (94 percent), and Snapchat (99 percent).
#CaptionsAreNotNecessarilyTheAnswer
- 60 percent of respondents said that when they do post brand-related content, they do not usually tag the brand with a hashtag, however millennials are more open to brands asking them to use specific hashtags when posting about products through alternative marketing messages.
- 49 percent of users state they “somewhat” pay attention to accompanying text when they see a brand-related image, and 28 percent said they pay a lot of attention to text that accompanies the images.
Original Posts Create Community, Not Celebrities
- GumGum’s data showed that users on social media are turning to platforms for a sense of community, and they prefer original and authentic content over reposted content. 53 percent of respondents said they use social media mainly to communicate with their friends in real-time, and only 7 percent use it to mainly follow celebrities.
- 60 percent of respondents said they follow celebrities on Instagram, while only 20 percent said they follow celebrities on Snapchat.
Positive Experiences Drive or Result From Brand-Related Content
- 65 percent of respondents have posted or would consider posting an image containing a brand solely because they liked the product and felt enthusiasm for it.
- Additionally, 34 percent of millennials are more likely to feel positively about a brand if they see brand-specific or brand-generated hashtags in other people’s posts.
Millennials Are Addicted To Social Media
- When asked how many times a day respondents use social media, 42 percent of respondents said they open their apps more than five times a day.
About GumGum
GumGum is a leading computer vision company
with a mission to unlock the value of every online image for marketers.
Its patented image-recognition technology delivers highly visible
advertising campaigns to more than 400 million users as they view
pictures and content across more than 2,000 premium publishers.
Founded in 2007, GumGum invented the in-image advertising category and is used by the majority of Fortune 100 companies. GumGum ads consistently achieve an 81% viewability rate and deliver 10 times better engagement than traditional display options, while still prioritizing high-quality inventory, brand safety, and user experience. The company also offers GumGum Visual Intelligence, a real-time visual listening platform that helps brands identify and activate online pictures relevant to them, as well as engage their top influencers on social media.
