Adventures with Social Media:
Five Stories from Asia’s Internet
Dr. Michael Netzley, PhD
http://twitter.com/communicateasia

Twitter & Queenstown

How I Got in the Media Business
Digital Media across Asia
CommunicateAsia.Asia

“Innumerable confusions
and a feeling of despair
invariably emerge in periods
of great technological and
cultural transition.”
Marshall McLuhan

Media (R)Evolution

Asia Leads the Charge
100% 5% 6% 6% 7% 7% 7% 7%
6%
Percentage of Worldwide Online Population
9% 9% 9% 9% 10% 10% 10% 10%
80%
34% 35% 38% 39% 40% 41% 42% 43%
60%
40%
29% 29% 28% 27% 26% 26% 25% 25%
20%
22% 21% 19% 18% 17% 16% 16% 15%
0%
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
North America Europe
Asia, Asia Pacific, and Oceania Latin America and Carribean
Middle East and Africa
Steven Noble, Senior Analyst, Forrester Research. Presented Ad-Tech,
Source: JupiterResearch Worldwide Internet Population Model

ICT Development Index (2002-07)
Economy Rank 2007 IDI 2007 Rank 2002 IDI 2007
Sweden 1 7.50 1 6.05
Korea (Rep.) 2 7.26 3 5.83
Denmark 3 7.22 4 5.78
Hong Kong, 11 6.70 12 5.10
China
Japan 12 6.64 18 4.82
Australia 14 6.58 13 5.02
Singapore 15 6.57 16 4.83
Malaysia 52 3.79 50 2.74
Thailand 63 3.44 70 2.17
China 90 3.11 73 1.95

43% Growth in South Asia

ICT Access Subindex (2002-07)
Economy Rank 2007 IDI 2007 Rank 2002 IDI 2007
Sweden 1 8.67 1 7.68
Korea (Rep.) 14 7.48 9 6.82
Denmark 8 8.33 2 7.47
Hong Kong, 3 8.53 7 6.86
China
Japan 27 6.89 20 5.93
Australia 19 7.24 19 5.97
Singapore 11 8.06 13 6.54
Malaysia 60 4.14 52 2.73
Thailand 63 3.99 81 1.74
China 64 3.87 71 1.95

ICT Use Subindex (2002-07)
Economy Rank 2007 IDI 2007 Rank 2002 IDI 2007
Sweden 3 5.48 3 2.89
Korea (Rep.) 1 5.85 1 3.21
Denmark 7 5.10 6 2.60
Hong Kong, 13 4.64 7 2.45
China
Japan 4 5.41 18 1.96
Australia 12 4.68 15 2.00
Singapore 10 4.83 14 2.01
Malaysia 40 2.26 27 1.09
Thailand 73 0.78 63 0.26
China 71 0.81 74 0.17

ICT Skills Subindex (2002-07)
Economy Rank 2007 IDI 2007 Rank 2002 IDI 2007
Sweden 9 9.17 3 9.14
Korea (Rep.) 3 9.63 6 9.07
Denmark 5 9.26 9 8.74
Hong Kong, 62 7.16 65 6.85
China
Japan 26 8.60 28 8.31
Australia 13 9.05 2 9.17
Singapore 66 7.07 56 7.02
Malaysia 96 6.15 86 6.07
Thailand 50 7.65 67 6.83
China 94 6.21 99 5.53

Literacy

“No skill is more
crucial to the future of
a child, or to a
democratic and
prosperous society,
than literacy.”

Traditional v. Digital Literacy
Uncertainty Overload
Insufficient or
Masses of data at
missing the push of a button
information

Tan Siok Siok: Filmmaker
http://www.twittamentary.com/

Twittamentary

Interview with Siok Siok
Interview: episode #479

Key Points
• Like print centuries ago, or television and
computers in the 20th century, digital
media changes how we work and play
• Digital media is rich with opportunity for
innovation and creativity
• Example: crowdsourcing

Presence

“Be Here Now.”
Baba Ram Dass

The Colonel of Oz: KFC on Facebook

June 13, 2009: KFC Announces
Facebook Campaign for Cayan Grill
Thanks to Thomas
Crampton, Ogilvy

Facebook Stats (screen capture)
Facebook case
study

Insert KFC story here
Sunday 6/13: announced
Tuesday 6/15: 17,500+ fans
Sunday, 6/20: 50,000+ fans

KFC Page Stats (screen capture)
Facebook
case study

KFC Page Stats (screen capture)
Facebook
case study

Key Points
• Current Web 2.0 conversations often
reflect a Western bias
• Ecosystems and online behaviors differ
• We should invest in market data if we wish
to spot the opportunity and correct channel
• Make data-driven decisions

Takeaway
Take the best from the West….
adapt to the rest

Innovation

Lenovo Olympic Blogging

The Challenge
How do you position Lenovo as a company
providing solutions…as something more than
just providing computers to the Olympic
Games? How do you deliver this message
across 25 countries, numerous languages,
and varied ecosystems? Once you have fans,
how do you keep them engaged with the
Lenovo brand throughout the Games?

Lenovo Feeds for Japan

Campaign Results
1.4 million
10.4 million
visits to
Impressions
Lenovo Site
202 Blog 1500 Athlete
Mentions Blog Posts
8000+
Comments
On Site

Lessons from Lenovo
• Asia’s diverse ecosystems can be bridged
• Interesting and timely content helps you to
engage people
• Staying away from a specific celebrity
broadened the reach—and lowered risk
• Question: why not host at Wordpress,
Blogger, Facebook, or My Space?

Internet Blocking and
Communication Risk

Takeaway
Asia offers many leading
examples…find them and learn
from markets similar to our own

Change

South Korea: A Beefy Debate

2008 Decision to Resume U.S.
Beef Imports
April 18: South Korea
Announces Decision
April 24-28: Rumors and
speculation regarding
MCD spread on-line
April 29: PD Notebook airs
controversial news episode

Quotes from South Korean Blogs
April 24
The first locations that mad cow disease
meat will go into are the schools and army
camps. An unprecedented human experiment
in the history of mankind will take place
against the youngest and brightest of this
country.
- ID (kuankuseo12)

Quotes from South Korean Blogs
April 28
Our people (Koreans) have the genetic makeup
with the highest propensity of being infected with
mad cow disease in the world…. While only
38% of Americans are known to have the MM
genes, an astounding 95% of Koreans have the
MM genes. Koreans also have a culture of
consuming high danger parts such as the head,
intestines and spine. - ID (gyunnam)

More Rumors (all are false)
• BSE is carried through knife or cutting board that
touched infected meat. If you wash those things in water,
BSE virus will survive in the water -- even through water
treatment -- and will eventually infect the drinking water.
• There are 5 million Alzheimer's patients in the U.S., and
roughly 250,000~650,000 among them are suspected
cases of BSE.
• American slaughterhouses are mismanaged and allow
unsafe SRM to be sent to Korea.

May 2: Protests Begin

South Korea’s Information Society
• World’s #2 information society
• High Internet penetration
• High broadband subscription rates
• High Internet speeds
• 55% of population had wireless access (08)
• World’s #3 society for skilled information
workers (07, ITU)

May 22: President Lee Apologizes

Lessons from South Korea
• Mainstream media can be too slow in an
information society
• Emotion spreads effectively, while rational
discourse presents a greater challenge
• Emotion rapidly galvanizes support
• We must update our media strategies to
account for digital channels

Takeaway
Communication
becomes trans-
media

H1N1 in Singapore

Search: How People Find You
But, search has grown up

Case: Google Search “H1N1 & SMU”

Case: Google for “5th H1N1 & SMU”

SMS Update

Case: Twitter Search “H1N1 & SMU”

Real Time Search: So What?
Morning
vs
Lunch
vs
Day’s End

Printed Paper…the Next Day

Takeaway
Search is essential in a trans-media
world. Through search you find
information, and people find you

Obolo, SG
Michael Netzley, PhD
All Details of this case were collected
from public records.

The Obolo Story
It all began in 2003 when architecture graduates Mac Woo
and June Lee started baking from home for families and
close friends out of interest and passion. After forming
Obolo, an online patisserie specializing in gourmet
cheesecakes and chocolates in 2004, word of mouth
spread quickly about their highly-acclaimed creations.
In June 2007, Obolo launched her flagship “Boutique de
Pâtisserie” at Joo Chiat, a well-known Mecca for good
food in Singapore.
http://www.obolo.com.sg/

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3471/3184420802_49f42fe922.jpg
http://media.photobucket.com/image/Obolo/ladyironchef/obolo/DSC_2170.jpg
http://singsupplies.com/showthread.php?t=40605

Song of a
Frustrated
Foodie

“I admire those who follow their passions
and make their dreams come true. Imagine
looking forward to work and creating lovely
pastries everyday because you love it! I
wonder if I’ll ever be that lucky.”
“Just the average
praline cake with
chocolate mousse and
genoise which was far
too sweet and rich.”
The blackcurrant filling in Cassis was too
sweet and jam-like; Chocolate Hazelnut
was slightly better with a bittersweet
ganache.

The Siren’s Final Alarm
I really wanted to like Obolo but
its creations didn’t impress me
enough. After awhile, the law of
diminishing returns sets in and
everything becomes cloyingly
sweet. Definitely a case of sugar
overload! (Oct 2, 2009)
Blog Disclaimer: All opinions/comments you see here are based on
personal taste/preference, and my mood/craving for that day. I'm an
extremely fussy eater so what I don't like doesn't mean others won't be
impressed. Trust my readers to exercise their own judgement, please.
There is ZERO intention to irritate/anger/influence anyone in any way

As an avid food blogger, I share my dining
experiences (whether good or bad) with my readers.
Sometimes, I would also send an email to the
restaurants…That was what I did after visiting a local
pastry boutique. I praised X on its boutique decor and
also commented that the desserts….
The next day, I was shocked and disappointed to read
X's reply. To cut a long email short, the gist is that she
has referred my blog url to her legal consultant and
wanted me to remove my post within 24 hours to
avoid any legal proceedings, if any. I was appalled by
this and hence, decided to write to this forum…
http://www.todayonline.com/Voices/EDC091012-0000206/Online-Only---You-mean-bloggers-cant-speak-their-minds

74
Blog Comments

Nature of Information Societies
• Networks are critical (Siok Siok)
• Media destinations are not equal within a
market; we must adapt to new reality(KFC)
• Examples of successful Web 2.0 can be
found in our own backyard (Lenovo)
• Trans-media consumption is a reality (Beef)
• Search is critical to success in a rapid,
trans-media world (H1N1)

``If you don't like
change, you're going
to like irrelevance
even less'‘
- Gen.Eric Shinseki
Hat tip to Mitch Joel

My Business Card

Thank You
I would like to thank John Bell and Thomas
Crampton at Ogilvy for their kind support. I would
also like to thank Tan Siok Siok and encourage
everyone to visit her Twittamentary site. Finally,
Steven Noble is a star for sharing his stats.
The Lenovo video and Did You Know video are
available on YouTube.