Hola! Or as they say in Brazil — Olá! I am a new face on this blog, so let me introduce myself. My name is Roxana Strohmenger and I am on the Technographics Operations and Analytics Team, where I work with our clients, analysts, and vendors to make sure that our surveys — both syndicated and custom — utilize sound research methodologies and analytic tools. One of my newer responsibilities, though, is driving the content for our Latin American Technographics® research to help companies understand how technology and the Internet are changing the way Latin Americans go about their daily lives.

I am currently preparing for an exciting opportunity to give a presentation at ESOMAR’s Latin American 2010 conference next week, and I wanted to share with you some interesting findings regarding how Latin Americans want to connect with “others” on the Internet. I emphasize “others” because it is not friends and family that I am referring to but, in fact, companies. Yes, Latin Americans are extremely community-oriented and want to feel connected to their friends and families. And the Internet has become an exciting vehicle for them to stay connected. But, does this desire to be connected also extend to companies?

Surprisingly, the answer is yes. In fact our research shows that more than 75% of metropolitan online Brazilians and Mexicans expect companies to have a presence using social media tools like blogs, discussion forums, and social networking sites. To put this in perspective, we see that only 47% of US online adults have the same attitude. We’ve also found that among online Latin Americans who have this expectation:

  • More than 50% watch a video produced by a company or brand as opposed to only 26% in the US.
  • Almost 30% read a company or brand blog as opposed to 14% in the US.
  • And, compared with the 4% of their US counterparts, 15% follow a company or brand on Twitter.

 

 Although the online world is relatively new in Latin America and hasn’t reached the masses like it has in the US and Europe, it’s clear that when Latin Americans connect to the Internet, they truly engage with social media — in some cases, at record levels.

I would love to hear your thoughts on whether this data is surprising to you and what you think is driving these behaviors. I’ll be showing more data on this and other related trends at ESOMAR this coming Monday, and I look forward to sharing more insights on this blog when I get back.