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November 13, 2019

We Are Social expands into Canada with a new Toronto office

  • Posted By: Umar Achraf/
  • 0 comments /
  • Under: News

As you may have read in Strategy magazine today, we’ve officially launched in Canada. Here, our Managing Director of We Are Social in Toronto, Coby Shuman, shares his view on the opportunities this exciting new market has to offer.

Our country is one of the most multicultural nations in the entire world, and our diversity has become central to Canada’s identity. So it’s no surprise that most Canadians turn to social to express their individuality; social has become a pervasive media. Canada has 25 million active social media users, 67% of our entire population! We regularly connect through our underdog athletes, homegrown musicians, poutine variations, extreme weather, humble patriotism, political movements and even our daily memes.

We also see more international choices where we have these conversations. An estimated one million Chinese Canadians are using WeChat, and in British Columbia alone, they spend more time on WeChat than the open internet. Speaking of the internet, 68% of multicultural Canadians say they only access the web to strictly to use social media.

Our brands have become an active social participant in Canadian conversations. A staggering 86% of all socially active Canadians interact with businesses on social media to one degree or another. But brands are on the defence as people’s frustration is on the rise while trust is on the decline. 

We believe brands have an opportunity to transform this trend by becoming more purposeful on social. Those who go beyond reformatting advertising or pushing a paid conversion tactic can create a social value exchange and reap massive benefits. 

This cultural backdrop made our decision to open doors in Canada an easy one.

The Toronto launch aligns to our wider growth strategy as a network, to expand into influential and culturally active markets. We want to launch in dynamic markets where brands have the potential to connect with people in meaningful ways, and Canada is a natural candidate.

Ambitious Canadian marketing leaders are hungry for disruptive socially-led creative ideas. We’re home to international brands, homegrown global brands, and a thriving Canadian startup community, all who can re-imagine ways to meaningfully connect with Canadians. This aligns well with our mission – to put social thinking at the centre of marketing. 

I am thrilled to be taking on the Managing Director responsibility to open in my hometown. I will be leaning on all my experiences while learning from our world-class, global creative network. And I am grateful to be surrounded by a diverse and talented team who bring together culture, creativity and social insights.

We are lucky to have Devon Vipond as our Director of Research & Insights, leading this foundational discipline. Devon partners closely with our Strategy Director, Jeremy Singer who examines brands and the world around them to land their social purpose. Terra Boake is multi-talented, leading content from planning, editorial, design and partnerships. Our lead producer is Claire Trembley, who refuses to be stopped as she transforms vision to reality without fail. Finally, Dan Mosely is our client lead, bringing a wealth of eight years of experience with our UK office to us here in Canada. 

If you’d like to be a part of this next phase in our journey, as we look to the future, then write to us at letschat@wearesocial.com.


July 15, 2019

We Are Social expands its presence in Asia with new Tokyo office

  • Posted By: Umar Achraf/
  • 0 comments /
  • Under: News

Masayuki Tono is Managing Director of We Are Social Tokyo and reports into North Asia Regional Managing Director, Pete Lin.

He says: While working in Japan’s advertising industry, I’ve witnessed some dramatic changes in client expectations in recent years. Quality over quantity – reaching smaller, more niche groups of consumers – has become the marker of success when it comes to the audiences brands are looking to connect with. The evolution of the internet and its culture has brought concerns over how brands are discussed externally and, in particular, over how they engage with and respond to sensitive issues within society.

The Japanese consumers have also become wiser to traditional marketing tactics. They are no longer fooled by glossy, colourful adverts selling empty promises. Instead they are opting for trustworthy products, reading reviews and asking for recommendations. 

As such, it’s not easy to stand out in Japan today. But that only makes our challenge even more exciting as we open We Are Social Tokyo, the fourteenth international office in the group. 

The new opening builds on the previous launches of We Are Social Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong over the last few years, all of which has helped to solidify our presence in the region and grow our collective headcount to over 200 people. 

The move into Tokyo now gives our group a presence in both the largest (China) and second largest (Japan) economies in APAC, and is also the next step in our global strategy to offer our clients on-the-ground insights and access to all major markets. Through this, we aim to help brands across the region to establish and grow their presence, as they help us to do the same. 

If you want to take part in this adventure with us, get in touch at hello@wearesocial.net. 

Masayuki Tono is Managing Director of We Are Social Tokyo and reports into North Asia Regional Managing Director, Pete Lin.


January 30, 2019

Digital in 2019 | Saudi Arabia

  • Posted By: Aurelien Fonteneau/
  • 0 comments /
  • Under: Insights , News

Saudi Arabia in 2019: A Year of Digital Growth

Socialize, in conjunction with We Are Social and Hootsuite, the world’s leader in social media management, today released their Digital 2019 report, examining social media and digital trends around the world.
Here is a look at the most significant data coming out of the Saudi Arabia report, giving us a first understanding at the possible trends, changes and behaviors that could shape the year ahead.

Digital 2019 Saudi Arabia (January 2019) v01 from DataReportal
Saudi Arabia leads the world in Snapchat, but Instagram is coming
Saudi currently has the world’s largest monthly active Snapchat audience, with almost 14m users.
However, since the end of 2018, there’s been a sharp drop of 15% in active Snapchat users, while Instagram’s user base has grown 8% in 2018, catching up quickly with 13m active users.
Instagram audience overview in Saudi Arabia

Instagram audience overview in Saudi Arabia

Facebook is still slightly ahead of them both with 15m, but it wouldn’t be a big surprise to see Instagram overtake them both as the year goes on.

Saudis are more likely to click on a Facebook ad than publish a post
On average, Saudis will click on six Facebook ads each month, while they only publish four posts, comment twice and share once. It’s a clear exhibition of how behavior on Facebook is shifting from content creation to content consumption.

This could also be an indicator of greater value being placed on the protection of personal information, given the increasing concern for social privacy.

E-commerce is thriving
While Saudi Arabia lags behind the global average when it comes to online spending, the last year has seen tremendous growth, with 64% of Saudis now saying they purchase a product or service online on a monthly basis.

This behavior is heavily weighted towards mobile, with 51% of people making a purchase on a phone, compared to just 24% on a laptop/desktop computer.

E-commerce spend by category in Saudi Arabia

E-commerce spend by category in Saudi Arabia

In 2018, the total value of the consumer goods e-commerce market in Saudi Arabia was estimated at $6.36 Billion, up 15% from the previous year. The highest spend was seen within the travel (including accommodation) category, which accounted for 50% of total online spend.

Video streaming and messenger apps dominate mobile activity
Of all internet users in Saudi, 89% use mobile messenger apps every month – an increase of 6% since last year. Similarly, 90% of Saudis now watch videos on their mobile each month, a rise of 8% in the same time period.

Most active social media platforms in Saudi Arabia

Most active social media platforms in Saudi Arabia

It’s unsurprising then, that the platforms with the highest penetration across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (survey based) are YouTube and Whatsapp.


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