Social Media Face of Consumer Companies
Posted on 20. Oct, 2009 by Hardeep Kaur Rai in Reviews
Social Media Face of Consumer Companies
To tie in with our Social Media in India report, this post covers a review of two International consumer-facing companies-Proctor & Gamble and Nestle- functioning within the Indian social media eco-system. Whilst International companies act as benchmarks in introducing and promoting social media in India, this particular analysis provides an interesting example of how to tweak certain social media aspects to suit cultural backgrounds as a gentle push in the right direction.
Proctor & Gamble
We begin with Proctor & Gamble’s Indian presence through its Indian face – Beinggirl.co.in. Beinggirl.co.in is an online community targeting Indian teenage girls, effortlessly blending in social networking with feminine care. In keeping with this theme, one discovers that the site provides expert advice and extensive articles on healthcare and growing up issues which are still traditionally taboo in the Indian society and not talked about openly. Registration is fairly easy and provides easy access to the articles via the user’s profile page. All possible and related questions are listed, with the added element to post questions publicly or privately. The community educates and addresses numerous concerns ranging from puberty and career to depression and relationships and allows members to engage with the content.
As a social networking platform, various features such as photo-sharing, games, download music, quizzes are offered to the registered members. A miniature yet not well-defined section -Hanging Out-allows members to chat and engage with each other. Security and support are in-built and members are advised to refrain from giving out personal information. However, the site also incorporates quite an amount of product-endorsement. An added feature Which product is right for you? offers ample factual information and suggestions following the questionnaire method to facilitate correct product choices. The community portal is well-designed and vibrant to appeal to its younger teenage audience.
In comparison to its Indian counterpart, the UK portal – Beinggirl.co.uk- has many more components to explore. The UK portal allows registered members to create online avatars via the Me2 element and share them on various social networking platforms- a feature that could well be adapted in the Indian set up. In addition, a Happy Islands portal allows members to register, engage and share content without compromising on one’s security and information. Again the articles provide more in-depth factual information and members can also enter user generated content contests to win goodies.
The Beinggirl community is tailored to 46 different countries, with some in the local language like the Arabic version below.
Nestle
Family Nestle Kitchen is the social network platform built by Nestle India to build conversations around the social object-lifestyle, passion & cause- of passion for cooking. The community provides a platform for home-makers to share all things cooking. Registration is easy and post registration members are promised a welcome kit to be delivered at the mailing address. Whilst the community allows members to share experiences, post recipes, plan offline meets and shop online, it is still restrictive in engagement between members themselves which offers an opportunity to explore. Members can also refer to the Useful Tools forum to gain working knowledge of cookery terms, weights & measures and kitchen equipment to grasp recipes better.
An interesting feature offered by the community is the free mobile application allowing access on the go. The application allows members the same convenience as does the online community.
Overall, we can say that while there is much work left to be done, yet both Proctor & Gamble and Nestle’s communities have the makings of setting benchmarks in the Indian social media universe.
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