Sharon Soh, Head of Integrated Strategy & Marketing at UM, APAC, highlights the growth of the region in part 4 of a 4-part series.

It is well known that APAC consumers are “super-connected”, spending much of their time on their smartphones and social media. In the past year, social media usage in the region has surged even further as consumers retreated into their homes and turned to Facebook, Instagram, or other platforms to not only stay connected with family and friends, but to read news, shop, and play games as well.

Previously, popularity on social media had been an important metric for APAC consumers, especially younger generations, driven by conspicuous consumption and an impulse to overshare for external validation.

Thankfully, the pandemic has brought a cultural shift and raised the awareness of social issues such as mental health, equality, poverty, climate change, and local democracy, prompting many to engage in conversations on those issues on social platforms.

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