Brands ‘War’ on Facebook in Singapore

A study has found that Starbucks and BlackBerry, the two foreign multinationals, are most effectively connecting with Singaporean Facebook users, but is behind the Singapore Police Force, the most popular brand page among the local audience with 204,666 “likes” overall.

Currently, Singapore possesses 2.6m Facebook users, a figure that is 72.5% of the local online population. Further, more than half of the total user base is aged between 25-44 years old, and a typical user, on average, logs onto the social network giant about 26.1 times per month, spending 10.1 minutes on the site per visit.

It was a surprise provided the fact that tools such as discounts, competitions and deals were not used by the police to attract fans on Facebook, said Christel Quek, a social media strategist at Havas Media Singapore and the author of the research report.

She wrote on Penn Olson stating “Instead they have focused strongly on adding value to the community – even providing links to external organisations, such as the Health Sciences Authority, to answer questions from the general public.”

BlackBerry grabbed the second spot with 192,142 fans, and was praised for uploading content including apps, hints and tips and videos, rather than purely utilising marketing material.

Resorts World Sentosa, the hotel and casino operator, was third on 158,586 “likes”, ahead of Starbucks, the coffee house chain, on a comparative score of 155,509.

Charles & Keith, which makes shoes, bags and accessories, recorded a total of 155,656 followers, while Deal.com.sg, a platform similar to Groupon, had 142,611 fans.

Mig33, the gaming service, boasted 138,369 “likes”, beating Singapore Airlines with 129,763, and KFC, the fast food chain, on 129,935. Channel U, the broadcaster, rounded out the top ten on 121,759.

“All the top ten Facebook pages in Singapore vary their content, and are more pre-disposed to posting photos and videos than just generic Status Updates. This is an important tip which brands in general – and I’m not talking just about brands in Singapore alone – need to remember,” said Quek.

Data sourced from Penn Olson; additional content by MP Staff