Potential growth rate of online market in Runet is extremely high – particularly in boom of new media and social networks – for example the audience of the most popular Russian social network Odnoklassniki.ru welcomed more than 20 mln people just for two years! Vkontakte.ru – 17 mln people, My.Mail.ru – 15 mln people.

But most popular Russian social networks used for personal communication or instant messaging. They are effective for contacts not for engaging campaigns.

At the same time average Russian blogger and opinion leader (internet-savvy, highly educated middle class consumer) is generally more critical and suspicious of any information, than its average western user, as well as able to obtain information by himself. Expert opinions usually placed on Internet forums, discussion boards and blogs (over 6 mln). Most preferable blog hosting platform for this blogger – is LiveJournal.Com.

Internet campaigns in general are more effective in Russia as a part of offline complex marketing campaigns.

More popular and long live communities in Runet are those which have continuation in real life (offline regular meetings on Auto.ru etc.)

Microblogging in Runet is not as popular as in global Internet due to poor ability in expression – 140 characters are available for Latin symbols and only 70 – for Cyrillics. Russians need more space to express their thoughts!)

The more localization of internet-campaigning – the better. Global Google looses to its competitor Yandex due to localization – services that appeal to particular Russian consumers interest (for instance Yandex-guru consumer advisory feature or Moscow traffic online navigation feature etc.).

So, if you are going to come to Russian online market, or are already present here – try to use at least several independent information source and communication tools, to know more how you could be more local and effective here providing your global company’s strategy.

Internet users in Russia – 28,1 mln people or 25% of population of Russia 18+, and it more than in the last year on 5 mln.

Also, some figures:
Monthly reach – 24,8 mln users
Weekly reach – 19,7 mln users
Daily reach – 10,7 mln users

Parity on age:
18-24 years old – 57%
25-34 years old – 41%
35-44 years old – 29%
45-54 years old – 14%
> 55 years old – 3%

Preferences of users depend on an exit place in Runet.
The majority of HOME users prefer entertaining resources whereas OFFICE users visit news and thematic resources more often. But both prefer social nets, as well. This data confirms the fact of distribution of broadband networks in Russia.

The majority of Internet audience still is engaged in information search (85 %), downloading of files (75 %) and use of programs for communication – ICQ, Skype etc. (56 %)

Tendencies:

• growth of number of users conducting online diaries and visiting blogs-systems such as LiveJournal.ru, Liveinternet.ru, Blogs.Mail.ru etc.
• russian analogues of well-known western social networks became popular and welcomed millions of Russian users
• video hostings and the resources which allow to place video files are becoming the most popular among users despite of low internet connections (Youtube.ru, Smotri.com, Rutube.ru)
• high popularity of social services like bookmarks (Memori.ru, Moemesto.ru, Bobrdobr.ru) and news resources with UGC (New2.ru, SMI2.ru, Roem.Ru)
• the example of Top4Top has shown (this project was closed in September) that principle “all users follow a star” doesn’t work in Runet, because it has its own “stars”.

Where Runet-users search the information:
The most popular among users service is Yandex.ru (84%), at the second place – Mail.ru (80%), Google.ru (61%) – the third place of rating.

Where Russian users spend free time:
The most popular social networks in Runet are: Odnoklassniki.ru (the audience of resource has increased twice and has made over 20 mln people) – ru version of Classmate.com, Vkontakte.ru (17,6 mln people that twice it is more in comparison with last year) – .ru version of Facebook.com.

The most useful instruments for measure public opinion are: Blogs.Yandex.ru and Blogsearch.Google.ru

Traffic 2.0

Yandex.ru – well known search engine of Runet launched a new mobile service as an additional plug-in for its Maps. This service shows on the map the traffic situation in big cities of Russia. In addition of underlining on the map trouble places with red and yellow, now Yandex takes information about traffic from drivers through their mobile phones and communicators. So drivers by means of GPS, special plug-in and with mode “traffic informer” ON – create paths that appeared as green lines on the map, showing free roads where cars are moving with the speed more than 40 km per hour.

In brief about project- we all use to see where traffic is heavy, but with the help of new UGC Yandex service we can see free ways and roads.

Social map

MirTesen.ru (it’s a small  world) – social network on the map (on Google platform).
Besides all trivia functions that almost every social network allows to its users, in mirtesen you can show the other users your favorite place, write reviews and share photos via mobile phone, hear what people talk about on 100 thousand km. And of course you have an opportunity to read responses about those places, that you want to visit. In addition you can see the rating of all places of the project selected by categories.

In brief about project – people talk about places and the places talk about people.