This is a follow up to my previous article about Bebo, and why Bebo should be part of your social media strategy, especially if you are in the U.K. Recently released data from Hitwise shows just how powerful Bebo is becoming:
Bebo is catching up quickly to eBay as the most searched for brand in the UK. Since May, the term “bebo” has ranked #2 in the share of UK internet searches after “ebay”, and Bebo’s rapid rise is narrowing the gap. The market share of UK internet searches for “bebo” has increased more than three fold in the past six months and 17.6% in the past three months
It is amazing that Bebo has so much brand awareness considering how little brand recognition it has in the general public. The average Brit has probably never heard of Bebo, which shows the power and strength of viral marketing and social networks.
Over the last year brands making the top 20 list have included MySpace, Rightmove, Wikipedia and Google Earth. One common characteristic amongst these sites is their lack of a marketing budget. That has to be something that worries traditional marketing agencies. If you are the Tesco or Argos and are spending millions of pounds on brand advertising would you not be asking yourself this morning what that money is buying you?
