The use of social media by companies in Brazil is increasing rapidly, according to a new study jointly conducted by JeffreyGroup and São Paulo’s Instituto Ideafix, which also found a surprising willingness on the part of consumers to champion brands via digital channels. 

The 2013 Business Use of Social Media in Brazil Survey found that 86 percent of those polled believe social networks can help companies find innovative solutions to critical problems and that many consumers are willing to be “brand champions” by praising companies on social media channels. 

“Brands may mistakenly assume that consumers have grown jaded and tired of hearing from them online but we can now see that they do so at their own peril,” says Brian Burlingame, chief operating officer of JeffreyGroup.  “Our research shows that Brazilian consumers and heavy social media users want to interact with brands, provided that the engagement is authentic, entertaining and informative.”

Brazil, now the world’s sixth largest economy, has a dynamic and powerful social media landscape and currently represents the second-largest market for both Facebook and Twitter.

The survey was conducted by speaking with young gamers and web and social media "heavy users” and revealed that:
• 74 percent of these Brazilian users follow brands on Facebook
• 59 percent have praised a company on either Twitter or Facebook, which is slightly larger than the number who have expressed dissatisfaction with brands
• The importance of Instagram has grown over 300 percent since last year’s survey