CIC’s IWOM Watch Half Year Review covers some of the most notable topics from our IWOM Watch trend reports from July to December 2009.

The full report is available for download on Slideshare below:

First, in “New Wave of Online Entertainment” we highlight how new forms of entertainment are becoming popular among Chinese netizens. For example, netizens are now initiating ‘quick’ offline events online called ‘shan wan’ (闪玩) and they are rapidly sharing their favorite links by ‘reposting’ (Zhuan Tie / 转帖) to spread and create memes.

Second, in “Spotlight on Social Media,” we give examples that show as China’s social media continues to develop and play an indispensable role in Chinese netizens lives, netizens can now do almost anything online via social media. For example, netizens gather offline for justice in the “Nan Hu Student Violence”(南湖熊姐打人) Incident, “I love Shanghai”(我爱上海) becomes popular among Shanghai netizens.

Finally, in the last section “The Power of Social Can Cut Two Ways,” we show how brands need to be more sensitive to the events happening around and about them online, both so that they can create a professional image online and so that, if the need comes about, they know how to react to possible PR crisis’s.

For more on these above topics, please continue reading and for previous IWOM Watch Half Year Review please go here here. If you’d like more information about CIC’s products and services, please click here or contact us directly.

Part One: New Wave of Online Entertainment

• Netizens’ spoofing represents a shared loneliness?
• Netizens enjoy sharing info among their social networks
• Netizens initiate fast-paced life online
• Netizens are keen on pursuing “Grass-roots Beauty”
• Netizens create new words to express their belief
• Netizens are nostalgic for days gone by

Part Two: Spotlight on Social Media

• Environmental issues make netizens re-examine
• “Student Violence” breaks out online
• Icon shows strong sense of belonging
• A new type of review platform emerges online
• The Internet is THE Community
• Video sharing sites explore a new way to connect with brands

Part Three: The Power of Social can Cut Two Ways
An online community can be:

• A platform that brands can use to entice fans and connect with them
• A platform on which brands should beware of negative messages
• A platform where brands can gather consumer insight regarding new products
• A platform for brands to be proactive and prevent crisis
• A platform brands may leverage to build their own communities
• A platform for brands to explore new marketing strategies

You can get a sense of the development of IWOM over time by downloading previous IWOM watch 6 month review reports here (also listed below), with quite a few other white papers are available as well.

• IWOM watch 1st half year review 2009
• IWOM watch 2nd half year review 2008
• IWOM watch 1st half year review 2008
• IWOM watch May Special Edition (Sichuan Earthquake) 2008
• IWOM watch 2nd half year review 2007
• IWOM watch 1st half year review 2007
• IWOM watch 2nd half year review 2006