APAC social media ad spend up 8% YoY in Q1 2022

The average monthly ad spend per brand was $1,500.

Average social media ad spend in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region rose 8% year-on-year (YoY) to $1,500 during the first quarter of 2022 but engagement in the online platforms declined, according to a report by Emplifi.

On the other hand, the average monthly social media ad spend in the region was down 18.5% compared to the previous quarter, following an “impressive holiday showing,” Emplifi said in a statement, adding that cost-per-click jumped 5.89%.

Globally, the average monthly ad spend per brand during the first quarter was up 21% YoY to $3,631, but was down 19% quarter-on-quarter (QoQ) during the holiday season. Southeast Asia saw a 10% decline in quarterly ad spend by rose 20% YoY to $1,802.

“Marketers still view paid social media as an integral part of the marketing mix, and are willing to pay a premium to reach their audiences,” Emplifi CMO Zarnaz Arlia said.

Despite the 8% YoY increase, the click-through rates declined by 4.4% quarter-on-quarter, and 5.84% compared to the same period last year.

The median number of interactions with Facebook posts in the region slid by 18% YoY, with the median of interactions falling to 5.84 per 1,000 impressions from 7.13 in January 2021, but is still slightly higher than the 5.22 in the fourth quarter of 2021.

Instagram, on the other hand, is “holding steady” and remained consistent over the past year, seeing a minimal rise in the median of just over 31 interactions per 1,000 impressions. It also found that posting Instagram stories in bulk helps boost engagement.

Emplifi also said that live video is most engaging in the region, ranking the highest for audience engagement on Facebook with 42 media post interactions, followed by Instagram, carousel at 67 interactions, and images at 56 interactions.

It also said that brands’ ability to respond to customer questions online is a “key differentiator between platforms,” with the response rate of brands in APAC highest on Facebook with more than 80% of direct messages answered in the lesson than an hour. Instagram was the lowest at 45% with a response time of 4.1 hours, whilst Twitter had a higher response rate at 71% but the slowest to respond at 5.1 hours.

“Consumers in APAC have high expectations when it comes to receiving customer support through social channels, they want real-time responses and shorter waiting time to get Resolutions,” Arlia said.

"While response rates are high on Facebook and Twitter, brands must still do more to ensure all social channels are addressed equally. Investing in and improving social customer care will help brands gain and retain market share," she added.