Vk or Vkontakte is a Russian social media site that is making a significant impact in its region. It happens to be the most popular and most used site in all of Russia receiving over 50.2 million visits every month. It is hard to image that a social media site that is more than likely completely unknown to most of the United States could have grown to this level. This is largely due to the fact that we are so wrapped up in the Facebook cloud that we didn’t think to look elsewhere for a place to interact with our peers. Well individuals in Russia just so happen to have the same exact mindset! By no means am I trying to say that VK is a better social media platform than Facebook, but relative to the Eastern European region the comparison is warranted. Facebook has put a lot of effort into trying to penetrate the market in Russia but it just hasn’t seemed to work. So the question is, why has Facebook gained so much success almost everywhere in the world other than Russia? I believe Russian users appreciate the concentrated consumer base. Everyone uses Facebook and Russians use VK. VK appeals to their wants and caters specifically to them. Even as an American I can admit that the overall broadness of Facebook takes away from the desired in-depth experience. When you sign up for VK you get the chance to create a profile with information that goes deeper than just the typical “school you attend” or “birth date”. They include things such as career aspirations and goals. Their search engines are also known to be far superior to Facebooks as well which helps users connect with likeminded individuals more effectively. From a marketing stand point VK does not generate nearly as much revenue as Facebook but that may not be a bad thing. “VK offers advertisers targeted advertising to a large audience in its domestic market which it knows well”. VK is known for not having an overwhelming amount of advertising unlike Facebook because they only allow marketers that specifically cater to Russian consumes utilize their platform. This is why VK has been able to effectively ward off Facebook’s influence and remain Russia’s best kept secret.
Check out this video made by a VK user in Russia! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJ4j-7oXHRU#action=share
Daniel Writes 