Social media usage has seen unprecedented growth in Asia Pacific in the past year and is now one of the most critical trends in the online sector, according to Nielsen’s Asia Pacific Social Media Report.

Driven by strong economic performances and rapidly improving consumer confidence levels in the first quarter of 2010, media advertising activity across 12 Asia Pacific markets surged by 18% – the second consecutive quarter of positive growth.

With the World Cup kickoff just hours away, the tournament is on the mind – and broadband – of soccer fans worldwide. The Nielsen Company looked at the differences in what was driving the World Cup conversation online across seven different countries.

With Facebook leading the way and Twitter activity on the rise, Australians are rapidly increasing their participation in social media, content sharing and brand interaction.

On average, global web users across 10 countries spent roughly five and a half hours on social networks in February 2010, up more than two hours from the same time last year.

The Christmas retail season is in full swing, and in Australia, shopping is the on the minds of many, as online buzz about gift-giving is up more than 400 percent, according to research from The Nielsen Company.

How often do you notice the ads that appear on your favorite web sites? If you’re the typical Australian, chances are good that you do: one-third of Australian consumers exposed to an online ad are able to recall that ad when asked, and 41 percent are able to link the correct brand to an un-branded advertisement, according to new online advertising effectiveness benchmarks released by The Nielsen Company.

The recession that has gripped much of the world over the last year has caused consumers to seek out entertainment that provides the best value for money.

Like shoppers around the world, consumers across Asia Pacific have become focused on saving and reducing debt this year, and as a result, have become less inclined to spend on bigger ticket items and out-of-home-entertainment.

Australia’s advertising sector appears to have avoided the worst of the ongoing shockwaves of the global financial crisis, although the impact on ad spending was significantly more severe across main media in the second half of the financial year…