Study commissioned by Bacardi on social media and friendship published

The survey showed that personal contact still plays the biggest role among good friends. Every second person also has at least one good friend who is not registered on social networks. Although personal contact plays the most important role in maintaining friendships, "impersonal" communication is the most common form of communication: by text message, via social networks and only in third place when meeting in person. Women prefer text messages, while men prefer a date or a phone call. Half of the young people surveyed stated that they had between 100 and 500 Facebook friends. Of their average 219 contacts, they know 199 personally, but only count ten of them as good friends. However, when asked about their personal ideas of a good friendship, frequent communication tends to play a subordinate role for young people. Much more important: mutual support, trust and honesty. What the good friends are doing at the moment is perceived by the respondents as less important for a friendship.

The study, which was conducted by the Fischer Appelt agency and the Forsa Institute in Germany, revealed hardly any differences between the French and German-speaking Swiss. The country comparison with Germany shows that our geographical neighbors use different social networks than we do. 91 percent of Swiss young people between the ages of 18 and 29 use Facebook - Twitter and Myspace follow far behind with eight percent users each. In addition to Facebook (65 percent), young Germans prefer the Studi VZ platform - 45 percent of them are registered there. On average, they have fewer contacts than the Swiss: on average, they have 130 virtual "friends". Of these, the respondents from Germany know 120 personally and describe six of them as good friends.

Bacardi jumps on the bandwagon

Based on the results of the preliminary study for this survey, Bacardi has decided to take up this theme in its communication for 2011, as detailed in a press release. The current advertising campaign features motifs that encourage people to meet in person rather than digitally. Various events are also planned in Switzerland, which will focus on real rather than virtual get-togethers between friends and colleagues under the motto "Together" (Facebook.com/thebatwall). In this way, the rum producer is making a communicative link to its past: even in the early days of Bacardi in Cuba in the 1860s, celebrating together united different social classes.