Guest Post:  Aaron Syed Jaffery (@aaronjaffery) is Managing Partner of global digital sport consultancy NineteenEightyFour.

Although internet penetration in Mexico is relatively low at 40%, internet users are highly engaged with social media. And, on the rare occasion this engagement can come at a very high personal cost.

In Mexico, between 2006 and 2010 at least 37 media workers were killed or went missing as a result of stories published related to drug trafficking. The increased risk silenced the press, and the nation turned to social media for news. The situation escalated further in 2011, when two bloggers were brutally killed by drug traffickers for posting about drug cartel activities on social networks.

Then in 2012, after a series of false alarm tweets traumatised the city of Veracruz, a public nuisance law was passed in Mexico preventing Facebook and Twitter users warning citizens about violence.

Despite the controversy surrounding social media in Mexico, there are still 40million Facebook users and 12million Twitter users willing to use the sites. And in most respects, Mexico’s social media activity mirrors that of typical western countries. The most followed Twitter pages are celebrity actors, actresses and singers, befitting celebrity obsessed western culture. And the top sports pages are an eclectic mix of internationally renowned football clubs and players. It is only when you study the top brand pages that Mexico really distinguishes itself.

Cinema goers and gamers

Coca-Cola has the largest brand Facebook following in Mexico, reflecting its overwhelming 70% soft-drink market share. Likewise Corona, Mexico’s native lager and international bestseller, features a close second on the Facebook brand ranks. However, in third place on Facebook is Cinepolis, a Mexican chain of cinemas, and similarly on Twitter the most followed brand is Cinemex, another Mexican cinema chain with over a million Twitter followers. Having used our best Spanish, ok google translate, it seems the key to Cinemex’s and Cinepolis’ success on Facebook and Twitter is the frequent running of competitions, and a constant stream of exclusive film news. These statistics present a solid case for British cinema chains to up their social media ante, as currently Odeon, Cineworld and Empire Cinemas don’t even have 100,000 followers combined, which is a shocking result from a country of much higher internet penetration.

Also, PlayStation features twice in the top Facebook brand ranks owed to Mexico having the highest consumption per capita of video games globally. But PlayStation’s rival Xbox, doesn’t fare so well on Facebook, reaching number 17 on the top brand pages, and thus failing to harness Mexico’s huge potential social media market for its products.

Love the ladies

On Twitter, the most obvious finding is the social media world’s love for female Mexican singers/actresses. Paulina Rubino is the most followed Mexican Twitter profile, a current X Factor USA judge, actress, model and singer with 20million albums sold worldwide. Rubino has all the defining characteristics of a social media star. Other singers and actresses dominating the top Mexican Twitter pages are Anahi, Thalia – the “Queen of Latin pop” and Dulce Maria.

In Mexico, the male to female social media user ratio is approximately 50/50. Whereas in the previous two studies on Turkey and India, the figures are around 70/30 and 80/20 respectively. These figures explain to some extent why stereotypically female interests place higher on the social media rankings in Mexico, than in its emerging market counterparts.

Social media stars

Ordinary people – come – social media stars have found fame on Mexico’s top Twitter and Facebook pages, proving you don’t need to have a fat wallet to make a big impact. Bruno Darks is the third ranking brand on Twitter. A t-shirt business founded by a Mexican man Bruno Darks, and based on a self-titled superhero also called Bruno Darks. The Twitter page uses story style promotional tweets that have proven so popular, a Bruno Darks superhero comic can now be downloaded from their website.

Another social media star is wevertumorro, otherwise known as Gabriel Montiel. A Mexican vlogger, wevertumorro creates funny 10 minute videos focussing on teenage issues. He is the most subscribed YouTube channel in Mexico and has also had many TV appearances.

Football fans

International football heavyweights dominate Mexico’s top Facebook sport pages, with local teams and players not getting a look in. Cristiano Ronaldo surfaces once more victorious as the top sports Facebook page in a TIMBI market, and Leo Messi proves Mexico’s close favourite. Whilst FC Barcelona, Manchester United and Real Madrid represent the football elite for Mexican fans.

Twitter statistics however, provide an insight into Mexico on a more local scale. Chicarito Hernandez, a Man United player is the top Mexican footballer on Twitter, Cuauhtemoc Blanco comes close, and Jonathan dos Santos who plays for FC Barcelona ranks fifth. Although they are players of Mexican heritage, it goes to show that an international profile is necessary to mingle with the top Twitter stars.

Also, the Mexican national football team Seleccion Mexicana, is ranked fifth on the top twitter sports pages. This is an interesting finding that reflects the patriotism of Mexico, as it’s rare to find a national team with such a following – the English national football team only has a meagre 13,000 followers.

Football is without a doubt the most popular sport in Mexico, but the most international success has been achieved by Mexican boxers and it’s subsequently a major sport in the country. Mexican professional boxer and light middleweight champion, El Canelo breaks into the overall brand pages on Twitter at number five, something no football player or team has achieved.

Like India however, sport brands, teams and players haven’t been able to break into the overall top Facebook and Twitter pages. And so, Mexico’s social media figures suggest less of a sport dominated nation and more a film and entertainment enamoured population.