Orkut’s early success can be credited due to its marketing action plan. A marketing action plan has several vital steps, which are:

1. Goals
2. Target Audience
3. Social Media Choice
4. Resources
5. Policies
6. Monitoring
7. Activity Plan

For this blog, I am focusing on the #2 Target Audience. 

One can access their accounts from anywhere. In Brazil, it was one of the most visited sites. At one point, “about 11 million of Orkut’s more than 15 million users are registered as living in Brazil — a remarkable figure is given that studies have estimated that only about 12 million Brazilians use the Internet from home” (Kugel 2006). Not only did Orkut felt prestigious due to its invite-only membership, but it was also easy for people to navigate.  In the beginning, it seemed as if Orkut knew what their target audience wanted.  It was a strong presence in Brazil for ten years.

In 2007 Brazil introduced the Clean City Law, which banned billboards, digital signs, and advertising on buses. Brands turned to the internet.  Brazil emerged as one of the strongest markets for online retailers, ranking the fifth-largest online market globally. Advertising and marketing online was a plus for Brazilian social media users.  They eagerly researched products and shopped online. On other social media platforms, Brazilians watched videos and photos of other online users making their recommendations of products and services. But what about Orkut?  As other platforms advanced, Orkut stood behind. They had issues with functionality problems with the website, including blockages, limiting the number of friends, and difficulty loading and sharing photos (Translate Media, 2015).  All of those issues led to the failure of Orkut.

The Platform that was so eager to please in the beginning fell short when it was essential to step up.  That reminds me of my first boyfriend.  He did everything he can to get me, but once we became exclusive, he didn’t know how to keep me….