Fan Base for Southeast Asia’s Social Media Program Tops 60,000

The fan base for the joint U.S. Pulses social media program in Southeast Asia topped 60,000 fans by end of December 2019. The theme of the campaign in 2019 was “Super Clean, Super Food”. Southeast Asia’s social media program began in 2016, with a website and Facebook page for the Philippines. During 2019, the regional website (www.pulses.asia) was maintained and Facebook pages were managed in local languages for the Philippines (Pulse Association of the Philippines), Thailand (U.S. Pulses Thailand), and Vietnam (Đậu Khô Hoa Kỳ). Facebook pages were also added for Indonesia (Kacang-kacangan Amerika), Malaysia, and Singapore. Regular Facebook postings included educational information on U.S. dry beans, health information, recipes, and recipe videos.

The total number of Facebook page fans more than doubled over the course of the year, from 27,691 at the beginning of January to 62,444 at the end of December. Aggregate page impressions during 2019 were more than 2.5 million. There remains substantial potential for growth in 2020 as consumers are increasing their social media use and shopping on-line due to COVID-19. The addition of Instagram postings is just one of the innovations planned to capitalize on these developments.