Marktest has just released the 2025 edition of its study Os Portugueses e as Redes Sociais — and once again, the data makes one thing very clear: Social Media strategic brands is no longer just a channel for connection, it’s a central stage where brands and consumers meet.
Engagement That Keeps Growing Social Media strategic brands
The Social Media strategic brands 2024 edition of the study showed that 58% of users follow public figures and 55% follow brand pages. On average, each person engages with 22 different entities, from brands to interest groups — seven more than the year before. That steady increase says a lot: consumers are becoming more comfortable interacting with commercial and institutional content, and they’re doing it consistently.
Time That Brands Can’t Ignore
The time people spend online tells an equally powerful story. In 2024, Portuguese users aged 15 to 64 spent an average of 97 minutes a day on social media. Among younger audiences, the number jumps to 145 minutes daily — nearly two and a half hours. That’s a huge window of opportunity for brands to connect, but also a reminder of just how crowded and competitive these spaces are.
Platforms That Set the Tone
The study also confirmed a big shift: Instagram overtook Facebook as the most used social network in Portugal. It’s also the top choice for following public figures, with photos, stories, and videos proving to be the most engaging content. This reinforces a key point for marketers — visual and immediate communication is what drives attention and engagement today.
Still, Facebook remains highly relevant, with almost 90% of social media users keeping an active account. WhatsApp (88.3%) and Instagram (82.1%) follow closely, showing just how diverse and layered the Portuguese social media landscape really is.
Influencers That Matter for the Right Reasons
The companion study Public Figures and Digital Influencers 2025 highlights another trend: it’s not just about who has the most followers. Respondents placed high value on qualities like friendliness, honesty, and credibility when evaluating influencers. Names like Ana Garcia Martins (“A Pipoca Mais Doce”), Madalena Abecasis, Ricardo Fazeres, and Carolina Patrocínio continue to stand out as potential allies for brands, but what really counts is how well they connect with audiences in an authentic way.
For brands, this means looking beyond numbers and choosing partnerships that align with their identity and values. That’s how you create campaigns that don’t just get seen, but also inspire trust and genuine engagement.
The Takeaway
With Portuguese users spending close to two and a half hours on social networks every day, the role of social media in brand communication strategies couldn’t be clearer. The challenge for brands is simple but critical: tell stories worth paying attention to. In digital, the worst thing that can happen isn’t criticism — it’s being ignored.
These insights come from the 2024 edition of Os Portugueses e as Redes Sociais, along with two dashboards available on YumiAnalytics, the platform developed by Markdata and TWA (both part of the Marktest Group): Dashboard 2025 and Trends 2015–2025.
For more information, please contact Marktest.
