The Water Cooler: How the Articles Shared on LinkedIn Differ between Europe and Asia

More than 675 million business professionals from around the globe are members of LinkedIn. In our latest edition of the Water Cooler, we examined whether the top 10 articles being shared on LinkedIn in January differed between Asia and Europe.

The top four articles didn’t differ very much at all between the two regions. In fact, the top four articles were the same in both Asia and Europe, although in a slightly different order. An article about Finland’s new prime minister signaling support for a four-day workweek topped the chart in Asia; a story about Microsoft’s commitment to be carbon neutral by 2030 was the most shared article in Europe.

After the top four, however, the articles shared in each region diverged. The remainder of the top 10 in Asia, perhaps driven by the shock of the brushfires in Australia, focused on sustainability. Two articles, in fact, highlighted the efforts of Coca-Cola and Celeste Barber raising funds to support fire fighting efforts in Australia.

In Europe, one article on the bushfires landed in the top 10, but the focus was on leadership. Four of the top 10 examined the topic of leadership and business culture, and these articles were written in three different languages: English, French, and Italian. Interestingly, all of the top 10 articles in Asia were written in English, reflecting the usage of LinkedIn in the English-speaking countries of Australia, India, and Singapore.    

Top 10 Articles Shared on LinkedIn in Asia-Pacific

1. Finland's New Prime Minister Wants Her Country on a Four-Day Workweek by Michelle Cheng, Quartz
2. A Sustainable Toothpaste Packaging Design that Thinks Outside the Box — Literally!
3. Microsoft Will Be Carbon Negative by 2030
4. Goldman Sachs Will No Longer Do IPOs for Companies with All-Male Boards by Thornton McEnery, New York Post
5. Coca-Cola Announces Special Edition ‘Share a Coke with the Firies’ Cans alongside a Range of Initiatives by Zoe Wilkinson, Mumbrella
6. Celeste Barber's Bushfire Fundraiser on Facebook is Officially the Largest in the Platform's History, Raising over $40 Million by Sharon Masige, Business Insider Australia
7. Amazon Commits 10,000 Electric Vehicles to its India Delivery Fleet by 2025 by Peerzada Abrar
8. Great Leaders Understand Why Small Gestures Matter by Bill Taylor, Harvard Business Review
9. Tesla Just Became the First US Car Company Valued at $100 Billion by Martin Lerma, Robb Report
10. Google AI Model Beats Radiologists at Detecting Breast Cancer by Business Insider India

Top 10 Articles Shared on LinkedIn in Europe-Middle East-Africa

1. Microsoft Will Be Carbon Negative by 2030
2. Finland's New Prime Minister Wants Her Country on a Four-Day Workweek by Michelle Cheng, Quartz
3. A Sustainable Toothpaste Packaging Design that Thinks Outside the Box — Literally!
4. Goldman Sachs Will No Longer Do IPOs for Companies with All-Male Boards by Thornton McEnery, New York Post
5. Qualità del Lavoro, un Elemento Fondamentale che Spinge al Miglioramento by by Falvia Carletti, Il Sole 24 Ore
6. Great Leaders Understand Why Small Gestures Matter by Bill Taylor, Harvard Business Review
7. Et Pendant ce Temps-là, la Chine Lance son Premier TGV sans Conducteur by Robin Ecoeur, Canal+
8. How the Best Managers Identify and Develop Talent by Thomas Chamorro-Premuzic and Jonathan Kirschner, Harvard Business Review
9. Managers, Soyez Courageux! By Franck Pagny
10. Balenciaga Releases Koala Hoodies and T-Shirts to Raise Funds for Australia’s Bushfire Relief by Rachel Cormack, Robb Report

Lessons for Salespeople

There’s one indisputable lesson from the comparison between Asia and Europe. Based on the high ranking of “Finland's New Prime Minister Wants Her Country on a Four-Day Workweek” in both regions, If you bring up the four-day workweek, chances are your prospects and customers will be very interested. 

To keep pace with the latest thinking in sales, subscribe to the LinkedIn Sales Blog today.