As much as 71 per cent of the Runet audience have a Skype account, 45 per cent of the audience use this popular messenger.

Skype is most often used in the evening (59 per cent of the Skype audience use the messenger between 6 pm and midnight), in the day time the messenger is active among 17 per cent of users (12 to 6 pm). Respondents most often communicate via Skype with relatives or friends: video chat (42 per cent), voice messages (37 per cent), instant messaging (36 per cent). For work-related purposes the messenger is used by 35 per cent of its audience.

For a majority (84 per cent of the Skype audience), the main device for using the messenger is a laptop or desktop computer. Tablets or smartphones are less popular - these are the key devices to enjoy Skype for 14 per cent of Russians on the internet.

"We are pleased to cooperate with Microsoft Advertising Russia within the Skype study. GemiusAdHoc research gives an opportunity to analyze the knowledge of the messenger, its perception by users and also to compare the recognition within competitors" says Lesya Prus, head of Gemius Ukrainian branch.

Anton Melekhov, head of the Gemius Russian branch claimes that a study conducted by our Ukrainian colleagues shows that the main group of users are men aged 25-34. Interestingly, these members of the IT sphere use Skype more often."Over 12 per cent of the respondents indicated that they had never used messengers. One thing we can say for sure is, the popularity of the Microsoft product in Russia is high and in our opinion it will increase" he adds.

"We believe that a better understanding of the Microsoft product’s audience will enable our customers to communicate with users effectively. This study marked the beginning of a long-term process of learning the features of the Russian audience. As the advertising solution of Microsoft Russia noting the highest reach, Skype was the first step" says Dobrynia Gutiev, head of Microsoft Advertising in Russia.

"Thanks to cooperation with Gemius, we ensured the leading position of Skype in Russia and opened new usage insights. Communication with relatives and friends in the video format is the basis of Skype, which allows development of unique content-based decisions, involving the audience in a one-on-one format. We are confident that these unique solutions of Skype will have further development and benefit our customers" she adds.