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An international team of researchers has developed a framework for assessing brand reputation in real time and over time, and built a tool for implementing the framework. In a proof of concept demonstration looking at leading brands, the researchers found that changes in a given brands stock shares reflected real-time changes in the brands reputation.

Weve developed something we call the Brand Reputation Tracker that mines social media text on Twitter and uses 11 different measures to give us an in-depth understanding of how users feel about individual brands, says Bill Rand, co-lead author of the paper and an associate professor of marketing in North Carolina State Universitys Poole College of Management.

The Brand Reputation Tracker is a way of implementing a framework based on the Rust-Zeithaml-Lemon value-brand-relationship framework. Measures include things like coolness, goods quality, social responsibility, and trustworthiness, but are then aggregated into three scores: value driver, brand driver and relationship driver.

The value driver score effectively measures whether stakeholders think a brand is a good value. The relationship driver score assesses how closely stakeholders identify themselves with the brand. And the brand driver score accounts for pretty much everything else, such as style and popularity.

The text mining allows us to give a numeric value to each of the measures and each of the driver scores, says Rand, who is also executive director of NCStates Business Analytics Initiative. And we are able to place those numeric values in context by comparing them to the measures and aggregate scores of other brands.

Because social media data are updated constantly, the researchers were able to identify changes in brand reputation in real time as well as looking at trend data across days, weeks, months and years.

For this paper, the researchers looked at 100 popular brands as a proof of concept, demonstrating not just how the tool works but that it works. For example, the researchers found that for those brands that were publicly traded on the stock market changes in value, relationship and brand driver score were reflected in each brands stock valuation.

One possible path forward is to significantly expand the dataset of brands that were assessing to get a broader understanding of the brand landscape, Rand says. And because we lay out the methodology we used, this paper allows users to create their own versions of the tool. For example, users could choose to look only at brands within a given industry category. Or users could modify the tool to focus on other aspects of brand, such as using a framework to assess the extent to which a brand is viewed as green or sustainable.

Rand also notes that previous ways of assessing brand reputation in a meaningful way required either access to a tremendous amount of corporate data or the ability to survey thousands of people on a regular basis.

But the approach weve developed here is more accessible to medium-sized businesses. It requires only the creation of the initial tool which is very doable. Then you can plug in publicly available user data from Twitter and start getting usable brand assessment information in real time.

The paper, Real-Time Brand Reputation Tracking Using Social Media, appears in the Journal of Marketing. Co-lead authors of the paper are Roland T. Rust, Distinguished University Professor and David Bruce Smith Chair in Marketing at the University of Marylands Robert H. Smith School of Business; and Ming-Hui Huang, Distinguished Professor of Electronic Commerce at National Taiwan University. Co-authors of the paper are Andrew Stephen, associate dean of research and LOreal Professor of Marketing at the Sid Business School at the University of Oxford; Gillian Brooks, assistant professor in marketing at Kings Business School at Kings College London; and Timur Chabuk, vice president of machine learning and advanced analytics at Perceptronics Solutions, Inc.

This work was done with support from the University of Oxfords Centre for Corporate Reputation, the Center for Excellence in Service at the University of Maryland, and Taiwans Ministry of Science and Technology.

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Note to Editors: The study abstract follows.

Real-Time Brand Reputation Tracking Using Social Media

Authors: Roland T. Rust, University of Maryland; William Rand, North Carolina State University; Ming-Hui Huang, National Taiwan University; Andrew T. Stephen, University of Oxford; Gillian Brooks, Kings College London; Timur Chabuk, Perceptronics Solutions, Inc.

Published: Feb. 1, Journal of Marketing

DOI: 10.1177/0022242921995173

Abstract: How can we know what stakeholders think and feel about brands in real-time and over time? Most brand reputation measures are at the aggregate level (e.g., the Interbrand Best Global Brands list) or rely on customer brand perception surveys on a periodical basis (e.g., the Y&R Brand Asset Valuator). To answer this question, brand reputation measures must capture the voice of the stakeholders (not just ratings on brand attributes), must reflect important brand events in real-time, and must connect to a brands financial value to the firm. This paper develops a new social media-based brand reputation tracker by mining Twitter comments for the worlds top 100 brands using Rust-Zeithaml-Lemons value-brand-relationship framework, on a weekly, monthly, and quarterly basis. The paper demonstrates that brand reputation can be monitored in real-time and longitudinally, managed by leveraging the reciprocal and virtuous relationships between the drivers, and connected to firm financial performance. The resulting measures are housed in an online longitudinal database and may be accessed by brand reputation researchers.

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New Tool Assesses Brand Reputation in Real Time and in the Long Term - NC State News

Looking to get a better understanding of Gen Z, and the role that Snapchat might play in your marketing and outreach efforts?

Today, Snapchat has published a new,60-page 'Snapchat Generation' report,which incorporates responses from over 27,000 daily Snapchat users, from various regions,and provides a range of insights into the evolvingbehaviors and habits of this younger audience.

There's a heap of information included in the full report, which you can download here, while there are also regional variants for selected markets.

Here's a look at some of the key, general findings from the results.

First off, Snapchat notes that the next generation is significantly more likely to communicate with images over text.

That points to the rising popularity of the Stories format, and even TikTok - rather than communicating via traditional means, younger users are increasingly engaging via visual mediums to better communicate context and nuance. Capturing a video will express a reaction or response far better than words, and emojis too can convey more meaning in fewer characters. This is a key note for brands looking to connect with this cohort.

The results also show that younger users feel more empowered to influence change via digital connectivity.

While they're also looking to use their influence to encourage more responsible corporate behavior.

This is a point that's been reiterated in various Gen Z studies - younger consumers are increasingly aware of social issues, and are looking to brands that express their stance on such.

Snapchat also notes that Snapchat users generally have higher discretionary spending capacity than non Snapchat users.

Which has always been the case - Snapchat has always been popular with higher income audiences, for whatever reason.

Unsurprisingly, Snapchatters are also increasingly looking to engage with new technology, like AR, within their shopping experiences.

AR is slowly gaining momentum, and becoming a bigger consideration. Worth also noting that 59 million Snapchat users engaged with AR tools in the app over Super Bowl weekend recently, with several big-name brands launching AR-linked campaigns.

Worth considering in your approach.

There's a lot more in the full report, which is accessible here, and if you're looking to connect with younger consumers, it's definitely worth a read.

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Snapchat Shares New Insights into Gen Z Consumption and Engagement Trends - Social Media Today

The events of 2020 reshaped the world in ways we never thought possible, turning us all into homebodies overnight and fundamentally restructuring our approach to work, travel and interpersonal interaction.

Nowhere was this seismic shift more apparent than in the digital media space, as marketers sought out new and innovative ways to reach consumers all but confined to their homes.

Suddenly, consumers were no longer commuting, leaving billboards unseen and radio shows unheard. Print media fell out of favour fast as buyers gravitated to less tactile forms of consumption.

At the onset of the pandemic, many businesses weren't at all digitally savvy and were initially unsure as to how to go about reshaping their communications to meet the needs of an evolving audience.

However, as the year progressed, new and exciting opportunities began to emerge. As television and radio stations moved into the online space, digital inventory expanded across the continent, offering advertisers access to new markets and methods of communication. Existing platforms like WhatsApp proved to be incredibly versatile in terms of its capacity to drive both engagement and sales.

One of the inevitable outcomes of the first wave of lockdowns was a boom in online shopping, as customers flocked to the digital space so as to avoid exposure to public places.Major players in the e-commerce space were quick to capitalise, forcing smaller enterprises to adapt in order to survive.

Where once this sphere was all but owned by the likes of Takealot, it quickly began to diversify, as smaller speciality stores started using platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp to promote their own 'Click and Collect' offerings, in turn opening up the market and enabling users to recreate the traditional retail experience from the comfort of home.

Certain sectors like tourism, alcohol and events were especially hard hit by the pandemic, which essentially obliterated their earnings for a significant portion of the year. But while some chose to shut up shop temporarily, others used the unique circumstances to build brand loyalty and engage consumers like never before.

The Comrades Marathon, for instance, was reimagined in virtual form, with runners taking part in an individual capacity via an online portal. This enabled sponsors to entrench ties with consumers, fostering unity and encouraging interaction that wouldn't have otherwise been possible.

2020 was characterised by the emergence of less polished content as brands scrambled to communicate and keep up with the ongoing changes. The result was a compelling narrative fueled by authenticity, with world-class production value replaced by rougher, more resonant content.

Brands were forced to be brave and experimental, ultimately enabling them to connect with consumers in a far more authentic way. From at-home workouts to live cook-offs to Tik Tok challenges, brands embraced change like never before, paving the way for a new era of added-value content less adherent to brand guidelines and more attentive to the real needs of consumers.

Possibly the biggest paradigm shift of 2020 was the way in which brands finally embraced social channels with newfound seriousness, recognising the true potential and scope of the tools at their fingertips.

Seemingly overnight, social media was promoted from 'nice-to-have' to 'must-have' and, as such, brands began to push the envelope, measuring, adapting and ultimately leveraging the potential of each channel.

Gone are the days of social media merely serving as a supplementary messaging house for above-the-line campaigns. Today's consumer expects more and it's up to marketers to deliver the goods.

Unpredictability continues to be the order of the day, and as more and more brands become digitally savvy, an increasingly agile and creative approach will be required in order to cut through the clutter.

As prices increase in light of growing competition, real value is likely to be the key to success and marketers willing to take risks are those most likely to be rewarded.

For more information, visit http://www.simplyblackmedia.com.

Social media Social media trends Social media marketing Marketing trends marketing 2021 marketing strategies advertising stats advertising trends advertising 2021

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Social media in the age of social distancing Marketing News - Media Update

LONDON Dont Cry Wolf, one of the handful of PR agencies to so far become a B-Corp, has repositioned as the brand activism agency to reflect growth in its environmental and social change client base.

The three-year-old agency has also strengthened its ESG credentials by inviting a client onto the board to improve governance, and taking environmental measures that have led to a 45% drop in carbon emissions. This is despite increasing headcount to 16 staff as of next month, up from 11 the previous quarter and including the agencys first designer, Sam Allen, who joins from ethical beauty brand Lush.

Dont Cry Wolfs new positioning comes after the team rolled out work such deforestation campaign from palm-oil-free nut butter brand Meridian after work with brands including community-focused fizzy drinks brand Soda Folk, which donates a proportion of profits to good causes. The agency's revenue grew by 30% in 2020, to 1.1 million.

Managing director Sara Collinge told PRovoke: We wanted to be super clear that we believe brands have a role beyond pounds and pence and that we work with peoplewho want to use their resources to create positive change in the world. Were attracting more clients who really want to make a difference and arent just virtue signalling.

The new non-executive board role has been filled by Amy Barber, the head of marketing for hairbrush brand Tangle Teezer North America, which became a Dont Cry Wolf client in September last year. She previously headed up PR for femtech trailblazer Elvie, which hired the agency in 2019.

Collinge said: Having a client on the board is a bit like breaking the fourth wall. As a B-Corp we have that triple-bottom-line focus and were doing well on the environmental and social side of things, but we were looking at ways to make sure we were doing our best with regards to governance and one of those ways is to have external people on board. We already have Stephen Waddington and wanted to introduce another big brain into the mix and who better than a trusted client to give advice?

Barber added: When Dont Cry Wolf asked me to join the board, I was surprised and delighted. Surprised because Id never heard of a client being invited into the inner chamber of an agencys business before. And delighted because theyre a great bunch of people and a team of wicked-smart comms professionals. Im looking forward to seeing what its like north of the wall.

The agency is launching another US and UK brand activism campaign this week for Tangle Teezer: addressing the lack of diversity in the traditional stories that are read to children by putting Black protagonists and their natural hair centre stage, finding that hair relaxers are used on around half of Black children.

In fulfilling its obligation to tracking its carbon footprint as part of B-Corp status, with consultancy Green Element, Dont Cry Wolf saw total carbon dioxide equivalent gases drop from 50.17 tonnes in 2019 to 26.91 tonnes in 2020, primarily because of a drop in travel, commuting, meetings and entertaining, and despite an increase in electricity usage as the team shifted to working at home without the benefits of buying at scale.

Agency founder John Brown said: Its been fascinating to see the impact the pandemic has had on the carbon efficiency of our business. While the carbon emissions per full-time employee have decreased overall, its important to ensure that all the good steps weve taken to make our office as environmentally sound as possible are reflected in a more virtual setup. As we all rush back to happy hours, we should at least try and keep in mind that sore heads and light wallets arent the only by-products of the social side of our business.

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Don't Cry Wolf Repositions As Brand Activism Specialist - PRovoke Media

This year, TikTok has quickly started to move out of the experimental bucket and is now becoming a staple of the social spending pie, according to media buyers, who say that they expect more ad dollars to flow to the app this year.

With the future of the app in the United States no longer a question and the sale to Oracle shelved, that stability has marketers more comfortable committing additional ad dollars to the short-form video app. Buyers said improvements to its e-commerce capabilities like its partnership with Shopify as well as new e-commerce-focused ad units like a dynamic catalog ad unit thats currently in beta are swaying marketers to spend more on the app.

In 2020, marketers were wary of the stability of TikTok, said Madelyn Lydon, associate director, public relations and social media at OH Partners. It seemed like a big risk to invest dollars without knowing the future of the app. However, weve seen users are spending more time on TikTok than Facebook, and it is crucial for marketers to provide those users with content. Otherwise, they risk getting left behind.

Without the perceived risk, the overall perception of TikTok has shifted dramatically over the last 12 months, and in doing so shaped marketers sentiments, according to marketers and media buyers. This year, TikTok seems to be a social partner that clients ask for, versus us having to push to get test budgets in 2019 and 2020, explained Carrie Dino, head of media for Mekanism.

Brands have shifted from viewing them as that fun/experimental platform to one of the big players, said Brendan Gahan, partner and chief social officer at Mekanism. As a result, weve been doing a lot of planning around ongoing content strategies. Clients are investing (or considering investing) in creating a community versus just doing one off activations like branded hashtag challenges or influencer partnerships.

However, TikTok has yet to become a staple like Instagram and Facebook, but the momentum is there, added Gahan. You can see how it could happen soon.

While media spend on TikTok varies by brands, buyers say its still a minimal portion of the budget allocated to social platforms. Katya Constantine, CEO of performance marketing agency Digishop Girl, said that direct-to-consumer brands she works with now allocate roughly 5% of the social budget toward the app versus roughly 75% toward Facebook and Instagram.

TikToks investment to make ads more shoppable and push further into e-commerce has the potential to help the app become more of a priority in ad budgets, according to buyers. Constantine said that new e-commerce-focus ad units have clients eyeing the platform more and more.

If they continue enhancing advertising platform at the same rate as last 12 months then TikTok has a strong place at the table to be 20% of the mix, said Constantine, adding that currently it represents roughly 5% of the media mix. Thats especially true for brands that are going after younger consumers.

Buyers expect marketers to continue to spend more on the platform this year, particularly as advertisers look to diversify their media mix due to an overreliance on Facebook and Instagram when it comes to social channels.

That said, as the platform continues to gain ground, buyers say advertisers will have to invest in creating content specific for TikToks highly engaged audience, who is not as apt to interact with material thats not native to the app experience. Even so, buyers expect brands to continue to lean into TikTok as the burgeoning app, which AppAnnie expects to hit 1.2 billion monthly active users this year, is where consumers are spending more time.

TikTok is the new beauty haul, a more dynamic unboxing opportunity, the virtual makeup counter or live runway, and it puts the tools in the hands of its users, said Jess Richards, evp managing director, commerce at Havas Media. Brands can gain a lot by finding ways to enable this experience in a meaningful, authentic way.

https://digiday.com/?p=396421

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The momentum is there: In 2021, marketers are starting to see TikTok as a staple of the social budget - Digiday