Royal Purple

Although Royal Purple doesn’t have one of the largest shares of conversation among motor oil brands within the Automotive audience, it did see a 30% increase in conversation volume over the past 30 days.  Conversations surrounding Royal Purple deal mainly with consumers looking for oil recommendations and requesting feedback from other consumers about the brand.

Jaguar

Jaguar saw a 31% increase in post volume over the past 30 days.  Part of this increase can be attributed to conversations surrounding the C-X16 concept car that was unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show.  Jaguar conversation sentiment has remained fairly positive, and is currently at 29% positive sentiment for the past 30 days.

Nissan GT-R

The Nissan GT-R has seen a 40% increase in post volume over the last 30 days and positive sentiment gained one percentage point and is now up to 36%.  Conversations focus around modifications to the car for performance enhancement as well as comparing this model to other sports cars.

Heated/Cooled Seats

As colder weather approaches, conversations regarding temperature controlled seats are on the rise.  Over the last 30 days post volume has increased by 19%.  This car feature is being listed by many consumers as a huge plus when looking for a car and some owners are saying it is a “must have.”

This data was collected using our SocialSense Audiences product. SocialSense Audiences is an analytical platform designed to deliver fast, high-quality insights around specific vertical markets and audiences.

• The Explorer’s new clothes. Ford Motor Company uses Facebook to reveal the newest edition of one of its most iconic models. The Ford Explorer is reinvented.
• Time to grow up and play some big-boy games. Google and Disney are entering the social gaming market. Big business antes up.
• A picture is worth 140 characters. No longer willing to maintain self restraint, Twitter begins testing inline photos and videos.
• In case you didn’t hear me the first time, I’d recommend checking your Facebook privacy settings. Grabbing private information from 170 million people is not as hard to get as you might think.
• “Fascinating is a word I use for the unexpected. In this case, I should think ‘interesting’ would suffice.” — Spock. James T. Kirk leaves Star Fleet and joins… Twitter? William Shatner set to star in social media inspired “$#*! My Dad Says.”
• Why do feet smell and noses run? What was the best thing prior to sliced bread? Why does rain drop and snow fall? If you got a question, Facebook has the answer (potentially).
• Help take a bite out of crime. The FBI outlines the most serious “cyber” crimes and tries to take down social networking’s scam syndicate.
• 140 at 104. After composing more than 1,000 tweets and amassing some 56,000 followers, Twitter’s oldest Tweeter passes away. R.I.P. Ivey Bean.

• The handshake. The high-five. The chest bump. The bro hug. The “social checkin?” SCVNGR introduces a “challenging” way to say hello.
• Social services (or lack thereof). Social networking sites are being likened to airlines and cable television when it comes to customer (dis)satisfaction. Is the commercialization of social media impacting the experience?
• Divisions are so divisive. Are separate business units for social media necessary?  A heated debate in the comments of an Adage blog post erupts.
• “Michael Knight, a lone crusader in a dangerous world. The world… of the Knight Rider.” Ford Motor Company unveils “AJ” (I prefer K.I.T.T.), the social networking car. We are a “David Hasselhoff” away from reliving the 80s?
• You don’t get to 500 million friends, without making a few enemies. Mr. Zuckerberg doesn’t think much of the new Facebook movie. What?!? Yep, it’s called The Social Network and there’s a trailer.
• I pledge allegiance to the “emotional states” of America. Is the west coast truly happier than the east? Twitter study reveals the pulse of a nation.

• You don’t know the power of the Dark (chocolate) Side. Nestle used products grown on illegally deforested lands to create its chocolaty confections, but no longer. Greenpeace gets social to save the planet.
• Wow! That’s a low price! The benefits of being a contradiction: stinginess and impulsive buying. Airline travel deals target the Twitter generation.
• Peaks and valleys. The heights of social-media popularity aren’t being matched by advertising budgets. Razorfish report reveals social ad spend is low.
• On the other hand, maybe “it’s a pretty big deal.”  Ford’s focus on social media seems to have started a movement. The launch of the new Fiesta represents a paradigm shift.
• Let the games begin. ESPN signs a lucrative two-year deal with social gaming company Playdom.
• Changing disposable diapers. Despite the lingering odor from the their Dry Max diaper launch, Pampers steps up its social-media efforts.
• Use it, or lose it. To find the next big thing or for research, promotion, and analysis, venture capitalists get results with social media.

From our point of view, the situation is an excellent example of how listening to social media is a critical part of a holistic approach to campaign design, helping to fill in the gaps left by traditional methods. The auto industry has long known that, while men purchase more than half of all cars, women exert influence over more than 80% of purchases. Beyond that, the February sales figures show Toyota declining 8% while Ford sales increased 43%!

So while traditional research and metrics let marketers know that they should be focusing on women, they fall short in understanding how to talk to those women. Our data showed that while men seem to be willing to give Toyota a bit more leeway — talking about fixing and loving, women use harsher words like failure and damage. In addition, Ford comes up a lot in these conversations, furthering bolstering the argument about the importance of speaking to women.

So what does this mean for the marketers designing Toyota’s post-recall campaign? Just as Roehm pointed out, they need to talk to women; they should focus on quality and reliability; and they should probably go head-to-head with Ford.

• An oldie, but a goodie. Using time-tested demographic targeting companies are developing successful campaigns in the online, mobile, and gaming platforms. See 11 brands that are doing it right.
• No lifeguard on duty — swim at your own risk! Traditional media continues to doggy paddle its way through the deepening sea of technology. Magazines and newspapers navigate the treacherous waters of new media.
• I can’t get no satisfaction. Get Satisfaction partners with Facebook and proves Mick Jagger wrong.
• Anything you can do, I can do better. Ford has a healthy bottom line and a firm grasp on social media. GM has government assistance and an nascent social-media plan.  GM tries to catch up by partnering  with Gowalla for a location-based amazing race at SXSW.
• I like SPAM. I hate spam. The abuse of electronic messaging systems and websites by some mainstream media outlets is causing a great deal of controversy. Is this a growing trend for traditional media?
• Music to our ears. Musicians, both mainstream and indie, have plugged into social media. See how bands are connecting with fans and reaping the rewards.
• Shame, shame I know your name. After being awarded patents for location-based and news-feed technologies, Google and Facebook may have thought they were on the brink of world domination. Not so fast. Both companies are being sued by Winksite for patent infringement.
• Champagne wishes and caviar dreams. Bollywood early adopters have India going wild for a touch of the bubbly. Bubble Motion releases Bubbly, a voice-based Twitter.

• Advertising is not the future. eMarketer ponders whether advertising  has already failed as a business model for social-media companies — that it won’t be the primary revenue source.
• A reinvention of the mobile advertising market? Sounds like a job for Jobs. Is Apple’s purchase of Quattro and the rejection of apps that serve location-based information a preview of things to come?  Rumors are swirling about Apple’s new mobile ad network.
• Facebook and Twitter go for the gold in Vancouver. The 2010 Olympic Winter Games opened last week and the ”Social Media Slalom” competition is heating up. See how the biggest social networks are connecting the fans with the athletes.
• How do you stop a runaway train? Or in this case, a runaway RAV4, Corolla, Matrix, Avalon, Camry, Highlander, Tundra, and Sequoia? After a mass recall, a PR disaster, and shrinking market share, Toyota uses social media as part of its digital crisis-management strategy.
• As busy as a bee. The social networking space continues to get increasingly more competitive as another company throws its hat into the ring. To challenge Facebook and the issue of information overload, Google Buzz is released.

• The biggest day in advertising, just got a little bigger. Super Bowl advertisers looked to score with social media. Here are 8 social-media resources to enhance your Super Bowl experience.
• Facebook is cooking up a site-traffic storm and soon will surpass Yahoo in monthly page views. The recipe calls for a pinch of growth in developing markets, a dash of virtual currency, and a pile of consumer information. eMarketer analyst Debra Aho Williamson discusses Facebook’s potential.
• I smell a snitch. Tech-savvy gangsters assist police (unknowingly) by Tweeting and updating their Facebook status. Gang members become informants and investigators by using social media.
• An all-you-can-eat digital buffet. Digital advertising consumption continues to rise with advances in smartphones, large-screen mobile devices, and new tablet-PC form factors. See why 2010 will be the year of video for the digital-advertising industry.
• Aus Liebe zum Automobil. Volkswagen uses Facebook to educate consumers on the brand. The “Punch Dub” campaign takes consumers on a ride down memory lane.
• How to cause political Mass. hysteria. Scott Brown upsets Martha Coakley for a pivotal U.S. Senate seat in Massachusetts. How? By using Facebook, videos, iPhone apps, and other forms of social media to enhance his efforts, the Brown campaign developed into a political movement.
• It’s everyone’s favorite time of year — tax season! TurboTax and H&R Block are using social media to educate and entice potential customers.

• The car comes fully loaded and factory equipped with social networks. Ford Motor Company to add web browsing and communication features to 80% of its models by 2015.
• Big brother is always watching. Big marketers have a huge opportunity with location-aware applications.
• The balance of power has shifted. With the help of social media, consumers now are in control. See why customer service will be the primary focus of companies in 2010.
• A social-media bailout plan? Is social media the light at the end of the tunnel for the automotive industry?
• I can use it, but you can’t. CIOs are using Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, but they don’t want their employees to. Businesses develop social-networking policies in 2010.
• Your honor, I would like to present Exhibit A, the latest trend in social media. Will social-media lawsuits become the next big thing?
• “Speak your messages in their language.” The key concepts to make your branding strategy a winner. Take a look at branding amplified through social media.