From Meme to Movement - Insights into growing a Movember

Analysis of social media conversations about Movember 29 November 2012

Contact: James Withey Head of Brand Insight [email protected] T: +44 (0)20 7264 6316 www.precise.co.uk

Contents

Objectives and methodology 3 Summary of key findings 4 Analysis of conversations about Movember 2009-2012 7 Analysis of 2012 UK social media conversations about Movember 11

Conclusions and considerations 19 Appendix 22

Movember Social Media Analysis 2 29 November 2012

Objectives and methodology

Objectives

n  To provide an overview of social media

conversations about Movember.

n  To show how these conversations have changed in volume and type since 2009.

n  To provide an analysis of UK social media conversations about Movember in 2012, in terms of sentiment towards the campaign and key drivers of conversation.

Methodology

n  We identified all accessible English-language

mentions of Movember (including Twitter handles) within social media (Twitter, Facebook, forums, comments, blogs, videos and images) between 1 and 25 November in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012.

n  We then conducted an analysis of the sentiment and focus of Twitter posts generated in the UK between 1 and 25 November 2012.

n  We also identified the volume of social media posts mentioning each ‘Friend of Movember’ in connection with the campaign, and analysed a sample of c.100 posts for each in terms of sentiment.


Summary of key findings (i)

n  Since its origins in Australia 1999, social media conversations of Movember have increased significantly, particularly within the last four years, with the volume of conversations in 2012 outweighing the volume of conversations in 2009 by a ratio of more than 51:1. However it seems the increase has begun to tail off.

n  It appears that 2010 was Movember’s seminal year, with the volume of conversations increasing more than 700% compared to the previous year.

n  Although the United States has remained the most prominent country in which social media conversations about Movember are generated, 2010 was also the year in which interest in the campaign went global, and there is now substantial interest in countries such as the United Kingdom, South Africa and the Netherlands.

Founding Movember nation Australia has seen its share decline, as more populous countries have come to the fore.

n  Twitter has become the most prominent channel through which opinions and information about Movember is shared, accounting for a greater proportion of content year-on-year since 2009.


Summary of key findings (ii)

n  UK Twitter conversations generated in 2012 peaked on the first day of the month as people announced the start of the campaign and declared their involvement. The volume of conversations then fell sharply, but remained fairly consistent throughout the rest of the month, averaging at just over 11k posts a day, as people continued to share updates regarding their progress.

n  UK Twitter conversations generated in 2012 were largely positive towards the campaign.

n  Posts from people discussing taking part dominated conversations. Updates of people’s Movember progress tended to include an image, with the visual display of participation driving a high volume of posts.

n  Fundraising and donating was the second most prominent topic, with people asking and encouraging contributions through Tweets.

n  A significant proportion of posts commented on other people’s moustaches, with celebrities such as Michael Owen and other sports stars a common feature. Celebrities and prominent organisations also generated the tweets which reached the greatest potential number of followers, suggesting they are highly influential in driving conversations about Movember.


Summary of key findings (ii)

n  Celebrities Tweeting about Movember and reaching the greatest volume of followers were mostly men and included comedians, chefs, businessmen and sports stars. The five tweets reaching the greatest number of followers were from Stephen Fry, Ricky Gervais, Alan Carr, Jamie Oliver and Richard Branson.

n  Mentions citing Movember’s aims to raise awareness of men’s health issues accounted for less than 10% of overall conversations.


Analysis of conversations about Movember 2009 - 2012

The growth of Movember

n  Social media conversations about Movember have increased significantly since 2009, with 2010 the real breakthrough year within social media. The volume of conversations in 2012 outweighed the volume of conversations in 2009 by a ratio of more than 51:1. However it seems the increase has begun to tail off.


2009 2010 2011 2012 Overall Volume 31,700 266,583 771,474 1,631,143

% Increase - 741% 189% 111%

0 200,000 400,000 600,000 800,000

1,000,000 1,200,000 1,400,000 1,600,000 1,800,000

2009 2010 2011 2012

Volume of Social Media Mentions of Movember

782,017 mentions of the #Movember hash tag.

The globalisation of Movember


United States*

71%

United Kingdom

10% Australia

7% Canada

7% Ireland

1% Other 4%

1-25 Nov 2009

United States*

56%

United Kingdom

17% Canada

16% Australia

5% Ireland

1% Other 5%

1-25 Nov 2010

United States*

52%

United Kingdom

23% Canada

16% Australia

3% South Africa

1% Other 5%

1-25 Nov 2011

United States*

54%

United Kingdom

21%

Canada 11%

Netherlands 3%

Australia 2%

Other 9%

1-25 Nov 2012

* Includes content for which location information is not available

n  It appears that Movember truly went global in 2010 and has remained that way since, with a spread of conversations in a wide range of countries.

Channels of conversations about Movember


Twitter 59%

Blogs 20%

Forums 11% Videos/ Images

6% Facebook

2% Comments 2%

1-25 Nov 2009

Twitter 79%

Facebook 9% Blogs

5% Forums 3%

Videos/ Images

2% Comments

2%

1-25 Nov 2010

Twitter 93%

Forums 3% Blogs

2% Videos/ Images

1% Comments 1% Facebook

<1%

1-25 Nov 2011

Twitter 93%

Facebook 4% Forums

1%

Blogs 1%

Comments 1% Videos/

Images <1%

1-25 Nov 2012

n  Twitter has become the dominant channel through which Movember updates and comments are shared.

Analysis of 2012 UK social media conversations about Movember

Trend in conversations about Movember UK social media conversations, 1–25 Nov 2012

n  Mentions of Movember within UK social media peaked on the first day of the month as people declared their involvement. The volume of conversations then fell sharply, but remained fairly consistent through the rest of the month, averaging at just over 11k posts a day.


0

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

60,000

70,000

80,000

Volu

me

of s

ocia

l med

ia p

osts

Volume of UK Social Media Mentions of Movember Over Time

Tweets about Movember reaching the most followers UK social media conversations, 1–25 Nov 2012


User Tweet Followers STEPHENFRY For those puzzled by my appearance: http://t.co/PnClYvFH It is of course now #movember #MoMonday is the day to tag yourself 4,984,980

RICKYGERVAIS The best Movember pic you will ever see... #AnIdiotAbroad3 #Derek Please RT http://t.co/gGpDcrzU 3,393,072

RICKYGERVAIS Happy Movember http://t.co/ZWvp0hZ7 3,382,128

ALANCARR For those asking if im partaking in Movember - sadly no, i have such low testosterone levels that it would be late spring before u saw tache 2,958,578

JAMIEOLIVER Support MOVEMBER charity with these bad boys caps go to #luckysevencaps #movember #ja @ MOVEMBER CAPS ARE GO http://t.co/34Gl5S73 2,744,771

JAMIEOLIVER Mo brothers Mo sisters I hope your supporting MOVEMBER to support this great men's cancer @ MOVEMBER is back http://t.co/Mi5CXlmO 2,699,821

JAMIEOLIVER RT @NigelTHEWright: @jamieoliver please RT - 47% of testicular cancer cases occur in men under 35 years Pls support my #Movember efforts: http://t.co/dvY7NeUi 2,678,464

JAMIEOLIVER Movember is here guys!! As its the first of Movember & moustache season is here, help rai @ MOVEMBER is back http://t.co/6iBRpdEe 2,678,376

RICHARDBRANSON @rotub happy birthday @VirginMobileAus - pin the ‘stache just in time for Movember too! 2,594,000

LORD_SUGAR RT @hairy_fish: @Lord_Sugar any chance of a rt? I'm trying everything I can to beat my movember record of £200 from last year http://t.co/tzVD4704 2,437,577

THEXFACTOR RT @XFACTORSTYLE: MICKY as Mario for #MOVEMBER MISSING YOU @District3Music <3 http://t.co/UYwRMesT 2,120,447

THEXFACTOR “@XFACTORSTYLE: Greg has done well this #MOVEMBER http://t.co/xIF21oIY” @district3music 2,039,829

TOMDALEY1994 RT @RMcCormick2012: hey guys! i have set up a Movember account! get involved!! grow a stache or donate!! #movember #prostatecancer http://t.co/3nR7Q6GR 2,020,118

ARSENAL Theo Walcott is taking part in #Movember. Find out how he's getting on and show your support for a good cause: http://t.co/rLbQEaVt 1,965,335

MARKWRIGHT_ RT @Del_Von_Boy: The tach needs some & I need to break thru the £500 barrier. Give me some dosh & you may win a signed calendar from @MarkWright_ #movember 1,846,271

MISSKATIEPRICE RT @DanielFolley: @MissKatiePrice retweet of my #movember would be much appreciated great cause http://t.co/jvdLvPxo http://t.co/ABpmV4Hi 1,708,905

MISSKATIEPRICE oh daniel xx @g00dshepherd Ok you Mofos, here is my 'nasty' ggrrr tashamondo http://t.co/PlidcoIG make this worthwhile #mobro #movember 1,708,233

MISSKATIEPRICE ill see it tomoz then bro xx @g00dshepherd .......and a new tash is born! To be revealed 15th November #mobro #movember 1,707,995

MISSKATIEPRICE gd luck x @claire_homes @poomtang72 Check out my #Movember effort to change the face of mens health @ http://t.co/beGiab5F pls RT 1,707,447

CALVINHARRIS Please look at @CharlieTadman's Movember pics (they're hilarious) + donate generously for prostate cancer http://t.co/OwaAdlxC 1,690,067

Topics and sentiment of conversations about Movember UK social media conversations, 1–25 Nov 2012


Other

Negativity surrounding moustaches

Raising awareness of health issues

Merchandise, events & competitions

Commenting on other people's moustaches

Fundraising & donating

Taking part & sharing photos

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%

Proportion of social media posts

Topics and Broad Sentiment of UK Twitter Conversations about Movember* 1 – 25 Nov 2012

Broadly Positive Broadly Negative Broadly Neutral/ Balanced

* Based on English-language Twitter content only

Analysis of conversations about Movember (i) UK social media conversations, 1–25 Nov 2012

n  UK Twitter conversations generated in 2012 were largely positive towards the campaign (“Loving the #mobro camaraderie. Some stylish lads here @unibirmingham”).

n  Posts from people discussing taking part dominated conversations. The visual display of participation was a key driver of posts about Movember, with the vast majority of posts containing an image link. A large number of participants used social media updates to mark their progress, with many citing how many days into Movember they were (“Day 10 of Movember & I'm looking as good as ever! please donate if you can afford to part with some pounds, thank you http://t.co/l9IOB3KW”).

n  Fundraising and donating was the second most prominent topic, with people calling for support and donations via Twitter (“Support my Mo! A good deed brightens a hairy world. Pls give so my #Movember Mo may grow: http://t.co/atyzLtjz”).


Analysis of conversations about Movember (ii) UK social media conversations, 1–25 Nov 2012

n  A significant proportion of posts commented on other people’s moustaches, with celebrities such as Michael Owen and other sports stars a common feature (“@themichaelowen great effort with the handlebar moustache! #movember”).

n  Celebrities and prominent organisations also generated the tweets which reached the greatest potential number of followers, suggesting they are highly influential in driving conversations about Movember. For example, Stephen Fry’s tweet reached almost 5m followers: “For those puzzled by my appearance: http://t.co/PnClYvFH It is of course now #movember #MoMonday is the day to tag yourself”.

n  Mentions citing Movember’s aims to raise awareness of men’s health issues accounted for less than 10% of overall conversations (“10,000 men die of prostate cancer in the UK each yr. Pls support my #Movember efforts @ http://mosista.co/rosafingermo”), suggesting the key messages of the campaign my be getting lost amid the vast number of ‘update’ posts.


Prominence of mentions of the ‘Friends of Movember’ UK social media conversations, 1–25 Nov 2012


Marshall

TOMS

HP Sauce

Gillette

0 100 200 300 400 500 600

Volume of social media posts

Volume of Mentions

Marshall

TOMS

HP Sauce

Gillette

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Proportion of social media posts

Sentiment of Mentions

Positive Negative Neutral/ Balanced

Analysis of conversations about the ‘Friends of Movember’ UK social media conversations, 1–25 Nov 2012

n  The ‘Friends of Movember’ were mentioned in a relatively low number of posts, compared to the overall volumes for Movember.

n  Gillette drove the highest volume of content, however it also prompted the largest amount of negativity. There was evidence of animosity towards the perceived commercialisation of Movember , as well as posts suggesting that the Gillette Brand is a poor ‘fit’ with the Movember campaign.

n  The other brands drove more positive

comments, with HP Sauce driving conversations through competitions, giveaways, Facebook activity and product branding.

n  Marshall and TOMS also drove conversations through competitions and product branding.


Conclusions and considerations

Conclusions and considerations (i)

n  Movember has proved to be a highly successful charity campaign, with interest growing significantly over the past four years. The success of the campaign in driving a high volume of social media conversations may be linked to what are often considered the key motivations for sharing information and opinions across the social web:

1.  Ego: posting comments about the Movember campaign – and sharing visual images of participation – gives people a chance to show that they are ‘in the know’ about topical events and part of a group initiative.

2.  Heart: broadcasting involvement in the Movember campaign across the social web gives people a chance to show that they care about the world and contribute to good causes.

3.  Personality: the growing of a moustache, which was once considered to be out of fashion, has been made humorous and cool through the Movember campaign. The increased nostalgia and desire for things that are deemed to be old-fashioned or uncool appears to have grown. Movember, and the growing of a moustache, appears to have effectively tapped into this heightened sense of nostalgia, giving people a chance to show their personality and feel a sense of inclusion.


“Best thing about @MovemberUk is the cheeky knowing nod you get from a fellow #MoBro in the street. No words needed.”

Conclusions and considerations (iii)

n  Movember has sustained momentum after its seminal year in 2010, but the level of increase is now waning. This may be due to the fact the campaign is advancing towards saturation in terms of awareness. However, there is a risk it may be at the top of the adoption curve, and faces a challenge to remain relevant and interesting. Furthermore, an analysis of posts mentioning the ‘Friends of Movember’ reveals evidence of resistance to the involvement of brands in what was previously a grass-roots movement.

n  The success of Movember in tapping into today’s heightened sense of nostalgia for old or unfashionable things means that if it succeeds in driving widespread participation, it may lose some of its original attraction. Furthermore, the current popularity of the occasional moustache may prove to be a fad, but the charitable causes behind the campaign will remain relevant.

n  The fact that there was a higher proportion of posts discussing participation without mentioning fund-raising than there were posts encouraging donations suggests that the key aims of the campaign may be getting lost, despite high involvement levels.

n  Furthermore, posts talking about raising awareness of men’s health issues were relatively inconspicuous.

n  There is a challenge to continue to increase interest in and conversations about participating in Movember, but also in its aims, i.e. fundraising and raising awareness of men’s health issues. Furthering Movember’s key messages through celebrities may be one way to do this, considering their influence on social media conversations.


Appendix

Illustrative verbatim

n  “Looking forward to seeing @arshadi89's movember progress tonight. Got my mo-shoes on for the occasion #mosister”

n  “@KenbirdBird @craigbrightwell #Movember day 10. Looking good #MoBro. I could get a job as an 80s detective. @MovemberUK #RT”

n  “@itskimwebster *nods* #Movember raises money and awareness for men's health issues such as prostate cancer.”

n  “This week's #movember effort..... New one next week but this is so Charles bronson esq I love it #tash #mo # http://t.co/gdoH3iDl”

n  “haha like seeing the pros doing Movember like jagielka lol”

n  @Movember Deeky the NEW #MoBro hand crafted with a @GilletteUK Razor #Proud? #Movember#LetItMo”

n  “Day 26 four days of awesome mo days left #Movember #Mobro http://t.co/WzA4fxsD”

n  “Totally loving england rugby teams effort with movember... Definately beats the england football teams! #rugby #movember”

n  “How girls support Movember! #movember #mug #moustache http://t.co/qcdbGeeI”

n  “Please help support my mo growing efforts for men's health @movember&sons under John Brady any donation is appreciated #Movember #giving”

n  “RT @Phil_Whitewell: 10,000 men die of prostate cancer in the UK each yr. Pls support my #Movember efforts @ http://t.co/UFtUyyo0”

n  “the nod of acknowledgement and approval to/from an unknown fellow #mobro at tesco. I salute you. #brotherhood #movember”

n  “Testicular #cancer affects around 2,000 men a year in the UK. #Movember #MensHealth”

n  “#movember is rubbish, especially now gillette leach off the back of it! #shavelikearealman instagr.am/p/Sd6hJIQr8u/”


Illustrative verbatim

n  “Is Gillette's advertising involvement with #Movember to be expected or taking advantage of the hard earned charity exposure..”

n  “Is it just me or is it odd that Gillette sponsor Movember? It's like Carlsberg sponsoring Alcoholics Anonymous.”

n  “I suppose it was only a matter of time until brands starting targeting #Movember. Kinda spoils the good spirit. Well done #Gillette”

n  “I just made my favourite purchase of the year... Double whammy, supporting @TOMS and @MovemberUK. #Movember #OneForOne http://t.co/E3Vf5UYc”

n  “Love how @TOMS are doing shoes to support Movember! #bigrespect”


Thank you

From Meme to Movement - Insights into growing a Movember

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