Key Takeaways

• TikTok offers an avenue for positive behavioral reinforcement; "when behavior is more likely to happen again simply because the user had a positive experience with the behavior the first time around. (If you laughed a lot the last time you were on TikTok, you are likely to return in search of another great experience)."
• In a survey conducted in partnership with Kantar involving over 7,000 users of the app, respondents indicated that they enjoy their time spent on the platform with additional opportunities for feeling part of a community.
• Additionally, a TikTok commissioned study conducted by Nielsen with over 8000 respondents unraveled that about 59% of surveyed participants concluded that using the app gives a sense of community.
• TikTok explained in the survey that, users“come to TikTok for the community, stay for the creativity, and leave feeling happy and inspired. People love the positive experience that our platform provides, so they scroll longer and dive deeper.”

Introduction

Key Insights on Tik Tok's Brand Sentiment

Positive Behavioral Reinforcement

• In a blog post by Andrew McPeak in December 2021, here is what he had to say; "a few months ago, I downloaded TikTok. Within minutes, I understood what all the fuss was about. I was laughing. I was surprised. I was angered. I was awed. Not only did I experience a wide range of emotions, but I also noticed that each emotional experience was short, beckoning me to keep swiping to the next video. After all, my subconscious brain would tell me, “what’s another 20 seconds?” Twenty minutes later, I looked at the time, shocked at how quickly I had lost track."
• This is typically the experience for many social media addicts, exactly what Dr. Dana Goetz, a Clinical Psychologist, portrays as the work of psychological forces on social media platforms like TikTok. According to her as suggested by "the law of effect, behavior is either strengthened (likely to occur more frequently) or weakened (likely to occur less frequently) depending on its consequences; a stimulus that follows behavior."
• These attributes translate into positive and negative reinforcement, where positive reinforcement in this context is "when behavior is more likely to happen again simply because the user had a positive experience with the behavior the first time around. (If you laughed a lot the last time you were on TikTok, you are likely to return in search of another great experience)."
• Thus, for users seeking momentary relief find related contents that achieve exactly that. “Scrolling through TikTok could serve as a form of ‘self-medication’ by providing momentary relief from negative emotions, life problems, or awkward social situations. For example, if you are feeling sad and then get on TikTok, your sadness may be eliminated or reduced. Or, if you are studying or working on a paper, TikTok can provide you with some temporary relief from the stress of your work.”
• Driven primarily by Generation Z'ers (born after 1996), the four reinforcement attributes that work in favor of TikTok are the immediacy of reinforcement, the unpredictability of reinforcers, variety and novelty of reinforcers, and response effort and magnitude of reinforcers.

 

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Sense of Enjoyment and Connection

• The pandemic lockdowns in 2020 surged TikTok's usage, providing a good means of escape, and beautiful and light-hearted fun moments away from the gloomy pictures of the pandemic throughout the world's population.
• In a survey conducted in partnership with Kantar involving over 7,000 users of the app, respondents indicated that they enjoy their time spent on the platform with additional opportunities for feeling part of a community.
• A TikTok commissioned study conducted by Nielsen with over 8000 respondents unraveled that about 59% of surveyed participants concluded that using the app gives a sense of community.
• TikTok explained in the survey that, users“come to TikTok for the community, stay for the creativity, and leave feeling happy and inspired. People love the positive experience that our platform provides, so they scroll longer and dive deeper.”
• Additionally, the survey reports that the platform's "highly attuned algorithms keep its audience logged in, interacting with each other, “and looking for more fun”, with higher attention rates compared to other video platforms."
• This in part constitutes the driving force behind the success story of TikTok, aside from its numerous easy-to-use tools for creativity, authenticity (79% of surveyed users), and fun content for all ages, among others.
• The app invites people to act by liking, commenting, or participating in in-app challenges. “Users find a constant stream of joyful entertainment, liberating creativity, and endless inspiration that’s tailored just for them. It’s a positive experience that primes people to join in the fun and take action, and for brands, TikTok’s proactive population can have a huge effect”.
• According to the Search Engine Journal in 2021, “an average of 31% of TikTok users included “lifting my spirits” as one of the top three reasons for returning to the TikTok platform again and again.”

Research Strategy

Key findings

• In 2020, consumers were reported to be feeling more negative towards Facebook.
•  Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, has been taking steps to combat misinformation on its sites and has set up a fact-checking team.
•  Project Amplify is reported to be being used by Facebook to improve its image with its users following various scandals.

Introduction

Facebook — Project Amplify

• According to CNET in September 2021 Facebook began taking steps to improve its image following various scandals over the last few years including the Cambridge Analytics case where it was found to not be taking sufficient action to protect its users' data. It had also been criticized for not doing enough to prevent the spread of fake news or misinformation during the pandemic and elections.
• Vesta reported last year that the majority of consumers were worried about fake news and misinformation as shown below.

 

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• Vesta also found there was significant negative feeling toward Facebook with "42% are either using Facebook less or not at all".
• First reported in the New York Times, although the story is held behind a paywall, CNET and other sources picked up on the story. Project Amplify as it is nicknamed involves promoting positive stories to Facebook users.
• It was trialed in three cities initially using "Quick Promote". The project runs ads that share pro-Facebook stories and written posts from the company.
• Joe Osborne, a spokesperson for the company, essentially denied this was what the company was doing and claimed there was, "there is zero change to the News Feed ranking. This is a test for an informational unit clearly marked as coming from Facebook. It's not the first of its kind, and is similar to corporate responsibility initiatives people see in other technology and consumer products".
• The company's Q1 2022 earnings report shows that the company has increased its users (page 14). More users on the site could be an indication of a change in brand sentiment.
• GWI reports that Facebook has been overtaken by Instagram as users' favorite social media network, although they are still in the top 3.

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Meta — Combating Misinformation

•  Vesta notes that social media platforms have a responsibility to fact-check.

 

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• Meta's website has details set out on what steps they are taking to prevent the spread of false or misinformation on things like covid 19 as well as the war in Ukraine.
• In January 2020 both Facebook and Instagram started showing their users pop-ups further up their news feeds on Facebook that allowed them to access information from the WHO, the CDC, and regional authorities in all countries where users were searching for related information. On Instagram, they showed similar content in the hardest-hit countries.
• On both sites, the company removed misinformation and launched a $1 million grant fund for fact-checking organizations.
• With regard to the war in Ukraine Meta has set up a "special operations center staffed by experts from across the company, including native Russian and Ukrainian speakers, who are monitoring the platform around the clock, allowing us to respond to issues in real-time". The company is also working to prevent misinformation from being spread.
• Figures to determine if the action Meta has taken and continues to take to combat misinformation in relation to its Facebook and Instagram brands and their brand sentiment was not found during the research. However, the company's NPS (net promoter score) may give an indication of customer sentiment towards its brands. The company's trend on comparably.com shows its NPS has been between 18 and 22 between June 2021 to March 2022. The figures since then show a decline to 14 in May 2022.

Research strategy

Key Takeaways

• Adult Twitter users in the U.S. cite entertainment (42%), staying informed (20%), and expressing their opinion (10%) as their primary motivations for using the platform.
• Twitter users’ partisan views affect their perception of the platform–60% of Republican users believe Twitter is bad for democracy, compared to 28% of Democrats. Republican users are, however, less likely to leave Twitter if it’s purchased by Elon Musk.
• LinkedIn is consistently ranked the most trusted social media network and outperforms user perceptions of other social networks in security, legitimacy, community, and ad experience.
• LinkedIn is lauded for its proactive approach to dealing with misinformation on its site and is testing a “no-politics” setting to attract Gen-Z users.

Introduction

Twitter

• A Pew survey published in November 2021 found that 42% of adult Twitter users in the U.S. cite entertainment as their primary motivation for using the platform. 20% of users said they use Twitter to stay informed, and just 10% use the platform to express their opinion.
• This is consistent with high-volume users, who tweet at least 20 times a month and use the platform for entertainment (47%), staying informed (17%), and expressing their opinion (17%).
• Medical journals use Twitter to disseminate research and engage with readers.
• Biostatistician Natalie Dean of Emory University–whose Twitter account has over 130,000 followers–says, “I like that there’s a low bar to entry [on Twitter]—I can put something out and see how other scientists are thinking of a problem, people who have a different skill set than mine.”
• Last year, 42% of high-volume Twitter users said the platform made them feel more politically engaged.
•  According to Pew, 60% of Republican and Republican-leaning users believe that Twitter is bad for democracy, compared to 28% of Democrats and Democrat-leaning users. Conversely, 47% of Democrats think Twitter is good for democracy, compared to 17% of Republicans.
• The majority of Republican users (59% and 61%) considered Twitter post restrictions and user bans to be serious problems on the site, while very few Democrat users (17% and 6%) felt the same.
• In another recent survey of about 2,000 Twitter users, 16.3% said they would leave the platform if Elon Musk acquired the company. The survey reports that only 3.4% of Fox News viewers–generally conservative in their politics–would leave the platform, compared to 28.4% of MSNBC viewers.

 

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LinkedIn

• According to Forbes, over 90% of job recruiters use LinkedIn–the internet's largest professional network–to find or vet job candidates.
• eMarketer’s 2021 Digital Trust Benchmark Report ranked LinkedIn the most trusted social media platform for the fifth year in a row. According to users in the U.S., LinkedIn outperforms other social media sites–like Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit–in security, legitimacy, community, and ad experience.
• LinkedIn's CEO, Ryan Roslansky, says LinkedIn is evolving to cater to Gen-Z, and that more young users are joining the network.
• LinkedIn is currently testing a “no-politics” setting, which allows users to restrict political content in their feed. Roslansky plans to keep the tool if it helps users “better accomplish what they’re trying to accomplish on LinkedIn.”
• LinkedIn removes content and users that don’t adhere to its “professionally relevant” post requirements.

 

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Research Strategy

Introduction

YouTube

Entertainment And Relaxation

• According to a survey of YouTube users, 65% of them stated that they like visiting YouTube for pure entertainment.

• YouTube users are attracted to entertaining or at least intriguing content. So, when content creators are planning to introduce standard YouTube videos or video ads, they include a touch of entertainment or interesting information.

 

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• In another survey conducted by YouTube in nine countries, consumers stated that their primary reason for watching videos was to relax and unwind. Also, the fourth most popular "reason that people watch videos is that the content makes them laugh".

• Of all the video platforms used globally, YouTube was the most popular by far.

 

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Pinterest

Inspiration

•  Pinterest is inspiring. One of the most popular reasons why users visit Pinterest is to get inspiration. They want to discover and share new ideas, indicating that they are "more open to investigating a new brand, concept, or product".
• One study revealed that 43% of consumers preferred to connect with retailers and brands on Pinterest, compared to only 24% who preferred to connect on Facebook.

 

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• For example, someone that wants to remodel their bathroom can visit Pinterest and find a lot of bathroom remodeling ideas after a couple of searches. Also, a person that wants to paint an artwork can also visit Pinterest and get some inspiration after seeing the work of others.
•  89% of people use Pinterest for purchase inspiration. According to Pinterest, 433 million people visit the platform monthly to get ideas that will inspire their next purchase.

 

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•  97% of all searches on Pinterest are unbranded. This means that most users are "looking for inspiration and discovering new ideas".
• Ads on Pinterest are not annoying but inspiring and helpful, unlike on other platforms.

Research Strategy

Key Takeaways

• As the leading streaming service worldwide, Netflix has about 222 million subscribers, according to Q4 2021 numbers.
•  In 2021, Netflix spent over $2.2 billion on "Research and Development," an 18% increase over its 2020 spending in this category.
• Spotify leads the streaming market, holding 31% of the world's market share.

Introduction

• This report provides insight into surrounding brand sentiment analysis for Netflix and Spotify. The positive sentiments around Netflix are due to its ever-changing dynamic content, while Spotify's expansion into various content forms contributed to its positive emotions.

Netflix

Ever-changing dynamic content

• As the leading streaming service worldwide, Netflix has about 222 million subscribers, according to Q4 2021 numbers. An increase of about 18 million subscribers from the previous year.
• Netflix's total dominance is possible because of its ever-changing dynamic content that suits various users. This, in turn, is a result of the amount invested in "Research and development."
•  In 2021, Netflix spent over $2.2 billion on "Research and Development," an 18% increase over its 2020 spending in this category.
• Netflix offers a variety of content, from original series to documentaries, comedy specials, and experimental series. This brand has also explored other interactive and Chose-your-adventure content innovations. For these reasons, Netflix is well adopted by the majority.

 

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Spotify

Expansion into various content forms.

• Spotify leads the music streaming market, holding 31% of the world's market share in this category. About double its closest competitor, Apple Music, with a market share of 15%.
• The majority of this success came because Spotify went into podcasts and eventually made it into one of their primary product lines. As a result, there was a 70% increase in the online mentions of the Brand Spotify in the year 2020.
• This breakthrough opened the road to various content forms such as stories, audiobooks, and other audio content. Spotify has a great user experience and integrates with many devices, contributing to its success.
• Spotify's reach to its consumers is so strong that one research found that measuring the music trends on Spotify predicted the financial market movements.

 

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Research Strategy

To find information on insights surrounding brand sentiment for Netflix and Spotify, we leveraged credible sources from Public websites such as Camparitech, Techcrunch, Nubenugarte, Makeuseof, and Siteefy.

KeyKey Takeaways

• Although Discord was initially for gamers, it has become a platform for many other communities, such as music, cryptocurrencies, e.t.c.
• Reddit's interest groups are hyper-concentrated and have a history of influencing markets.
• Reddit uses a karma system that improves social credibility.

Introduction

Discord

Community driven platform

• According to a survey conducted, most Discord users are interested in technology and gaming.
• Although Discord was initially for gamers, it has become a platform for many other communities, such as music, cryptocurrencies, e.t.c.
• The main reason for this platform gaining adoption by many communities is the ability to create free servers within the forum. Other services did not have that option and are limited to creating group chats.
• Discord's ability to attract various communities is enough reason for brands to watch this platform.

 

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Reddit

Hyper-concentrated interest groups

• Although small compared to other social platforms, Reddit's interest groups are hyper-concentrated and have a history of influencing markets.
• An excellent example was the famous Gamestop fiasco by the wall street subreddit users.
• Unlike other platforms, Reddit uses a karma system that improves social credibility. It has become increasingly accessible to fake followers or likes, but this is not the case with Reddit's karma ratings, as very few services offer such services.

• Due to this, users feel at ease discussing their interests, like, and concerns on this platform. As a result, "social listening" on this platform will give you insights into consumers' perceptions of a brand or topic. These interest groups discuss even topics that go unnoticed by the public.

Research strategy