Methodology & Objective

Background:

In this study, we analyze five key personas’ engagement in the social conversation around credit cards in order to understand their different behaviors, interests and preferences.

Methodology:

Analysis Period: Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2015

Location: Global

Language: English

Five personas: Deal-Seeking Parents, Foodies, Pop Mavens, Sports Fans, Adventurers

One monitor for each persona with keywords for the four major credit card networks (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express)

Objectives:

1. Understand the audience makeup of the five persona groups.
2. Compare their social behaviors in relation to the overall credit card discussion.
3. Understand what draws each group to the conversation.
4. Analyze which features matter most to each persona and identify opportunities for brands to capitalize on these conversations.

Why these five personas?

In 2015, millions of users, took to Twitter to share their thoughts, experiences and passions. Several different persona groups contributed to the social conversation, offering unique perspectives and opinions on thousands of subjects. For this study, we looked at five distinct audiences--Adventurers, DealSeeking Parents, Foodies, Pop Mavens and Sports Fans--who were actively engaged on the platform throughout the past year.

1. Adventurers Posted 400M+ Tweets in 2015
2. Deal-Seeking Parents Posted 676M+ Tweets in 2015
3. Foodies Posted 347M+ Tweets in 2015
4. Pop Mavens Posted 6B+ Tweets in 2015
5. Sports Fans Posted 6.6B+ Tweets in 2015

What defines the personas?

• Adventurers: Thrill seekers interested in vacations, hotels, extreme sports, mountaineering, safaris, etc.
• Deal-Seeking Parents: Moms and dads interested in deals, coupons, contests, etc.
• Foodies: People who have a refined interest in organic food, food trucks, dining, gourmet, spirits, etc.
• Pop Mavens: Consumers who are music and pop culture lovers interested in Justin Bieber, One Direction, Lady Gaga, Disney, MTV, etc.
• Sports Fans: Sports aficionados passionate about soccer, basketball, golf, The Olympics, ESPN, etc

Understanding Audience Behaviors

• Who are the five persona groups?
• What are their social behaviors, especially in relation to the credit card discussion?
• How can brands reach these audiences?

Understanding Audience Behaviors: Executive Summary

Deal-Seeking Parents and Pop Mavens are more engaged at night

• Day of the week: No persona greatly differs from the overall industry trend, as all groups are more engaged during weekdays.
• Time of day: Active groups like Adventurers and Sport Fans are more engaged in the morning, while Deal-Seeking Parents and Pop Mavens are posting more frequently around 8PM.

Each persona showcases unique engagement behavior

• Segments:Around 50% of Pop Mavens’ posts are Retweets, while Adventurers and Sport Fans retweet the least of all five groups.
• Segments:Photos are an important factor for each group as at least 25% of posts from each persona include a photo. Sports Fans and Adventurers lead with 27% of posts including a picture.

Deal-Seeking Parents and Sports Fans are the most engaged on a daily basis

In terms of average daily credit card discussion, the most active personas are Deal-Seeking Parents and Sports Fans, as both groups post nearly 2,000 Tweets a day. Pop Mavens are also fairly engaged, tweeting just over 1,000 times daily. Foodies and Adventurers, however, represent the personas with the lowest daily average volumes, each seeing only around 300-400 posts.

Opportunity: The low volume for Foodies and Adventurers shows that they are still a relatively untapped resource. Companies can focus their efforts on understanding what draws those personas to the conversation and produce more targeted campaigns to attract these groups to their brand.

Sport Fans and Pop Mavens deviate from the industry norm

The Adventurers are the only group whose gender breakdown appears similar to the overall industry norm. Deal-Seeking Parents, Foodies and Pop Mavens have a notably higher proportion of females, while Sports Fans are mainly men. In terms of age, three groups--Deal-Seeking Parents, Foodies and Adventurers--follow the industry trend of attracting mainly authors 35 and above. Pop Mavens and Sports Fans, on the other hand, skew slightly younger, with users 17 and below mainly driving the Pop group’s discussion.

Different influencers for different personas

Each persona has its own brand of influencer. Bloggers, whether focused on parenting and deals or travel, are popular among the Deal-Seeking Parents and Adventurers. Celebrities are big for Pop Mavens and Sports Fans, while well-known figures in the Foodie world are involved in the credit card discussion through giveaways and promotions. By utilizing social insights, credit card companies can capitalize on their stronger personas by reaching out to the groups’ top influencers.

Opportunity: Better understand the types of personalities who is influential among each group and track potential collaborators within the space.

Credit card audience is mainly engaged during the week

Across the five personas and the industry overall, the discussion is usually taking place during the weekdays, peaking on Wednesday, and quickly dies down during the weekend. Each persona follows the industry trend, with Pop Mavens seeing slightly more conversation on Mondays v. the other groups.

Opportunity: Target consumers most effectively by capitalizing on prime airtime during the week, especially Wednesdays.

Time of day discussion varies for each group

Though the trend in day of week is similar across each of the groups and industry, the time during which they are most engaged varies significantly. Foodies, Sports Fans and Adventurers see their peak hours of discussion in the morning, while Deal-Seeking Parents and Pop Mavens discuss credit cards more at night. The nighttime groups differ greatly from the overall industry, which peaks at noon.

Opportunity: Understand when your group of interest is most engaged and publish content around these times. While more active/adventurous groups are tweeting early in the day, Deal-Seeking Parents and Pop Mavens are engaged more at night.

Pop Mavens are heavy sharers; photos resonate well across all groups

When looking at the content each group engages with on Twitter, Pop Mavens are the most likely to share others’ Tweets, with Retweets, accounting for half of their posts. This persona is especially engaged with celebrity Tweets, and frequently share their favorite stars’ posts. Hashtags are popular among Deal-Seeking Parents, featured in nearly half of their posts. Their heavy use of hashtags is heavily related to engagement with contests and giveaways that feature specialized hashtags. Overall, photos are an important part of each persona’s social behavior, especially Sports Fans and Adventurers.

Opportunity: Including photos in your Tweets is an easy way to attract every group, while hashtags will perform better with Deal-Seeking Parents and “share to win”-style offers may resonate with Pop Mavens.

Key Topics of Conversation

• What draws each group to a specific credit card conversation?
• Which features matter to different audiences?
• What are the major moments brands can leverage?

Key Topics of Conversation: Executive Summary

Adventurers and Foodies are an untapped source of brand advocacy

• Volume: Foodies and Adventurers generate less than 10% of each credit card brands’ posts v. other personas.
• Sentiment:In 2015, overall positive sentiment totaled 38% for Adventurers and 35% for Foodies.
• Topics: Foodies hold their credit card brand to high standards, but are also some of the loudest advocates

Pop Mavens are crazy for presale tickets & are engaged post-purchase

• Share of Voice: Pop Mavens generate 73% of presales conversation.
• Topics: When sharing positive presale experiences, Pop Mavens notably express their excitement post-purchase.

The volume of conversation has a strong seasonality for each persona

Throughout 2015, the five personas’ discussions peaked during different times of the year. While Sports Fans were very active in January, Deal-Seeking Parents and Foodies were the most engaged around Thanksgiving and Black Friday/Cyber Monday. A notable spike in Pop Mavens discussion in May can largely be attributed to engagement with a post by @Ashton5SOS about his band member being featured in a MasterCard commercial. Adventurers’ conversation also peaked in May, thanks to responses to Amex Whole Foods freebies and discussion of Visa’s partnership with FIFA.

Opportunity: When creating targeted content for these groups, brands should understand how seasonality and major events affect conversation.

From card acceptance to travel rewards, each persona discusses different topics emotionally

Pop Mavens have strong opinions about presales, as they share both excitement and disappointment around presale experiences. Deal-Seeking Parents share their enthusiasm for giveaways and contests, while Adventurers enjoy their rewards programs. Most of the negative sentiment for Sports Fans comes from fans talking about the FIFA corruption scandal. Foodies’ high standards, usually seen when picking their meals, appear to also apply to other aspects of their lives, as they quickly voice their contempt over the inconvenience of their card not being accepted.

The Pop crowd shares their excitement and appreciation post-purchase

When looking specifically at the positive Pop Mavens conversation, presale ticket mentions are an important driver of conversation and are responsible for a significant amount of both positive and negative volume. Users share favorable experiences while obtaining tickets to concerts and events, taking time to thank their credit card company for the opportunity. They frequently post post-purchase, expressing their excitement and anticipation for an upcoming show.

Opportunity: Engage with consumers in the post-purchase moment of excitement and gratitude to continue building positive relationships with these brand advocates.

Technical issues and jealousy drive negative sentiment for Pop Mavens

Negative discussion is partly driven by users’ frustrations with their inability to acquire presale tickets when they do not have the required card. Another important driver of negative sentiment for consumers involves Ticketmaster, as some express disappointment when they can not buy tickets due to technical issues.

Opportunity: With third party issues, consumers may still associate poor experiences with your brand. During presales, especially for major events, be prepared to answer questions and offer technical solutions.

Deal-Seeking Parents and Sports Fans are responsible for many brand discussions

When comparing the top four credit card networks’ discussions, we can see that the different groups are more actively involved in specific branded conversations. For example, Deal-Seeking Parents drive most of the discussion for Visa, while Sports Fans lead the way for MasterCard and Discover. Overall, the share of conversation for Foodies and Adventurers is much lower compared to the other three, accounting for less than 10% of each conversation.

Opportunity: Monitor which groups are more engaged with your brand versus competitors and dive into the conversation drivers to identify what’s drawing these different personas to the discussion.

Celebrity Tweets and award show campaigns draw Pop Mavens to the discussion

Pop Mavens, responsible for a 29% share of the MasterCard conversation v. the other personas, are highly engaged with celebrity-authored content, as several users retweeted a post by boy band member @Ashton5SOS. The #PricelessSurprises campaign was also a hit with the Pop crowd, with the brand’s advertising around the Brit Awards eliciting organic mentions for MasterCard.

Sports Fans focus on advertising and cash-back rewards

Sport Fans see their largest share of voice across the four networks with Discover at 40%. Rewards are a major driver of conversation for the Sports group, as they frequently post about signing up for cash-back bonuses. Advertising is also widely discussed, with the audience often focusing on the ad shown during major sporting events. Several users were also highly engaged with @McDonalds giveaway Tweets referencing the brand’s commercial during the game.

Giveaways and gift cards dominate the Visa conversation for Deal-Seeking Parents

Deal-Seeking Parents see their largest share of voice with Visa at 36%. They are highly engaged with numerous opportunities to win giveaways/contests and share deals on the brand’s gift cards. Several different coupon- and giveaway-centric handles drive much of the conversation, with users sharing their “tweet to win” posts and expressing appreciation for the offers.

Adventurers’ on-the-go lifestyle draws them to Discover’s travel rewards and Apple Pay

Adventurers hold one of their highest shares with Discover (9%). While some users discuss how they utilize their card’s travel rewards, others focus on Apple Pay and other forms of mobile payment. They expressed their excitement when Discover announced the Apple Pay partnership, and shared their experiences when first using it. This group, who are frequently on-the-go looking for the next big adventure, appear to be early adopters of new technology, especially those that cater to their fast-paced lifestyle.

Campaigns like Small Business Saturday draw Foodies to the conversation

Foodies hold a 6% share of voice of the American Express conversation compared to the other personas. Various campaigns were popular with this persona, as the group discussed promotions such as #JourneyNeverStops and Small Business Saturday. The #ShopSmall campaign especially resonated with the community-focused and brand-loyal Foodies crowd, as they were eager to advocate for their favorite local businesses.

AmEx’s #JourneyNeverStops resonates with some groups, but falls short for others

Across each branded discussion, most companies were successful in grabbing the attention of one particular persona with a campaign. However, American Express successfully targeted both Sports Fans and Pop Mavens with their #JourneyNeverStops campaign, which featured various athletes and music/TV personalities. While Pop Mavens frequently shared American Express’ posts about actress Mindy Kaling, Sports Fans were highly engaged with videos featuring snowboarders’ GoPro footage.

MasterCard’s campaign drove a strong response from all personas

With their #PricelessSurprises campaign, MasterCard was successful in generating conversations among all five of the persona groups. The brand’s highly targeted content resonated well with these audiences, with each group utilizing the hashtag in unique ways. For example, while Pop Mavens were excited about offers such as free Justin Timberlake autographs and Gwen Stefani tickets, Adventurers shared posts about free trips and discussed where they had traveled throughout the year.

Opportunity: Create an impactful campaign by catering to several different personalities by offering special promotions or generating content that pinpoints the interests of specific groups of focus.

Different features grab the attention of each persona

Across five major credit card features, Sports Fans drive the largest share of three, specifically fees (49%), rewards (37%) and mobile (36%). Pop Mavens drove a significant portion of the customer service discussion (42%) and the majority of presales mentions. Foodies, who hold relatively low shares across much of the discussion, see their highest share in terms of customer service, representing 19% of the conversation.

Why are certain personas attracted to different “features”?

Opportunity: Look to this group to find potential collaboration opportunities, as they are likely to share their brand advocacy.

Opportunity: Consider targeting this group when crafting a campaign around mobile security, as they are generally tuned into this conversation.

Why are certain personas attracted to different “features”?

Opportunity: Simplicity is key with this group. When offering attractive rewards/deals, assure that the redemption process is as straightforward as possible.

Opportunity: Look to this group to help promote the benefits and rewards of cards with higher fees.

Key Takeaways

• Foodies and Adventurers drove much less conversation over social compared to the other personas, posing them as a potential untapped audience for brands (Slides 8 & 20).
• While each group followed the general industry trend in terms of peak day of week, the personas were engaged at noticeably different hours of the day (Slides 11 & 12).
• The groups’ personalities and interests shine through as drivers of positive and negative sentiment towards the credit card brands. For Pop Mavens, presales were a major source of both appreciation and contempt, with the group especially expressing their thoughts post-purchase (Slides 17 - 19).
• Foodies’ high standards can easily drive them to speak of negative experiences, but they are also strong brand advocates when their needs are met (Slides 17, 25 & 29).
• Sport Fans hold a notable share of brand discussion as they interact with advertising campaigns and express concerns on mobile security (Slides 20, 22 & 29) /li>
• MasterCard and American Express successfully captured the attention of specific personas with their campaigns, but only MasterCard was successful in reaching all key audiences through its highly targeted efforts (Slides 26 & 27).