Listen-up!

Britain’s major cities house a rich kaleidoscope of people with different outlooks, behaviours, preferences and concerns; making the all-important task of ‘knowing your customer’ problematic. Thankfully an explosion in social media has aided the gathering of knowledge.

People are actively posting things about themselves on social networking sites, blogs and forums. According to 2015 statistics, 500 million tweets are sent every day. The Internet Advertising Bureau UK (IAB) estimates that one in every six waking minutes of our time is spent on social media.

Given that social media has been around for a decade - the pool of available data available for scrutiny is immense. With every passing hour, day, week and month, the opportunities to listen, capture and analyse the UK public’s many voices have reached new, inexorable heights. Businesses are now using these voices to distil useful insights, which are in turn, informing business strategy, influencing product design and shaping company messages.

Ernest Hemingway once said he “learnt a great deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen.” Well, things are changing…

Fixing our gaze

For this report, our aim was to open a window into the British consumer landscape. We used our social insights platform to analyse conversations published in the UK, on Facebook, Twitter and across forums and blogs, between 2010 and 2015. This was made possible by our unlimited ability to search 800 billion posts at a moment’s notice.

Analysing historical data and comparing past and recent conversations allowed us to uncover what UK consumers care about; their priorities and opinions. We then applied further analysis to group these conversations into topics with current business value. In doing so, we effectively tapped into the largest focus group in the world and gathered actionable insights on four major trends:

• Health
• Eating
• Commuting
• Shopping

1. Health by Stealth

It may have crept up on us, but the UK population appears to be following in LA’s glamorous footprints. Large swathes of the population are on a health kick. This is reflected in the way that members of the public have embraced different types of fitness regimes, from yoga to CrossFit; their aversion to fast food brands and women’s unprecedented participation in competitive sporting activity. Cumulatively, these conversations indicate a genuine evolution in UK consumer lifestyles.

So why is this important? Because the Leisure Database Industry estimates the UK fitness industry is worth £4.3 billion and another source predicts the global weight loss market will reach £220 billion by 2017. For brands that can tap into this zeitgeist, the health industry represents a goldmine.

Healthy living-it’s not a fad

# healthrevolution # trendwatch

Through social media analytics we were able to gauge the UK public’s approach to healthy living. As a starter, we can see that conversations around healthy eating have continued to gain momentum. Between 2010 and 2014 there were 200,902 posts, while in 2015 alone there were 72,000 posts. In part, the surge in volume can be explained by the growth of social media. However, the rise in the proportion of overall tweets confirms a growing focus on health and wellbeing. This focus is further evidenced by the increased percentage of people talking about completing exercise, as opposed to disliking exercise and dieting; a trend that has been taking place across UK.

[Download PDF to see Graph]

This focus is further evidenced by the increased percentage of people talking about completing exercise, as opposed to disliking exercise and dieting; a trend that has been taking place across UK.

It’s a young person’s game

# healthrevolution # trendwatch

Young people (17 and below) are front and centre of the healthcare revolution, given the prolific nature of their comments about exercise. This is good news for the war on child obesity. The next generation clearly sees the benefits of breaking a sweat.

It’s also a useful insight for health and fitness brands, as well as general lifestyle businesses in search of an engaged and ardent consumer base. The importance of knowing one’s audience - including their demography - cannot be overestimated.

For instance, if a brand learns that its most receptive customer base is comprised of millennials, it stands to reason that its marketing strategy will change in line with young people’s consumer habits, from the channels it uses and the messages it broadcasts. These considerations might include the fact that Generation Y and young teenagers largely reside in social media; which is a markedly cheaper channel for influencer marketing than TV advertising. Young people expect to be entertained. They appreciate guidance, support and instruction (i.e. make-up tips) and they love to share (i.e. brag about how they scored on a quiz, their fashion inspiration etc.).

By engaging with youngsters on their terms, brands can very quickly activate an extensive community of young people with ample disposable income, an obsessive interest in image and a desire to stand out, while staying on trend.

Sweaty Betties

#healthrevolution # trendwatch

Based on social media analytics, women are participating in sport more than ever before. Why? It would appear some very inspirational marketing campaigns have had their desired effect. Campaigns like #ThisGirlCan (Sport England’s brainchild to get women and girls moving, regardless of shape, size and ability) and Always #Likeagirl ‘battle’ to keep confidence high during puberty and beyond, have inspired a new cohort of women to get active.

This is evident in the comments we monitored between 2014 and 2015, as seen in the image below. For the first time, women’s conversations about playing football overtook conversations about watching football, and posts about training increased significantly after the #ThisGirlCan campaign aired early in 2015.

The efficacy of the #Thisgirlcan campaign is rooted in the time and effort Sport England spent upfront - drawing out insights from social media to understand what drives women to exercise. By interrogating the close correlation between female empowerment and female participation in sport, and the fear of judgement many women feel, Sport England were able to devise a campaign which specifically addressed barriers to sport. The end result was a hard hitting campaign which resonated across the country, resulting in greater volumes of conversations but more importantly, important strides towards closing the persistent gender gap in sport.

[Download PDF to see Graph]

Health help

# healthrevolution # trendwatch

So we now have a more sporty population, but how can an industry build upon this interest? Chiefly through information. The analysis reveals that most health and fitness oriented conversations take place in forums.

Forums generally offer more specialist expertise than other online spaces. And because content lives longer in forums than shorter form social sites like Twitter, people are turning to them to capture detailed answers to complex health and fitness questions.

This intelligence points to a desire for more practical advice, peer support and community, which can often be found in forums, made-up of like-minded individuals; as well as any other arena that facilitates information sharing. This is an important observation for brands who can develop a loyal and devoted following by playing an advisory role.

[Download PDF to see Graph]

Bendy Britain

# healthrevolution # trendwatch

While we will always be a nation of football and rugby enthusiasts, given the increasing numbers of women talking about sport, it’s perhaps not surprising that different types of exercise are enjoying a surge in popularity. The percentage of conversations about CrossFit has more than doubled over five years, suggesting the UK public has embraced this growth sport from the US with big brand relations - while yoga and Pilates have entered the UK mainstream with alacrity. Running and cycling are still very popular but they’re not generating as many conversations as they used to. One can assume the greater the choice, the less time there is to devote to more traditional sports.

[Download PDF to see Graph]

Fast food’s fall

# healthrevolution # trendwatch

In this health conscious marketplace, it’s perhaps predictable that the fast food industry would have lost its appeal. The data suggests the decline will continue:

1. One third of conversations about fast food either expressed a desire to cut back or feelings of guilt after eating fast food. This is an increase on last year.

2. There has been a steady decline in conversations about fast food over the years; from 2012, when the breakdown of conversations about fast food was at its peak - with 56% of users proclaiming themselves fans - to 2015, when the percentage of fans dropped to 20%.

3. People have also been commenting on (and critiquing) the big player’s efforts to win people over with healthy options, like a salad or fruit bag. 81% of conversations judged these token moves as ineffective.

The latter observation points to an entrenched cynicism among the UK public, which could foil attempts at reinvention. According to Warren Buffet it takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. But how long does it take to re-invent one? Given that 81% of people believe these low fat, low calorie overtures have been ineffective and fast food restaurants are still unhealthy, the research suggests that ‘mud sticks’.

[Download PDF to see Graph]

Sugar tax

# freetochoose # trendwatch

However, this is not to say that the UK public would welcome an enforced crackdown on the fast food industry. It would appear that choice trumps all else.

While consumers may choose healthy options in the main, our analysis indicates that they would react against any measures that appear to penalise or castigate their right to consume unhealthy food and drink.

This is reflected in the public’s reaction to Jamie Oliver’s high profile petition to tax sugary drinks – as captured on social media. Jamie Oliver’s proposal generated over 44,000 posts. However, 73% of people commenting did not agree with his idea to add a levy on sugary drinks. Many suggested subsidising the cost of fruit or applying the tax elsewhere would be a better solution. Ultimately they put their freedom to decide first. This is an important learning for campaigners, brands and policy makers alike. The carrot will always be more palatable to the stick.

Consciously healthy

# freetochoose # trendwatch

In summary, for many members of the UK public, being healthy is a way of life. This is evidenced in:

The steady increase in conversations around health consciousness and healthy lifestyles

The 66% of sport related conversations about completing exercise rather than aspiring to exercise

The one in four women who now talk about enjoying or looking forward to exercising

And middle England’s seeming rejection of fast food

Suffice to say, the UK public genuinely cares about their health. As long as brands refrain from preaching from the pulpit and the sooner brands tap into this desire, the quicker they will be at turning a profit.

2. How England Eats

According to independent research the average person in the UK spends only 39 minutes a day eating, which is 237 hours a year. However, a lot more time goes into preparing food. Particularly as more and more people are beginning to shun restaurants and takeaways, for wholesome, made-from-scratch meals, lovingly created in the home.

This is important intelligence for supermarkets in terms of how they can spark ideas and suggest new recipes; for restaurants in terms of how they can beguile patrons to darken their doors once more and for other key players in the market.

Home is where the chef is

# homemade # trendwatch

The UK food service sector is expected to grow by £10bn and be worth £56.3bn by 2019, with a number of smaller brands expanding into high street chains. These sorts of projections are important for food operators, suppliers and investors alike. However, what happens if these stats fail to measure evolving consumer sentiment, as expressed on social media? These projections are ordinarily based on stats that might be a year or two old, by the time they are collated and understood. They don’t always reflect changing consumer patterns, as they happen in real-time.

According to social analysis, eating-out has actually decreased in popularity, in favour of eating in, as seen the image below on the left.

While the research uncovers why this might be, it’s important to note that of the 25% of people talking about dining out, 39% of conversations refer to their experiences of trying a new restaurant, as opposed to frequenting old haunts (9%).

This willingness to sample new restaurants and cuisines and share recommendations injects an element of fair competition into the industry (it’s an established fact that word of mouth is the holy grail in marketing). However, restaurants as a whole have been somewhat shackled by an increasing emphasis on good price and value for money. The prevalence of money-off vouchers has significantly reduced restaurants’ profit margins. In 2015 Allegra Foodservice noted that ‘value’ as a megatrend and discount driven consumers are posing a threat to the mid-market. For many, 2016 could be another tumultuous year.

Cook-off

# homemade # trendwatch

There are naturally a plethora of reasons behind the trend to eat-in – many of which boil down to budget. However, other cultural factors also have a part to play. The research suggests that the increased popularity of TV cooking shows has set the country on a new path – one which seeks to make amateur chefs out of us all.

In 2015, there were almost 570,000 mentions of c ooking shows across social media and in the graph below we can see there has been a steady increase in the volume of conversations over the years. These spikes in conversation coincide with the perennially popular Great British Bake Off however, our analysis suggests other programmes, including MasterChef, are also firing-up the taste buds and inspiring a generation of Brits to try their hand at gourmet cuisine.

According to the research, 33% of conversations express a desire to cook or bake after watching these programmes; indicating the transformative power of reality TV. The programmes’ uniform appeal is worth noting. In the past, these shows mainly enthralled viewers in the 35 years’ old plus demographic. However, millennials are now engaging with these programmes - as evidenced by a hike in conversations amongst 17 year olds and under. This is useful intelligence for the broadcast industry (in terms of justifying the launch of a spin-off version of the show for younger people). It’s also useful information for the catering industry as a whole.

When you consider the decrease in conversations about dining out, the increase in conversations about dining-in and evidence that these sentiments are exciting a broad range of people, it’s clear that we’re in the midst of a trend which could cost the out-of-home industry dearly.

Takeaway growing pains

# takeaway # trendwatch

Takeaways have been a popular staple of the British diet. The Industrial Revolution saw an increase in the availability of takeaway food. By the early 20th Century, fish and chips was considered an “established institution”. However, the industry has changed markedly over the years. To satisfy consumers’ insatiable need for convenience, most takeaway businesses now offer food by delivery.

To achieve economies of scale and access to leading-edge technology platforms, the vast majority of takeaway joints have signed-up to online marketplaces, such as Just EAT, Hungryhouse and Deliveroo. In theory this should make takeaways an attractive option. However, as our analysis suggests below, these apps are causing more negative comments than praise - particularly around long waiting times.

Time will tell whether these are just growing pains, customers persevere in the hope that good service is resumed; or more people fire up the oven and rustle-up a home-cooked delight instead.

3. Content commuters

According to the TUC, the housing crisis and lack of spending on roads and railways is leading to longer commutes for workers. More than three million people in the UK commute over two hours per day. While people have traditionally bemoaned the travails of their daily commute, given the frenetic pace of life, travel time now equates to down time. It also represents the perfect opportunity for brands to reach out to professionals, as the research attests.

Games on trains

# candycrushcommute # trendwatch

Commuting is a hot topic on social media - possibly because it constitutes a large part of a person’s day. There were over 359,000 posts about commuting in 2015 alone. However, our analysis suggests that the UK population has become relatively sanguine about travelling to and from work, as can be seen in the decreasing volumes of negative conversation on the right.

The subject of commuting has become largely positive over the years. Possibly because they have found other welcome distractions. Commuting is now a perfect gaming opportunity. In 2015, gaming supplanted reading as the most popular dwell time activity when commuting. Reading is still the subject of 31% of conversations but the majority of this reading is now done on mobile devices (i.e. Kindle) - suggesting that screen time is the common denominator.

There are important nuances when you segment the data along gender lines. For instance, while females enjoy reading and gaming in equal measure, they prefer Sudoku over phone app games and they listen to music more than their male counterparts.

By using social analytics we were able to rank the most talked about games while commuting. The traditional crossword is still the most prevalent game on trains (generating 26% of all conversations) however, Minecraft followed hot on its heels (at 25%), followed by Sims (14%) and football manager (11%). All of which point to the gamification of commuting, as an upward trend.

This is significant intelligence for the world of business. Understanding how people choose to spend their downtime: what content they might be absorbing and on what mediums, is invaluable from a marketing point of view. For instance, does this research suggest brands should be investing less in newspaper advertising? How can businesses associate their products with the way people live their lives? These are important questions that social insights can help guide and inform.

4. Savvy shoppers

Shopping can be an incredibly emotive experience - hence the term ‘retail therapy’. On one end of the spectrum, you have people who hate shopping and will only part with their cash for essential items. On the other end, you have those who love to splurge and who would gladly shop until they drop.

Each consumer group (and many more in between) needs to be sold to. Which is why social media analytics is so invaluable to retail companies. Being able to understand what people desire in a product and what turns them off, can reshape a company’s entire strategy for the better; particularly if the feeling is so strong they’re prepared to share their experiences online.

In this incredibly competitive marketplace, successful brands will be those that sell a lifestyle - not just an item. This means they need to understand their customers’ needs, desires and motivations; which is no mean feat. Thankfully brands have become very adept at doing this. For instance, Red Bull promotes itself by selling adventure, adrenaline and escapades. The quality and taste of the drink is purposely absent from all communications. It’s proved an effective strategy to date.

Perfume brand Le Labo recognises that its elite customers appreciate rituals and personal experience. Each Le Labo perfume is hand-blended and individually prepared in front of the customer at the moment of purchase. The glass decanter is then dated and the customer’s name is printed on the label. After taking the perfume home, the customer must let it marinate in the fridge for a week before using it. The unique experience of buying a Le Labo fragrance sets it apart from the competition because it taps into what excites and inspires people. In this marketplace, customer insight is the cornerstone of everything a successful brand does.

Bargain hunters

# savvyshoppers # trendwatch

According to the IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index, consumer spending grew by 11% in 2015 - thanks to a well performing Christmas period. The Index reveals just how dominant online channels have become. In just two years Black Friday has shifted from a high-street event to an online one, with retailers extending their discounting over a week, rather than a single day. The greatest concentration of sales during the Christmas period (17%) took place during the week of Black Friday. Online sales increased 62% on the previous week, with shoppers splashing out an estimated £4.3 billion on discounted goods.

The predominance of the online channel and the public’s focus on discounted items is borne out in the research. Almost all (96%) of shopping related conversations on social are about online purchases. More than one in four (28%) of these conversations refer to buying cheap/bargain/good value goods. It therefore stands to reason that conversations about impulse / spontaneous / last minute purchases would have plummeted to 18% (an all time low since 2010). Indeed, 13% of conversations relate to consumer goods being too expensive (this is higher than any other time since 2010).

When you combine official retail figures with social analysis, it’s clear that value for money is driving consumer spending. This is an important learning for retail businesses. As impulse buys decline, all brands (even higher-end ones) may need consider how they can emphasize their long-term value (i.e. spend to save) to an increasing population of savvy shoppers.

Fairtrade

# savvyshoppers # trendwatch

The term “ethical consumer” was first popularised by the UK magazine Ethical Consumer in 1989. Back in 2011, a Guardian News & Media piece of research reported that ethical behaviour was on the increase but companies needed to support the movement by providing availability, visibility, affordability, quality and clear communication around ethical products and services. Unfortunately the research points to a lack of momentum in recent years.

As a society, we have historically struggled to understand what motivates people to make more ethical choices, especially in times of austerity. While the UK public largely agrees that ethically sourced goods are more healthy, based on the findings, there has been a significant decrease in support for Fairtrade/ethical products (from 43% of the conversation about ethical shopping in 2010 to only 21% in 2015). Instead, more people are talking about how expensive they are, (from 12% in 2010 to 19% in 2015).

[Download PDF to see Graph]

Fairtrade

# savvyshoppers # trendwatch

The catch-all nature of the term ‘ethical’ could be an issue. Our analysis shows that people predominantly associate ethical goods with recycling. While this is an important environmental characteristic, there are other attributes and benefits which are not being discussed (i.e. locally sourced, fairtrade). Given the amount of chatter generated by Fairtrade Fortnight in February and March, it can be inferred that longer tail campaigns, designed to sustain interest over an extended period of time would be more effective, particularly given the barriers to ethical shopping. Our insights suggest the need for more messages along the lines of, “it doesn’t have to cost more and abrogating one’s responsibility to buy ethically shouldn’t be a cost-driven decision”.

Smart technologies

# savvyshoppers # trendwatch

More and more smart technologies are coming to the fore: from smart watches that monitor our every move and heartbeat, to self-driven cars. Fusing the smart home with smart living is particularly in vogue. NHBC Foundation’s report recently envisaged homes with floors or stairs that can weigh homeowners, track activity and automatically ‘lock the biscuit cupboard’ based on residents’ waistlines. However, it’s not yet clear whether the everyday person on the street has bought into this new, uber connected reality.

According to the research, only 8% of people think smart technologies are cost effective - compared to 47% in previous years. Nearly a third (29%) of conversations in 2015 insinuate that these technologies are pointless and 13% state that they categorically would not purchase smart technologies. Taken together, these figures suggest brands need to focus more on bringing consumers along for the journey. Value for money is a significant sticking point, as are make or break benefits. With so many competing demands on consumers’ wallets, adoption will only rise up the bell curve when the technologies are marketed as necessities as opposed to indulgences.

Serving-up business insights

As the research shows, social media analysis has the potential to lift the bonnet on so many commercial quandaries. A business can now easily match intelligence on a specific product - be it sales figures, web traffic or another source - with answers to questions gleaned from social media, like “what do males in the 20-30 age group think of product x, and how did that change in the hours following the launch of our new advertising campaign?” This is a powerful development - and one that Crimson Hexagon has led from the front.

As the research shows, social media analysis has the potential to lift the bonnet on so many commercial quandaries. A business can now easily match intelligence on a specific product - be it sales figures, web traffic or another source - with answers to questions gleaned from social media, like “what do males in the 20-30 age group think of product x, and how did that change in the hours following the launch of our new advertising campaign?” This is a powerful development - and one that Crimson Hexagon has led from the front.

• Exploiting the largest social media data library in the world. Our vast, proprietary library holds 800 million posts and counting. Its extensiveness is unique and far outstrips anything else the marketplace. This means that where others hear a cacophony of noise, our platform identifies actionable business insights.
• By taking the nuance of human judgment and applying it directly to the scale of automated computer analysis. Our patented technology delivers context for the social analytics it retrieves, allowing users to understand when comments are sarcastic or when words are used with a different meaning. In a country where sarcasm is king and words like ‘sick’ is used to mean ‘brilliant’ rather than ‘ill’, this is an invaluable asset. This contextual intelligence has made social media analytics the darling of the business world.
• Combining social media analytics with other market research and product design techniques. Conversations on social add necessary colour and resonance because of their unsolicited nature. They provide unprompted, unfiltered customer feedback. The sheer volume of social data enables more opportunities to ‘test’ the insights for objectivity.

Focus groups lend a different perspective. People respond differently under the microscope. They might not air the full force of their opinions or they might say something to please other people in the room. There is a place for market research, when run alongside social media analytics.

Conclusion

This research sheds light on just a few interesting consumer habits. In reality there are infinite opportunities to interrogate social data, probe consumer behaviour and uncover relevant insights that brands can act on to provide a more laser focused service.

In future, brands will never have to enter a new market or promote a new service blind. They’ll be armed with the right information to make a positive impression on their target audience. In so doing they’ll prevent costly debacles, such as Coca Cola’s ignominious failure to promote a new version of the drink in the 1980s, because it didn’t understand why people were loyal to the brand. Social data is the key to unlocking this understanding.