Less than a week left of 2014, are you ready to say goodbye to the viral phenomenons that swept social and often shocked the world, the newsmakers, and internet breakers?
At the Brandwatch offices we've been getting in the holiday spirit, specifically tracking #FestiveFacts for this season that are being discussed online. Here are some of the social insights and cool data we've analyzed.
#WestJetChristmas
Canadian airline, WestJet, released its 2014 "Christmas Miracle" video, which shows the airline surprising residents of a village in the Dominican Republic. Just like last year, the video is another tearjerker - so grab your tissues.
We began tracking the conversation and have seen nearly 21,000 mentions of the video since the beginning of the month, with the most mentions occurring on December 2 (4,000+ mentions). Globe and Mail's coverage of the video's virality is pretty interesting from a branding/social marketing perspective.
The official hashtag of the campaign, #WestJetChristmas, has received more than 2,700 tweets and retweets garnering more than 11 million impressions.
"WestJet's" (2,600+ mentions) and "WestJet Christmas Miracle" (3,200+ mentions) have been the most popular topics.
So far, we have seen the most mentions of the campaign in the United States (62%), followed by Canada (20%). Not too shabby for a Canadian travel brand, getting the majority of their social media action south of the border in the states.
They're watching you: the creepiest inanimate objects of all
This past month your social media feeds have probably been jammed with posts from people who have spent a lot of time cleverly posing their Elf on the Shelf®.
Elf on the Shelf® is a special scout elf sent from the North Pole to help Santa Claus manage his "nice" list. The elf keeps a watchful eye for Santa and children are not allowed to touch the elf or else he or she loses their magic.
Since the beginning of the month, we have seen more than 233,000 mentions of Elf on the Shelf®. 90% of the mentions have occured on Twitter followed by Facebook (7%).
We saw a spike in mentions on December 12 when many, ahem, "Elf gone wild" tweets were shared on Twitter. What even IS that? Elves on shelves dabbling in the grown-up only eggnog?
One of the most mentioned topics when discussing Elf on the Shelf® was "Christmas" (15,900+ mentions), as to be expected. Those little creatures may dominate Pinterest year-round, but they aren't really active (IRL and on social) until the Christmas season. We took a look at the most mentioned topics within that conversation.
Holiday Tipping
Emily Post has plenty to say about manners, and holiday tipping is no exception. While we have not seen many mentions of people discussing holiday tipping, just about 850 mentions since we started tracking it in November,we have noticed that most conversations are around news articles discussing "tipping etiquette."
When it comes to specific amounts of what people plan to tip it's a little difficult to discern from social media mentions, but people on Twitter are talking about how they are planning to tip their cab drivers at least 15%, as well as a general $20 for stylists and other services, and cash/gifts between $20 and $80 for superintendents. While there has been less data on the specific amounts/percentages people plan to tip, we did see mentions of who people plan on tipping this holiday season:
Doorman: 29%
Garbage man: 13%
Hairstylist/Barber: 13%
Day care providers: 12%
Mail carrier: 10%
Personal trainer: 9%
Dog walker: 8%
Maid/Housekeeper: 5%
Cab driver: 1%
We looked at mentions of holiday tipping for doormen, cleaners, hair stylists, babysitters, newspaper delivery, maintenance, etc. and have seen nearly 850 mentions since November, with the most occurring on December 15 (250 mentions). A majority of the conversation has taken place on Twitter (57%) followed by Facebook (40%).
Women have also held a slightly higher share of voice (53%) when discussing holiday tipping compared to men on Twitter.
Getting festive on social
The awesome social media analysts and community managers at Brandwatch have been doling out holiday-themed social stats throughout the month. We even looked at Christmas convos on social specifically in the southern states in the US, CNBC reporter Eric Chemi analyzed the social data further in his article "The South: Where the war on Christmas was lost."
Here's a smattering that I think you'll enjoy, especially if you're curious about which holiday movie is most popular and whether people are really dreaming of a white Christmas (or not).
Personally, I could use some chillier weather. New York City is downright balmy this week.
Time to ring in the New Year
Goodbye 2014, hello 2015!
As always, in 2015 we will be keeping a close eye on viral campaigns and industry news. Big things are imminent in the world of social media for the coming new year. At Brandwatch, we're closing out this year with a bang, having just released our announcement about our acquisition of PeerIndex.
In the meantime, happy holidays, Merry Christmas, and a Happy Festivus for the rest of us.
If you have any questions or are interested in learning more about Brandwatch or social data, leave a comment!