Social Media Study 2011 - Formula 1 Report on Consumer Sentiments

• © M i n d S h i f t I n t e r a c t i v e • 2 0 1 1 F o r m u l a 1 S o c i a l M e d i a S t u d y • • w w w . m i n d s h i f t i n t e r a c t i v e . c o m • + 9 1 - 9 8 2 0 0 7 1 5 1 7 •

SOCIAL MEDIA STUDY ON 2011 FORMULA 1 INDIAN GRAND PRIX Insights on Consumer Sentiments and Brands associated with Formula One

NOVEMBER 2011

Sponsored by:


LETTER FROM MINDSHIFT INTERACTIVE... There is a lot of speculation and thought around the Social Media landscape even as thought leaders predict what it will bring along next. At MindShift Interactive we make statements based on insights. Whether it is to predict the next big Social Network or even a campaign that is apt for your business, we do it with the help of processes, tools and a team of Social Media and Research experts. Social Media has evolved beyond experimentation and has been acknowledged as the new marketing tool, a tool that is here to stay. Some businesses have accepted this shift; investing in building and creating a significant Social Media outreach. While this evolution is a necessity, it is increasingly important for businesses to translate their Social Media efforts into understanding how consumers perceive their brand, and gather intelligence. Social Media is a space where vast amounts of data lie to help businesses understand their consumers, create competitive advantage as well as forecast trends and mindshifts within their industry. In this report, we showcase Consumer Sentiments on Social Media attached with the 2011 Formula 1 Indian Grand Prix, hereon referred to as Formula 1, that was held from October 28 until 30, 2011. We present our viewpoint of brands and their ability to thoroughly research Social Media before, during and after any activity they perform in order to learn and better themselves each time. If you are pondering over starting Social Media Marketing or are already onboard, I hope these findings will convince you of the need to create Insights about your business and your Social Media presence before you continue investing your reputation and money. Look forward to creating MindShifts through this report. Zafar Rais Chief MindShifter [email protected] Know what’s happening at MindShift Interactive: Website – www.mindshiftinteractive.com Facebook – www.facebook.com/MindShiftInteractive Twitter – www.twitter.com/Mind_Shifters


Table of Contents

Executive Summary 4

Key MindShifts -‐ Infographic 5

Brand Associations & Campaign Analysis 6

Platform Analysis 10

Consumer Analysis 12

Competition Analysis 18

Key Performance Indicators 19

Key Implications 21

Research Methodology 22

About MindShift Interactive 23


Executive Summary Formula 1 is all about speed, excitement, and glamour along with a thrill of what lies ahead. As teams and drivers geared up to race at the first ever Formula 1, brands worked towards connecting with their consumers. MindShift Interactive decided to track the event on Social Media and generate insights on how fans, sports enthusiasts, sportsmen, celebrities and brands reacted to this milestone event in India’s sporting calendar.

A few touch points we hope to create a MindShift through:

o Brand Associations and the impact of their campaigns

o Consumer Perception towards Formula 1

o The Correlation between Social Media and Engagement

o Choosing the right content, campaigns and platforms for your business

o Tracking Social Media conversions around Formula 1

o Profiling of Target Audiences to suit Social Media requirements

o Competition Analysis: Cricket or Formula 1?

How to use this report: If you’re keen to understand how to leverage Social Media for your business, would like to understand where businesses need to fill gaps, get an insight into the mindset of consumers on Social Media or if you followed the Formula 1 event and would like to know how it associated with Social Media and brands, this report will be a guide of insights for you.



Brand Associations

Brands Evaluated

Campaign Impact

Brands Campaign Name

Campaign Summary Duration

(day)

Social Media

Platforms

Campaign Impact

Airtel – Grid Girls

A reality show to shortlist 48 faces who would take the position of the paddock girls in the circuit

32

Airtel was the most spoken about due to the number of campaigns and their brand integration with F1. An online-‐offline connect along with a heavy and sustained engagement were key to their success.

Simulator Challenge

Compete with the fastest drivers in the country and record the best lap time.

32


Ultimate Race Game

Online Web Racing Game 32

F1 City Drive

Fans voted for a city they wanted to see the F1 car in

29

30,000 Fans received within 15-‐20 days of campaign. Pune and Ahmedabad received the largest response.

-‐

Imitating the Noise of F1

Upload a video on Facebook imitating the sound of an F1 car

23

Digi Racer Game

Online game that lets one drive a Renault F1 car, score points and win free tickets

14

Yahoo India!

-‐

Racing Cans

A remote control car race in Mumbai, Delhi & Pune. Winners get a trip to Milton Keynes, UK, home of Red Bull Racing

11 (Final race on 1 Oct)

-‐

F1 Blogger Hunt

Invited bloggers to display their writing skills and their dedication towards F1, particularly the Red Bull Racing Team. Winner was allowed to travel with the Red Bull team to the Speed Street event in Delhi.

25

Around 75 participants and selected one winner

Speed Street

A show in Delhi where the Red Bull F1 drivers would tear up the streets, reaching speeds of over 250kph.

1

-‐


Khardung La

Red Bull Show-‐Car to the highest road in the world suitable for four wheelers

1

“I had a great time during the #RBKhardungla. I never thought I'd see a F1 car in my State much less at that height.” – Omar Abdullah, CM, J&K on Twitter

Race to Fame – Life in the Fast Lane

A Quiz with MTV explaining why one wants to be a part of the F1 event

68

-‐

Vodafone Drive into the Big League

Register small or medium enterprises and get a chance to showcase their logo on the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Car

68

Registration on Website, Promotion on Facebook

-‐

Good times in the Fast lane

Had to upload photos, videos or write a blog about their good times in the lane. Winner gets an all expense paid trip to Indian GP

16

Registration on Website, Promotion on Facebook

Around 400 entries received

Campaign Analysis

Brands do have a positive impact on creating awareness about Events, through their campaigns and associations as was seen with Airtel leading the way with 270 conversations.

The number of campaigns done by them and their tie-‐up with Formula 1 were key areas that lead Airtel to be the number one spoken brand on Social Media during the event.

Highest Brand Mentions

© MindShift


Correlation between Social Media and Engagement

In order to achieve successful engagement, it is mandatory for businesses to evaluate the right mix of content, strategy and platforms. It’s the route the brand employs, the intentions it enters with and the value it offers that defines the effectiveness of the campaign vis-‐à-‐vis their competition.

The MindShift Framework calculates a comparison between a few brands associated with Formula 1.

Airtel, with three Formula 1 campaigns dominated the Social Media space with brand conversations* around the Airtel Simulator Challenge generating 86% conversations around it, followed by 64% through Sahara Stake Buyout and 61% of the Red Bull Racing Event, Delhi.

Popular topics of conversation that also created significant buzz on Social Media were F1 Rocks, F1 Circuit, Vodafone, Reebok, Puma and Mahindra.

Out of the five trending brand campaigns, four of them were associated with Formula 1 and were a reason for increased engagement. Incentives such as winning Formula 1 tickets, attending the race or spending time with teams were added motivations to keep conversations going. Key participants were converted into fans of the sport and also of the brand primarily due to the brands usage of the right Social Media Mix of content, campaigns and platforms.

*Brand Conversations – Out of the 2000 Conversations logged, over 50% of them were Brand/Sponsorship associated based.

Findings are based on the same.

©MindShift Interactive


Platform Analysis

Integration of tools and processes to identify the social networking platforms that contributed in creating an engaging Social Media presence and the brands that leveraged each platform garnered the following results.

Platforms selected by Brands


Engagement Platforms

Platforms where brands engaged heavily were Facebook and Twitter, while YouTube & Blog were additionally selected by Kingfisher and Red Bull. Although investments in terms of creation of applications or offering incentives were highest on Facebook, Twitter reigned as the winning platform across Social Media for Formula 1 in terms of active engagement, gaining 700 conversations.

Conversations on twitter were primarily about broadcasting views, gathering event details and extensively towards two-‐way conversations between brand believers, sports celebrities, authorities, businesses, media, influencers. Facebook, which has high brand campaigns and contests, created buzz via updates on their respective fan pages, came second, standing out as a platform which requires moderation of content at all times and heavier investments but a kew responsible platform for generating awareness.

YouTube was leveraged by brands to showcase their videos and allow users to create videos of their own to participate in contests. Given the fact that Formula 1 is an offline event, its integration onto Youtube through live recordings, interviews and strategic contests could have done wonders towards optimizing Formula 1’s Social Media presence.

The heavy exploration of platforms by brands is rather evident, but the take home is to evaluate the right platform to deliver the right messaging.

#MindShift: Twitter stands out as a platform where conversations and current happenings are discussed at large, and sustenance is user-‐dependant.


Consumer Analysis

Buzz Progression

We detected a Trend in conversations that took place during Formula 1. Through the tracking duration, it showcases how the Event picked up at various touch points and fell drastically at times too.

The above chart represents the cumulative conversations that begun a month prior to the event and went on until a week after. Brands, organizers and audiences participated in a healthy dialogue with one another, showcasing the need for more conversations and lesser thought disseminating content from brands.

During the first half of October, the Sahara – Kingfisher association around Force India generated a peak through about 170 conversations. As the date for Formula 1 neared, campaigns and news from the organizers were key to the buzz created, rising from 87 to 258 within the week. Queries regarding tickets, reviews of the circuit by drivers and emotions of audiences were largely expressed during this period.

The highest results were tracked three days before, during and after the event, peaking to 546 conversations that showcased the event having received the desired buzz it was meant to create, owing greatly to the hype that was created around Formula 1 by all associations involved.


The Top 5 Formula 1 Topics of interest were:

1. Formula 1 Event

2. Formula 1 Entertainment

3. Formula 1 Drivers

4. Brand Associations /

Sponsorships

5. Formula 1 Teams

It is increasingly noticed, and a preaching we must practise to create content and campaigns that indulge consumers to see value and start conversations with brands.

Target Group Profiling As conversations were tracked and logged about Formula 1, we researched and analyzed the profile of people behind these conversations across Social Media. A preview of the profiling is done below in terms of Demographics and showcasing of the sample size.

Gender-‐based Interest Analysis

Formula 1 discussions were dominated by male audiences with 84% conversations initiated and responded to by them. Whilst they took over various Social Media platforms, Twitter was where they shared sentiments and raised enquiries about Formula 1.

© MindShift Interactive


An interesting insight from the research displayed that while only 16 % of the conversations were through Females, they used Social Media to write News Articles, Blogs and Twitter, with a heavily positive tonality. A number of females were actively talking about the event as it happened, as part of the audience at the event or viewers on television, showing a fair number of interesting conversions from Social Media to the final event.

The learning here is that women are interested in the sport and could turn into potentially larger enthusiasts provided their interests are customized to suit their requirements versus delivering a similar strategy as would have appealed largely to the male audiences.

Sample Size profiling

Respondents were categorized on the basis of information shared by them on their social profiles. Consumers, termed as Individuals / Fans in the chart, lead the category scoring 55%. This comprised of sports followers, fans and other audiences that were influenced by associations towards Formula 1.

Bollywood Actor, Bipasha Basu sharing her excitement towards Formula 1.



Consumer Perception

An overview of how Formula 1 was perceived on the basis of Social Media conversations that were tracked across the shortlisted platforms.

Social Media is one of the few mediums that provide a platform for real-‐time dialogue between the consumer and business. A Sentiment Analysis showcased that 76% of all conversations about Formula 1 were of a Positive nature. This displays that the overall atmosphere created by brands, organizers and others involved in Formula 1 lead to a happy state of mind. Most spoke with pride and excitement towards India having such an excellent opportunity, whilst others explained what this opportunity meant for India.

With the proliferation of opinions, news, reviews, recommendations and other forms of online expressions tracked, the following Positive and Negative topics were highlighted:

Top Positive Conversations Top Negative Conversations

Indian Grand Prix and the Buddh International Circuit – Individuals shared their excitement about the event, the racetrack being built and their expectations from the event.

Formula 1 – The money invested and scale compared to the poverty in India and questions regarding if India really needed to host such an event

Sponsorships/ Associations – Sahara’s investment in Force India and other brand Associations

Formula 1 Rocks – (entertainment division of Formula 1) Cancellation of the Metallica Concert increased negative conversations considerably.

Successful Organization and Infrastructure for Indian Grand Prix

Drivers/ Teams – Karun Chandhok not driving in Indian Grand Prix and Sahara Force India commenting regarding its reservations with Indian drivers also made it to the top negative conversations.


Consumer Tonality

On the basis of Social Conversations, consumer Tonality towards Formula 1 was positive, peaking at 137 conversations due to an sharp spike as the event neared in. A balance was seen as a significant increase in negative comments also rose as the event took place.

Whilst the event was live, Twitter took on the role of live updates from audiences discussing Formula 1 as well as stating the pride they felt to be hosting it in their country.

The unfortunate turn of events at F1 Rocks with the Metallica music show being cancelled added up for a large number of negative emotions being displayed across Social Media.

A learning for businesses is to create space for consumers to share their viewpoint and allow a platform that advocates healthy discussions. Timing is key to everything you do, and businesses must understand that in order to capitalize and create a truly sustained engagement.



Correlation of Consumer Behaviour with Purchase Decision

At MindShift Interactive we adopt the tried and tested AIDA model, originally presented by Elmo Lewis, to analze and convey the communication objectives at various stages of a purchase cycle. It is broken up into four main stages:

• A – Awareness created amongst consumers through content . • I – Interest that is generated by focusing on and demonstrating benefits through

conversations and campaigns. • D – Desire to want the product or service to satisfy consumer need. • A – Action towards purchasing the product or service.

For our study, the following attributes were given to AIDA:

• Awareness – Conversations that included News Articles, Reviews and Information about Formula 1.

• Interest -‐ Conversations and Campaigns where opinions were expressed, Interesting news regarding the event and viewpoints were discussed.

• Desire -‐ Conversations where users showed a desire to attend or be part of the event. • Action -‐ Conversations where users mentioned that were attending the event and had taken

some action towards it.

The AIDA Funnel representing Formula 1 categories from a Social Media perspective are:

All conversations tracked passed the Awareness stage, but dipped during the Interest level due to the inconsistent engagements maintained by associations, although sports enthusiasts and fans remained to converse. Desire and Action, both combined to a 5% response level, where conversations towards wanting to purchase tickets or statements of purchase were made.

A 5% conversion from Awareness is a valuable insight for marketers to undersand the potential of Social Media, going beyond outreach onto generating Sales leads. If marketers invest more into understanding the audience better there is a high possibility of increasing their actions towards business requirements.

Awareness – 100%

Interest – 31%

Desire – 2%

Acuon – 3%


Competition Analysis

Cricket Vs Formula 1: What gets Indian going

In the study we evaluated emotions of consumers towards Formula 1 vis-‐à-‐vis Cricket. We share our

Competition Analysis basis certain metrics on Consumer Perception below:

Simply put, you can’t compete with India’s most loved sport but you can play alongside it and create your niche. There are a lot of Indians that have taken more than just a liking for Formula 1, and with new areas within the Sport being explored, there is a potential for this space to grow.

Regardless, India is a country that would be happy to cheer both sports!

Cricket Ownership of Teams Adveruser benefit

Official Sport across the Globe Frequency keeps you axenuve

Formula 1 Internauonal Aura

Brand Associauon Limited Struggles for status as a Sport Once a year in the country


The Key Performance Indicators (KPI) for an Event A Key Performance Indicator (KPI) is an industry concept used to measure the performance of a particular activity. At MindShift Metrics we embed certain process-‐based metrics that help define strategic KPIs as per the requirement, to ensure all activities are focused towards achieving the final objective. On the basis of the data collected during the event and a breakdown of the campaigns, we have shared a few KPIs that brands could set to measure their success during an Event. Key Performance Indicators for Brands Associated with Events The right mix of KPIs can lead a brand to learn, improve and take action wherever required, at the right time, leading to an effective and measurable growth for the brand or campaign.

Key Performance Indicators Brand – Event Association (Metrics)

1. Right Mix of Platforms

Choosing the right platforms that are in sync with your business is

the first step towards streamlining engagement, moving onto

objective definition. The number of platforms does not measure

the success of the activity, hence concentrate on the right

platforms and have a mix of platforms that cater to your TG.

Example: Airtel, with its three campaigns, chose a mix of Facebook,

Twitter and YouTube to promote their activities on Social Media.

2. Right Mix of Strategy/ Campaigns

An idea should reflect your brand identity along with the event

personality, leading to the Right Mix of Strategy. Also, strategies

could differ with respect to the platforms chosen. Innovation is the

key element that shall drive the campaign ahead, provided there

are insights that back it up.

Example: Airtel launched an Online Racing Game, which was in sync

with the Formula 1 identity as well as suited its youthful approach.

Simultaneously, there were other campaigns redirected towards

the TG.

3. Right Mix of Content

The Communication message behind an Idea can help a brand

engage better. The content needs to be suited to the brand and the

association with the event.

Example: Brands adopted Formula 1 terminology and

communicated with their fans and TG via content that appealed to

them most. Brands also offered the right incentives like F1 Tickets

as part of their content strategy for effective results.

4. Right Mix of Insights – At every step Conduct research at every step to be sure about the Platforms,


Strategy and Content. In-‐depth research should be conducted

regarding the event and its global impact/campaigns, if any. A

Social Media team should be a part of the same, so innovative and

impactful strategies and content can be ideated and executed.

5. Right Timing

With respect to your goals, plan your presence on Social Media and

divide the same in various phases, along with timelines. An idea

needs it space and time to show results. Hence it remains a priority

to set a timeline for a concept with respect to its duration,

promotion and its measurability. Also, deliverables could be set for

each concept to study its impact in the longer run.

Example: Most Campaigns by brands, associated with Formula 1,

had campaigns with a time duration of 1 month, including the

promotion activities and winner announcement.


Key Implications

The report helps us understand associations created by Brands during Formula 1 and analyzes how consumers reacted to the event and brand campaigns. It is evident that the associations helped increase buzz about Formula 1 and kept the excitement alive among the audience but there was a lack of consistency in keeping the engagement alive. A sustained engagement campaign with the audience could help create a direct association with the brand and event, converting many fans into influencers of the brand. Data to gain competitive advantage and understand consumer behavior is openly available over Social Media and businesses need to capitalize on it in order to deliver higher business impact. With Twitter standing out as the engagement leader on Social Media during Formula 1, activities such as discussion of current events, live shows and thoughtful conversations are dominantly seen here. Facebook takes on an alternate route towards gaining momentum by incentives and brand conversations, being key towards creating awareness on Formula 1. Social Media is, and will always be directly proportional to Engagement and hence it is important for the marketer to constantly innovate and understand what his consumer wants, delivering the right mix of content, campaigns and platforms. Businesses must create space for consumers to share their viewpoint and allow a platform that advocates beneficial discussions. Timing is key to everything you do, hence understanding and converting your offering into what the consumer wants helps create positive experiences.

Another interesting find from the report was towards Women conversing on Social Media. While lower in number for talking about the sport, they ranked higher when it came to attending the event. This does throw light upon the Spending Power of Women and it is important that businesses understand this potential and target them through Social Media, but using a customized approach which goes deeper into understanding their mindset.

The marketer has evolved and must undergo a MindShift towards adopting Social Media Research as a vital element of understanding their consumer and competition better, as well as to forecast future trends.

We look forward to a business and consumer MindShift towards creating an insightful digital outreach.


Research Methodology Campaign Duration: October 1 – November 2, 2011

Our Methodology:

a) An extensive research was conducted on Formula 1 and the brand associations/ sponsorships for it.

b) Around 250 Keywords were selected on the basis of Search, Relevance and Recall. • Search – Keywords that were being looked at in local and global searches,

authenticated by Google Keyword Tool. (via Tools and statistical data) • Relevance – On the basis of the campaigns/ associations, a few keywords were being

added during the timeline for more effective results. (via Extensive Research and Relevant Data)

• Recall – Whilst surveying audiences we captured keywords that connected them back to the sport

c) Five brands were selected basis high mentions and popular conversations during the initial conversation tracking.

d) Conversations were tracked and logged through our tools and manual verifications through MindShift Metrics, segregated within Qualitative and Quantitative categories.

e) Conversations were filtered, shortlisting mentions of the Indian event or any relevant connection was logged to the Indian Grand Prix.

f) Social Media platforms were selected on the basis of high engagements that were seen g) A total set of 2000 conversations were filtered and tracked, and an analysis was made on the

basis of that. h) Categories Logged started with website name, platform, links, post, post date, age, gender,

location, AIDA categorization, Impact scorecard, etc. i) MindShift Metrics team Research Analysts, Behaviour Analysts and Social Media consultants j) Outcome/ Analysis – The report covers the findings of the data collated and an analysis of

the same. Outcomes are dependent on the methodology followed and the conversation points and do not represent our personal views or any bias for any brand.

k) The report covers associations and discussions basis their own judgement and does not hold any responsibility towards being questioned on the exclusion of certain associations or conversations. The insights and learning’s are based on findings by MindShift Interactive Pvt. Ltd. and are in no way meant to impose opinions onto others.

l) Users of this data may do so provided Copyrights are maintained by MindShift Interactive. m) Formula One, as a brand has many associations and sponsorships that this report ma not

have covered, due to its objective and strategic goals. MindShift Interactive has prepared this report on the basis of research findings and converting insights into learning’s deemed fit to disseminate. All opinions are of the Company and in no way mean to reflect upon others thoughts or emotions. Conversations and associations not tracked in this report are towards creating a subset of organized findings.

n) Social Media is a huge canvas and 100% accuracy with respect to data is a challenge due to its real time and ongoing conversations. Also, Unavailability of data in the future due to security issues could lead to a difference of opinion. For any queries on our Methodology or to get a detailed list of our Terms and Conditions, please get in touch with us on [email protected]


About MindShift Interactive "To deliver legendary Outreach, experience a MindShift." MindShift Interactive is an Insightful Digital Outreach powerhouse, that provides business with a data-‐centric approach towards achieving an impactful, innovative and, most of all, sustained Social Media presence. We recreate brands in a truly Social environment by gathering insights not only from the outlook of your people affected by the actions of your brand, but also from a business viewpoint. Our expertise in Social Media and Research assures your business an insight on how to honestly create long-‐term engagement with consumers that delivers a MindShift. MindShift Interactive Private Limited is the parent company of MindShift Digital and MindShift Metrics, our Social Media Outreach Agency and Social Media Research Company respectively. Combined together, they give your business an insightful and innovative Social Media Outreach. MindShift Metrics helps you make sense of the data available over digital platforms and MindShift Digital takes over to convert insights into strategies that ensure a rich Social Media presence that is intelligent, engaging and crosses boundaries of innovation.

Get in touch with us:

210, Parvati Industrial Estate, New Sun Mill Compound, Lower Parel, Mumbai – 400013, India. +91 98 2007 1517 [email protected] www.mindshiftinteractive.com Join MindShift on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/MindShiftInteractive