Bell Pottinger Releases “Thematic Analysis” of Social Media Landscape Leading Up to Presidential Elections 2011
The News
The digital division of PR firm Bell Pottinger has released findings from its Social Media analysis of the Singapore Presidential Elections 2011
The research looks at each candidate’s online presence and respective rankings within specific online platforms
Research also analysed themes and content patterns to organise conversations around thematic analysis. This allows politicians and organisations to make sense and organise the vast universe of online content
Quote
“Often politicians and organisations can be intimidated to engage in Social Media. What people don’t realise is that with the use of proper technology and tools, they can capture, cluster and recognise patterns among various topics and conversations to produce insightful analysis on themes in public opinion. This will allow them to respond in a swift and meaningful way.” - Ang Shih Huei, Managing Director, Pelham Bell Pottinger Asia
Key highlights
Content and conversations about the Presidential Elections 2011 are positive and constructive
Negative discussions are minimal, demonstrating true Singapore civility
There is a real confirmation that participatory politics and civic contribution to public discourse has become a permanent part of the electoral and political landscape in Singapore
“Digital Diplomacy”: Presidential Social Media Scorecard
Can online presence and IT campaign infrastructure influence the vote? Have a look at the Presidential Social Media Scorecard. Bell Pottinger looks at how each candidate uses technology and Social Media in their presidential campaigns to win hearts and minds
Results:
o President of Facebook Nation: Tan Jee Say - 10,500 Facebook “Likes”
o President of Twitterverse: Tan Cheng Bock - 1,724 Tweets; 396 followers
o President of the Blogosphere: Tan Kin Lian - 4,535 visits per day
o President of App Nation: Tan Cheng Bock – Between 500 to 1000 installs on Android App; 4700 downloads on iPhone App
o Most Digital Savvy*: Tan Cheng Bock
* It was a very close tie between Tan Jee Say and Tan Cheng Bock. Here the tie breaker was frequency of engagement via number of tweets and diversity/availability of digital applications such as iPhone App
“Thematic Analysis” of the Presidential Election
The concept of a thematic analysis takes online listening to another level. The firm’s tool allows the study to capture, cluster and recognise patterns among various topics and conversations
The “cloud” captures the themes, opinions and sentiment of the Twitterverse. For more robust digital analysis, we can apply across multiple Social Media platforms such as Facebook and blogs
This is very important when trying to assess sentiments and opinions. Usually, listening is limited by key word searches which don’t produce meaningful analysis
Methodology
Digital Diplomacy: Analysed Social Media presence of candidates in their own blogs, personal websites, Facebook, Twitter and mobile applications such as iPhone and Android
Thematic Analysis: Analysed data across the Twitterverse to synthesise patterns and themes that produce hypothesis and clouds about meaning and sentiment. This addresses the need to go beyond snapshots and keywords for more insightful and in depth analysis.
Contact
Danny Phan
Bell Pottinger
Tel: +65 6333 3449; dphan@pbp.asia
About Bell Pottinger
Bell Pottinger has supported multiple presidential elections and represented governments such as Sri Lanka, Bahrain, Qatar and Ukraine.
The firm manages the reputations of clients who consist of international blue chip companies, trade bodies and foreign governments. Bell Pottinger gives clients the influence and resources they need to achieve their business and political objectives by helping them to engage effectively with stakeholders and the media, particularly in times of controversy and complexity.
Whatever the region or industry, the firm provides counsel and programmes to mitigate risk and exposure, build key relationships, and enhance clients’ commercial and political bottom line. In Asia the firm operates through its regional headquarters in Singapore, Pelham Bell Pottinger Asia.