Q3 2014 Consumer Sharing Trends Report

SHARETHISQ3 2014 Sharing Trends

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The Q3 2014 Consumer Sharing Trends ReportAnalyzes consumer sharing behavior from July to September across the entire ShareThis network

450+ million unique users 120+ social channels Desktop and mobile devices2.5 million sites and apps

In this issue, we focused on sharing around major events that occurred throughout the quarter:• Shark Week• NFL Season Opener• Burning Man

• ISIS Attacks• Ferguson Riots• Derek Jeter’s Last Game

• Apple Launch Event• Napa Valley Earthquake• #IceBucketChallenge

USERS ARE 5X MORE ENGAGED IN THE DAYS SURROUNDING EVENTSOn average, shares surrounding major news or media events draw 83 clickbacks. Within a 24 hour window, that number jumps to 186.

MAJOR EVENTS CAUSE SWINGS IN CHANNEL USAGEFacebook, Twitter, and Reddit are the primary forums for discussion about current events, but Twitter and Reddit activity spikes by 2-4x.

CHANNEL USAGE IS CONTEXT-DEPENDENTEntertainment events tend to be socialized more often on facebook. Sports events, like the NFL kickoff, have a heavy Twitter skew.

MOBILE IS A MAJOR DRIVER OF EVENT-BASED ENGAGEMENTIn the week before and after an event, mobile devices drive 72% of total sharing (33% more than average)

TABLETS ARE THE TRUE SECOND SCREENBroadcast events drew over 2x more sharing on tablets. Much of this activity occurs when the events are being broadcast.

YOUNGER AUDIENCES ARE THE FIRST TO REACTIn the first 24 hours, users 18-25 are at their most active, sharing 2.1x more often than usual. Users 55+ are most active during the 1-2 weeks following events.

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Users are 5x more engaged in the days surrounding events

On average, shares surrounding major news or media events draw 83 clickbacks.

-10 -9 -8 -7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3 +4 +5 +6 +7 +8 +9 +10

12 14

114

186

151

87 78

26 12

EVENT CLICKBACKS BY DAY

Days before / after event

Click

back

s per

Share

The bulk of this activity happens within a 24 hour window.

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Major events cause swings in channel usage

Facebook is the dominant social channel in the surrounding 2-3 weeks, with 85% of sharing activity (31% more than usual).

However, Twitter and Reddit are more reactive. Within 2-3 days of an event, Twitter activity jumps by 3x.

-10 -9 -8 -7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3 +4 +5 +6 +7 +8 +9 +10–

0.5x 1.0x 1.5x 2.0x 2.5x 3.0x 3.5x 4.0x 4.5x

LIFT IN CHANNEL ACTIVITY BY DAY

Facebook Twitter Reddit

71%

21%

6%

1% 1%

SOCIAL CHANNELS

Facebook

Twitter

Reddit

Pinterest

Other

Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit are the primary forums for discussion about current events.

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Channel Usage is Context-Dependent

Entertainment events tend to be socialized more often on Facebook. Sports events, like the NFL kickoff, have a heavy Twitter skew.

Shark Week NFL Kickoff Burning Man Napa Earthquake Ferguson Unrest Middle East Crisis

-100%

-50%

–

+50%

+100%

+150%

+200%

+31% +13%

+28% +13%

+29% +22%

-41%

+104%

-47%

+38% +23%

-35%

-87%

-39% -53%

+45%

-32%

+159%

Facebook Twitter Reddit

When the earthquake hit Napa, Twitter was immediately responsive, but conversations moved to Reddit in the days and weeks following.

Reddit draws notable attention following international news events. Throughout the ongoing middle east crisis, the channel experienced 2.6x more sharing activity.

43%

11%

43% 52%

20%

28%

Smartphone Tablet Desktop

AVERAGE SHARING

EVENT SHARING

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Mobile is a major driver of timely engagementIn the week before and after an event, mobile devices drive 72% of total sharing (33% more than average)

In the 24 hours surrounding a major event, 85% of sharing activity occurs on mobile devices (58% more than average)

-10 -9 -8 -7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0

+1

+2

+3

+4

+5

+6

+7

+8

+9

+10

–

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100% Mobile Desktop

DAYS BEFORE / AFTER EVENT

DEV

ICE A

CTIV

ITY A

S %

OF T

OTA

L

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Tablets are the true second screen

Broadcast events, like Shark Week and the NFL season opener, drew over 2x more sharing on tablets.

Shark Week

NFL Kickoff Burning Man

Napa Earthquake

Ferguson Unrest

Middle East Crisis

-100%

-50%

–

+50%

+100%

+150%

+200%

-30%

+2%

+38%

-25%

+18%

-37%

+99%

+159%

+3%

+156%

+8%

-53%

+13%

-34% -32% -6% -13%

+58%

Smartphone Tablet Desktop

Much of this activity occurs in the evening, between 8pm and 10pm, presumably when the events are being broadcast.

0:00 2:00 4:00 6:00 8:00 10:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00 0:00–

2.0%

4.0%

6.0%

8.0%

10.0%

12.0%

14.0%

16.0%

18.0% Desktop Smartphone Tablet

TIME OF DAY

% O

F T

OTA

L D

EV

ICE A

CTIV

-IT

Y

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Event sharing generates social buzz around related topics

During the NFL season opener, users shared 8x more sports content than usual. Much of this was unrelated to football.

Shark Week triggered a 16x surge in animal/nature sharing, and a 13x surge in general TV sharing.

Animals

Book & Literature

Celebrity News

Humor

Movies

Nature

TV - Comedy

TV - Drama

– 10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000 60,000 70,000 – 5.0x 10.0x 15.0x 20.0x 25.0x 30.0x 35.0x

15.9x

0.6x

0.6x

3.0x

7.5x

29.4x

14.2x

23.2x

Lift vs General PopulationActivity among Shark Week Sharers

Baseball

Basketball

Exercise & Fitness

Football

Hockey

Lacrosse

Rugby

Soccer

0 200,000 400,000 600,000 800,0000 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50

7.9x

7.7x

10.5x

18.9x

5.7x

22.2x

19.8x

44.5x

Lift vs General Population

Activity among NFL Kickoff Sharers

NFL KICKOFF SHARERS SHARK WEEK SHARERS

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Younger Audiences are Often the first to react

18-25 26-35 36-45 46-55 56-65 65+–

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

–

0.5x

1.0x

1.5x

2.0x

2.5x

2.1x

1.2x 1.1x

0.9x 0.8x 0.7x

24 HOURSUsers Lift vs Average

18-25 26-35 36-45 46-55 56-65 65+–

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

–

0.2x

0.4x

0.6x

0.8x

1.0x

1.2x

1.4x

1.6x

0.8x 0.7x 0.8x

0.9x

1.2x

1.5x

1 - 2 WEEKSUsers Lift vs Average

18-25 26-35 36-45 46-55 56-65 65+–

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

–

0.2x

0.4x

0.6x

0.8x

1.0x

1.2x

1.4x

1.2x

1.0x 0.9x 0.9x

1.1x 1.2x

1 - 2 DAYSUsers Lift vs Average

In the first 24 hours, users 18-25 are at their most active, sharing 2.1x more often than usual.

After the dust has settled, older audiences begin to join the discussion.

Users 55+ are most active during the 1-2 weeks following events.

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Event sharing is highly localized

CA4.9x2.9x AZ

3.1x

OR2.4x4.8x

NV2.7x6.4x

MO7.7x

IL2.4x

TN2.2x

KY2.2x

AR2.5xMS

2.6x

CO4.5x

EARTHQUAKE

BURNING MAN

FERGUSON RIOTS

• The Napa earthquake caused a 5x social surge in California, rippling out out to 2-3x in neighboring states

• Similarly, Missouri saw a 8x surge in activity around the Ferguson riots.

• Burning Man shares occurred mostly in Nevada, Colorado, and Oregon.

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Audiences are 5x more engaged in the hours surrounding an eventThat’s a huge opportunity for marketers considering RTM strategies. But marketers should always consider the social “fingerprints” particular to each event, especially since they can change on a daily or even hourly basis. So don’t just set it and forget it - develop a true, comprehensive RTM platform that layers in social data and make sure audience identification, segmentation, and media delivery are all optimized programmatically.

LEVERAGE THE REACTIVE CHANNELSWe already know that different platforms lend themselves to different conversations. This phenomenon is only amplified when it comes to event sharing. Immediately after something happens, you can expect Twitter and Reddit sharing to spike. But be aware of context: look to Twitter when it comes to sports and TV events, and Reddit when reaching out to users with interests in politics and current events.

ACT FAST TO REACH MILLENNIALSMillennials are often the first to react on social media, providing a powerful incentive for brands looking to reach such audiences with RTM strategies. But they should act fast – millennials are most active within the first 24 hours of an event.

UTILIZE THE SECOND SCREENSocial users flock to lean on their handheld devices to stay updated on events throughout the day. Brands should take advantage of this by layering in a mobile component to all their RTM efforts. For broadcast events, focus on tablets to reach users at peak engagement as they’re tuning in.

DIVERSIFY CONTENT STRATEGIESMany events cause ripples in social activity across many different topics. For example, shark week conversation weren’t just about sharks, general discussions about TV and nature spiked even as episodes were being broadcast. In order to truly capture an event’s audience, marketers shouldn’t limit their focus on content specifically related to the event in question.

THANK YOU

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