Iranian election is yet another watershed moment in the ongoing evolution of news and media, further blurring the lines between being, reporting, and following the story. In the two weeks since the controversy and conflict surrounding the election, a number of insights have emerged about how the Internet and social media continue to be a transforming force for the News industry. Initial Nielsen analysis of search results provides some conclusions, while others areas beg additional probing.

      Findings from an Internet snapshot from June 18, 2009:

• CNN rarely shows up in the top five search results for select Iran Election terms, mirroring criticism from consumers that the global news network’s coverage of the Iran Election was lacking (#CNNFail).
• Wikipedia emerges within the top two search results for 4/5 of the leading topics.
• At least one social media source emerges within the top 10 search results for every term. In most cases, the social media sites emerge directly above a traditional, major news source, such as WSJ.com.

In a follow-up snapshot on June 24, a marked shift takes place, reaffirming the Iran election story as a watershed moment for online news and communications:

• YouTube emerges within the top 10 search results for all search terms in the second week.
• Wikipedia remains within the top three search results in the second week for four of the five search terms.
• Twitter emerges within the top 20 search results in week two - specifically, the Twitter results for Moussavi and Ahmadinejad. Of course, traditional news sources such as the BBC (and CNN, in week two) bubble to the top of search results, as do general information sites such as Yahoo.com and Infoplease.com.

What this means is that general human curiosity is driving people to look to all available sources for information. The conflict in Iran presenting the latest and perhaps most sophisticated example of how the world has changed for journalists, the media and increasingly active media consumers alike.

So what else do the search results signify? Is consumer generated media (news by the people, for the people) eclipsing traditional sources? Are people more frequently linking to Wikipedia than the New York Times for information about Iran? What does it mean that Mashable is among the top three search results for “Iran Election?” What role does Twitter play? As major events break (Iran, Health Care, Michael Jackson) we will continue to dive into the data and present answers to these questions, both through our own analysis and through feedback and opinions of others. After all, if weve learned anything in the last few weeks, it’s that the power is in the hands of the people… What do you think?

Given that the bailouts of Chrysler and General Motors are taxpayer funded, U.S. consumers have a vested interest in the future of both companies. The future of Chrysler/Fiat in particular is a widely discussed topic on the Web, with both enthusiasts and the general population having polarizing viewpoints. Chrysler, Dodge & Jeep enthusiasts acknowledge the need for smaller vehicles, better technology and stronger leadership from Fiat. However, at the same time, they fear losing vehicles and engine choices from the current line-up, particularly the Hemi engine.

There is also a lot of speculation concerning Chrysler’s future involvement in motorsports and many people have commented on their dislike for the potential Jeep Panda.

When looking at discussions by Chrylser owners and enthusiast on Chrysler-centric sites, we found there are some general themes that permeate the conversations:

1. 22 percent of people on these sites fear that Fiat will discontinue the Hemi engine specifically, as well as discontinue more performance-oriented vehicles like the Challenger

2. 28 percent reference small or fuel-efficient vehicles that Fiat is expected to add to the Chrysler lineup

3. 14 percent discuss government involvement and potential product restrictions

When broadening the audience, we found that one-third (33 percent) of the general population is skeptical on whether Fiat will be able to turn Chrysler around based on the fact that both companies are notorious for poor quality issues. They are also concerned that Fiat might only be using Chrysler as a means to an end. However, an additional third of the population believes the relationship will lead to exciting new offerings for the U.S. market.

1. 45 percent speculate or share hopes about post-merger offerings, with some being very hopeful of Alfa Romeo vehicles making their way to U.S. dealers

2. 13 percent hope that the partnership will work in Chrysler’s favor and will revive the business and bring about long-term success

3. Fiat has a reputation for poor quality among some consumers, as does Chrysler - leading some to question the benefits of this alliance

When Fiat & Chrysler begin to launch new vehicles, it is imperative that they devise a solid plan to address quality issues/perceptions - an important brand pillar that has been eroded by past negative experiences. If quality and reliability are left unaddressed, the likelihood of drawing serious new vehicle shoppers will be impacted. General Motors learned this lesson the hard way and are still plagued with this negative perception that continues to detract shoppers from buying their vehicles.

In the words of George Santayana “Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it”.

Source: Nielsen BuzzMetrics & TagCrowd

Last month, we were honored to win a ‘BOBI’ award for “Most Innovative Approach” from the British Healthcare Business Intelligence Association for our recent work with Pfizer. Their challenge was to monitor what consumers were saying online about Champix, the company’s smoking cessation aid, and to that end, we created a research methodology using our BuzzMetrics solutions.

Whilst winning is, of course, fantastic, what was most important for us was that the client was so happy with the work that they submitted us for the award in the first place.

What’s so unique about helping a brand monitor understand what’s being said in the CGM space? Well, the prescription healthcare industry faces unique regulations from the European Union, which have resource implications that effectively prohibit pharmaceutical companies from benefitting from the consumer-generated realm. The regulations center around the requirement of pharma companies to “make every effort” to follow up on all ‘Adverse Events’ - consumer comments around experiences not intended by the drug or its usage - including contacting the consumer concerned, as well as notifying the Drug Safety Group. (more…)

P&G and Nielsen illustrate how monitoring online conversation adds essential insights to survey-based learning and allows market researchers to bring consumers to life

A joint Webinar will be held Friday, 6/26, at 2:00 p.m. EDT. Register here.  

What’s driving all the excitement and energy around “listening?” After all, the basic notion of “listening” - observing and interpreting naturally occurring consumer behavior - is not new. In fact, when the first professional market researchers sat in consumers’ living rooms and talked with them about their lives and their needs, they were engaging in “listening” as much as they were asking questions. These pioneers were literally the eyes and ears of their organizations. They brought consumers to life in ways that inspired a host of innovations, improving consumers’ lives and their businesses in the process.

Market research evolved to become a valuable source of information to drive decisions, even as the connection between researchers and consumers became more distant. In a slightly ironic twist, the social media revolution and 21^st century technology afford modern-day practitioners the opportunity to routinely engage in “old school” hands-on research - or at least a form of it- by listening to consumers online.

P&G and Nielsen conducted a series of parallel studies to understand how learning gleaned from “listening” to online consumer conversations compares to survey-based findings (”asking”), and how to best use these techniques going forward. (more…)

When Microsoft rebranded their search engine, Yusuf Mehdi explained that they settled on the name Bing “because it sounds off in our heads when we think about that moment of discovery and decision making - when you resolve those important tasks.” Still in the early weeks of the launch, he is probably hoping that Bing resonates more like the sweet sound of trialability.

With only 22 percent of all active U.S. searchers using MSN/Windows Live on a monthly basis, user trial and acquisition is Bing’s first critical hurdle to overcome. And looking at the first week, there is certainly some promise.

Bing kicked off with a bang on June 1, doubling the number of unique visitors MSN/Windows Live received on the previous day and nearly overtaking Yahoo! Search for the No. 2 spot. By the end of the week, Bing propelled a 6 percentage point increase in Microsoft’s share of search pages (among the top five search engines), going from 8.7 percent during the week of May 25 to 14.7 percent during the week of June 1.

(more…)