New Company to Predict Social Buzz

In an article for AdAge.com, author Mallory Russell writes of Horizon Media investing $1 million of seed money in a tech company that specializes in predicting social media buzz before it starts. (Adage.com)

The company is called Blab, and their employees are full of experience in agencies and technology.  They track what is going on in the social media in a specific interest group, like many other new social companies.   However, the major difference is this ability they claim to have of predicting what these interest groups are going to talk about.  This data is then provided to marketers to give them a head start.

Blab uses machine learning to focus on conversations on social media in order to target interests rather than demographics.  The idea being that with advance knowledge of what is about to become social media buzz, marketers will have more time to react, allowing them to be ahead in the game, rather than catching up.

Horizon’s Chief Digital Officer, Donnie Williams, stated in an interview with Russell, that Blab would provide “data that allows us to anticipate hot topics upon which we can generate brand momentum through advertising.” 

An interesting point made by Russell: Horizon does not have a history of investing in startup companies like Blab – which has 10 employees in Seattle, and is doing some tests with their current list of 12 clients.  Also, Blab, thus far, has been self-funded.  Randy Browning, Blab’s co-founder and CEO, stated, “We are building an engine vs. a platform….  We wanted to be able to control the development of the engine as much as possible, so we wanted to find the right investors.”

This will be very interesting to watch – to see if this technology of Blab’s is really that good.  Sounds a bit creepy, if you ask me; a computer is going to know what I am going to talk about with my friend before I talk about it.  Hmm.  Creepy indeed! 

UK's Channel 4 to Become More Social-Like

In an AdAge.com article, Emma Hall writes about a new television channel being started by the U.K.’s Channel 4, which will dedicate its programming to shows that generate the “most buzz” on social networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.

Each of these programs will include the positive and negative comments of viewers.  According to Steve Parker of The Social Practice, “It’s an interesting idea and starts with a good insight by tapping into behavior that is already happening.  With social-media analysis tools, you can look at sentiment and volume and build your schedule for the next day.”

Hall mentions that in the UK in 2011, more than 90% of all television programs were still being watched live, so the impact of digital video recorders and video on demand were still rather limited.  This fact will be a benefit, then, for this new network, as many viewers like having choices, but ultimately, they want their choices organized for them.

Jim Dowling, a partner with a company called Cake, which manages social media for Sony, Ikea and others, has said, “The opinion people trust the most is that of their friends, not TV critics….”

This is exactly the point that many proponents of leveraging social media as a tool for advertising have been trying to make.  And it is true: that old adage that word of mouth is the best advertising rings true now more than ever.  It is interesting to see a broadcaster is actually listening to its viewers and adjusting their programming accordingly, but almost in real time and not through the filter of ad dollars causing changes in programming.  So, as social media influences TV viewing habits, we will see how well this new channel performs with this unique approach to scheduling.  It will also be fascinating to watch and see how many other channels follow this format – particularly in the U.S., especially since a few months back, YouTube had announced it was going to become more “TV-like.”  Very interesting for sure.