Jasper Snyder presented on using social media and digital ethnography to understand beauty and grooming behaviors of Generation Y. The research analyzed social media from 5 countries and 3 languages to understand topics of discussion, gender differences, influential life events, and key online communities. Methods included analyzing discussion venues, manually coding posts by gender and topic, and qualitative analysis of phenomena like beauty haul videos. Insights informed targeted marketing strategies around social channels, events, and influencer outreach.

1. Jasper Snyder, Converseon, USA
Festival of NewMR 2012 - Main Stage – Session 4
A
Presenta*on
from
The
Fes*val
of
NewMR
–
Main
Stage
5
December
2012
Social Media and Digital Ethnography
All
copyright
owned
by
The
Future
Place
and
the
presenters
of
the
material
For
more
informa:on
about
NewMR
events
visit
NewMR.org
Jasper
Snyder
Converseon

2. Jasper Snyder, Converseon, USA
Festival of NewMR 2012 - Main Stage – Session 4
Social Media and Digital Ethnography
Jasper Snyder, VP, Converseon

3. Jasper Snyder, Converseon, USA
Festival of NewMR 2012 - Main Stage – Session 4
§ What does “beauty” mean to members of
Generation Y and how does this manifest
itself in both offline grooming behaviors and
online discussion about the category?
§ How does gender affect Gen Y beauty and
grooming beliefs and practices?
§ What global similarities and national-level
differences exist in Gen Y beauty and
grooming behaviors?
§ How is social media impacting beauty and
grooming beliefs and practices and
purchases?
Research objectives and questions
© Converseon 2012

4. Jasper Snyder, Converseon, USA
Festival of NewMR 2012 - Main Stage – Session 4
What research approach was appropriate to answer the research questions?
Brand-Centric vs.
• Where are people talking about my brand?
• What does online sentiment look like for my
brand?
• Who is talking about my brand online?
• How many social media messages mention
my brand?
• What sorts of online communities have
emerged around a particular category?
• What interests, topics, products, etc. do these
online communities care about?
• How do people think and talk about and
interact around a particular category?
• What products and brands is a community
promoting through word of mouth?
Culture-Centric
© Converseon 2012

5. Jasper Snyder, Converseon, USA
Festival of NewMR 2012 - Main Stage – Session 4
Social research approaches can be thought of falling along a spectrum, according
to the granularity of analysis and specificity of findings.
Purely Quantitative,
Automated Approach
Qualitative, Human
Analysis-Driven Approach
• Conversation Volume
• Venues
• Unique Authors
• Automated Influence Scores
• Sentiment Estimates
• How People Talk
• Trends and Cool-Hunting
• Controversies and Debates
• Processes and Events
• Gender & Cultural Differences
• Behaviors
© Converseon 2012

6. Jasper Snyder, Converseon, USA
Festival of NewMR 2012 - Main Stage – Session 4
Methodology & Approach
1. Assemble a list of search keywords to pull in relevant social
media content related to beauty and grooming.
2. All relevant records for a two-month period were compiled.
3. For each country, a set of records was tagged by human
coders for author gender, voice, topics, and sentiment.
4. A team of research analysts analyzed the tagged data.
5. Analysis was conducted of a series of beauty- and grooming-
related YouTube videos and comments for each country.
© Converseon 2012

7. Jasper Snyder, Converseon, USA
Festival of NewMR 2012 - Main Stage – Session 4
By sourcing social media for insights, this research program made truly global multi-
language, multi-country research cost- and time-effective.
Five Countries:
• China
• India
• Mexico
• United Kingdom
• United States
Three Languages:
• Chinese
• English
• Spanish
© Converseon 2012

8. Jasper Snyder, Converseon, USA
Festival of NewMR 2012 - Main Stage – Session 4
Venue analysis: Understanding what types of websites people are discussing your
category on.
Purely Quantitative,
Automated Approach
Qualitative, Human
Analysis-Driven
Approach
Venue
Analysis
© Converseon 2012

9. Jasper Snyder, Converseon, USA
Festival of NewMR 2012 - Main Stage – Session 4
Venue analysis revealed that while forums were key conversation venues in all
countries, blogs were prominent in India, and Twitter was prominent in the US.
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
USUKMexicoIndiaChina
ShareofSocialMediaContent
Forum Twitter Blog Other
Venue Types of Messages about B&G, by Country
April – May
© Converseon 2012

10. Jasper Snyder, Converseon, USA
Festival of NewMR 2012 - Main Stage – Session 4
Venue analysis provides valuable background knowledge and context for
approaching product marketing and engagement.
• Intelligence about venue distribution
can inform advertisement spending:
target the venues where people are
talking about your product category.
• This knowledge can also inform your
choice of engagement strategy.
• For instance, in India, where blogs are
key beauty and grooming venues,
influencer outreach might be a highly
effective avenue for marketing.
• The prominence of forums in all
countries suggests banner
advertisements as a potentially
effective opportunity.
© Converseon 2012

11. Jasper Snyder, Converseon, USA
Festival of NewMR 2012 - Main Stage – Session 4
Gender
Analysis
Venue
Analysis
Gender analysis: understanding which topics men and women are most interested in
Purely Quantitative,
Automated Approach
Qualitative, Human
Coding and Analysis
Approach
© Converseon 2012

12. Jasper Snyder, Converseon, USA
Festival of NewMR 2012 - Main Stage – Session 4
Quantitative gender analysis revealed that while women were much more active in
social media around the beauty and grooming category overall, men were
frequently turning to social media to discuss shaving and oral care.
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
ShareofSocialMediaContent
Male Female
B&G Sub-Categories by Author Gender (Cross Country
Averages)
April – May
© Converseon 2012

13. Jasper Snyder, Converseon, USA
Festival of NewMR 2012 - Main Stage – Session 4
High-level gender analysis can inform targeted marketing and advertising strategy.
• Given that men are
turning to social media to
discuss shaving and oral
care, this suggests an
opportunity for connecting
with this segment via
social media.
• There is also a negative
lesson here: the data
suggests that social media
marketing for hair and skin
care products may be less
effective in motivating
males.
© Converseon 2012

14. Jasper Snyder, Converseon, USA
Festival of NewMR 2012 - Main Stage – Session 4
Life Event
Analysis
Life event analysis: understanding the life events that lead people to discuss beauty
and grooming online
Purely Quantitative,
Automated Approach
Qualitative, Human
Analysis-Driven
Approach
Venue
Analysis
Gender
Analysis
© Converseon 2012

15. Jasper Snyder, Converseon, USA
Festival of NewMR 2012 - Main Stage – Session 4
Life-event analysis reveals that Gen Y-ers in India posted online about beauty and
grooming in preparation for vacations and weddings much more than their
counterparts in the other countries.
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%
Share of Social Media Content
Vacation Work Shopping
Going Out Going to Class Wedding
School Event Daily Activities
Life Events Prompting Users to Post About B&G, by Country
April – May
India
China
Mexico
US
UK
© Converseon 2012

16. Jasper Snyder, Converseon, USA
Festival of NewMR 2012 - Main Stage – Session 4
Life-event analysis can give marketers a better idea of what triggers planned
purchases for particular groups and how consumers associate events and products
in a given category.
• Insights into life events
can inform the creative
content of marketing and
advertising campaigns.
• These insights can also
inform the timing of
marketing campaigns: for
instance, if people talk
more about cosmetics
around summer vacation,
you might plan a
campaign in the lead-up.
© Converseon 2012

17. Jasper Snyder, Converseon, USA
Festival of NewMR 2012 - Main Stage – Session 4
Venue
Analysis
Gender
Analysis
Life Event
Analysis
Ethnographic analysis: uncovering strategic insights by understanding the everyday
beliefs and practices of groups and individuals.
Purely Quantitative,
Automated Approach
Qualitative, Human
Analysis-Driven Approach
Ethnographic
Analysis
© Converseon 2012

18. Jasper Snyder, Converseon, USA
Festival of NewMR 2012 - Main Stage – Session 4
Ethnographic analysis showcased the phenomenon of hauls, where young women
use YouTube and photo-sharing services to discuss their beauty and grooming
purchases with other young women across the globe.
• In this haul, Jarmaine gives her feedback
on a recent cosmetics purchase.
• This haul received nearly 50,000 views and
spurred nearly 1,000 user comments.
• Viewer comments reveal that Jarmaine’s
followers trust her opinions and personally
connect with her:
“would love to meet you in person. You are so
down to earth and you just make my day :) <3 I
love you! and I repeatedly watch your video
everyday because you make my day…”
Viewer Comment
© Converseon 2012

19. Jasper Snyder, Converseon, USA
Festival of NewMR 2012 - Main Stage – Session 4
Analysis revealed that hauls are not limited to YouTube and can also be found on
blogs. In the comments on this haul, we found young women indicating that the haul
had directly inspired them to purchase a particular product.
• This haul, also about a recent cosmetics
purchase, elicited numerous comments like
the following ones:
“Oooh I love a good haul - I miss buying things
boo! And you have just reminded me I should
use Dollymix more - humid looks lovely xxx”
“A worthy haul! I can't resist a bonus time, be it
clinique, estee lauder or lancome! I wish MAC
did these too! I love retrospeck but I don't
wear it very often. I might dig it out after
this!”
“Great stuff you picked up! I'd love to get
Humid too sometime. “
© Converseon 2012

20. Jasper Snyder, Converseon, USA
Festival of NewMR 2012 - Main Stage – Session 4
By highlighting youth practices like hauls, ethnographic analysis can provide insight
into what consumers are thinking about.
• This analysis is perfect for cool-
hunting: understand which
products Gen Y-ers are excited
about and which ones they dislike,
before the market moves in that
direction.
• This analysis also has the potential
to uncover unforeseen, novel
product uses, which can in turn
inform marketing materials and
subsequent product development.
© Converseon 2012

21. Jasper Snyder, Converseon, USA
Festival of NewMR 2012 - Main Stage – Session 4
Ethnographic analysis also revealed some unique characteristics in the Indian and
Chinese markets: for example, we found natural skin care routines recommended
much more frequently in these markets.
“apply fresh puthina juice in your face its just
look like a fresh and it clean your pimples.”
“Take some tulasi leaves and in this add some
little bit of water grind it like a smooth paste.
Apply it on the pimples.”
“ADD TWO TEASPOONS OF TURMERIC
AND MIX IT WITH TWO SPOONS OF ROSE
WATER APPLY ON UR FACE AND WASH IT
WITH COLD WATER WITHIN 15 MIN.”
• For both India and China,
we found numerous
comments like these - from
an Indian beauty forum -
recommending natural
remedies for acne.
© Converseon 2012

22. Jasper Snyder, Converseon, USA
Festival of NewMR 2012 - Main Stage – Session 4
By uncovering the cultural peculiarities found in different markets, ethnographic
analysis of social media can inform advertising imagery and messaging.
“apply fresh puthina juice in your face its just look like
a fresh and it clean your pimples.”
“Take some tulasi leaves and in this add some little bit
of water grind it like a smooth paste. Apply it on the
pimples.”
“ADD TWO TEASPOONS OF TURMERIC AND MIX
IT WITH TWO SPOONS OF ROSE WATER APPLY
ON UR FACE AND WASH IT WITH COLD WATER
WITHIN 15 MIN.”
• In this instance, this
research suggests that
natural imagery for skin
care products may be more
effective in the Chinese and
Indian markets.
© Converseon 2012

23. Jasper Snyder, Converseon, USA
Festival of NewMR 2012 - Main Stage – Session 4
Ethnographic analysis can also provide rich details and context about life events,
augmenting the more quantitative view we saw earlier.
In the run-up to a wedding, this
blogger asked her readers for advice
and feedback on her fashion options
for the event.
Here are some of the comments she
received:
the gray one the gray the gray one. with the plain black
heels! That’s my final answer! p.s. you are adorbz.
(that’s not a word?)
I really like! Option Three. And there is no possible way
for you to look like a linebacker, but nice try. I also like
the neck flair on Option Two, but still: Option Three with
the plain black heels, definitely!
I like option 3 also. You can totally wear black in the
summer but probably only if it is like a semi-formal
event (AKA not a backyard wedding). I’m sure you’ll
look great in any of them!
© Converseon 2012

24. Jasper Snyder, Converseon, USA
Festival of NewMR 2012 - Main Stage – Session 4
Ethnography can uncover the type of content that might resonate with your target
audience.
• In this instance, we learned
how young women are
turning to online social
networks for fashion advice
and suggestions.
• By learning the points in
everyday life where people
are sharing and seeking out
support in social media,
brands and marketers can
identify new opportunities
for consumer engagement.
© Converseon 2012

25. Jasper Snyder, Converseon, USA
Festival of NewMR 2012 - Main Stage – Session 4
Ethnographic analysis provided insight into men’s issues in the beauty and
grooming category: in the US and UK, men were responding positively to a handful
of bloggers and video-bloggers sharing tips about potentially touchy subjects like
eyebrow-plucking and waxing.
• Ross is a video-blogger who focuses
on male grooming.
• His YouTube channel has nearly
10,000 subscribers.
• Male viewers frequently express
gratitude for his grooming tips, like the
following comments in response to his
post about eyebrow plucking:
“OMG i am so happy i found your channel
and this video, i look sooooo much better
than what i did before, thanks alot bro”
“thank you so much! i had so many
problems with my unibrow, or how its called
now im closer to normal... please, if you
have time do a tutorial on that thing only”
© Converseon 2012

26. Jasper Snyder, Converseon, USA
Festival of NewMR 2012 - Main Stage – Session 4
Ethnographic analysis is particularly well-suited for uncovering consumer wants and
needs that are not being met in the current market.
• In this instance, by looking
at what Ross’ followers
have to say about his posts,
we learn that there is
apparently a lack of
information about male
grooming.
• This knowledge could
inform a social media
marketing campaign by a
beauty and grooming brand
to educate male consumers
on potentially embarrassing
grooming issues.
© Converseon 2012

27. Jasper Snyder, Converseon, USA
Festival of NewMR 2012 - Main Stage – Session 4
Finally, ethnographic analysis revealed how a particular cosmetic product – skin
whitening creams – can breed controversy in the Indian market.
• This post about skin-whitening creams
appeared on a Indian blog mainly
dedicated to immigration issues.
• The post discusses and criticizes
cosmetic skin-whitening agents.
• The message of the blog resonated
with readers. Most of comments
supported the criticisms:
“Stay with your natural looks is my advise.
Scientific Research has proved that Fairness
creams are harmful for the skin in the long run”
“Come on, these fairness creams don’t have the
power to make amendments in your genes.. so
how can these stupid people buy these
expensive creams without even thinking for a
single second?”
© Converseon 2012

28. Jasper Snyder, Converseon, USA
Festival of NewMR 2012 - Main Stage – Session 4
By helping you understand which issues are potentially controversial or divisive,
ethnographic analysis can save you from making a misstep in cross-cultural
advertising and marketing.
• In this instance, a beauty and
grooming brand can learn a cautionary
lesson: advertising for whitening
creams is likely to alienate or offend a
certain segment of consumers.
• These sorts of cultural insights are
especially valuable for Western brands
in non-Western markets – and vice
versa.
• You want to know about potentially
sensitive subjects before you start an
advertising campaign and modulate
your messaging accordingly.
© Converseon 2012

29. Jasper Snyder, Converseon, USA
Festival of NewMR 2012 - Main Stage – Session 4
Actionable marketing insights are maximized when analysis strategically draws on
both ends of this spectrum.
Purely Quantitative,
Automated
Approach
Qualitative,
Human Analysis-
Driven Approach
© Converseon 2012

30. Jasper Snyder, Converseon, USA
Festival of NewMR 2012 - Main Stage – Session 4
Thank you
Jasper Snyder
Converseon

31. Jasper Snyder, Converseon, USA
Festival of NewMR 2012 - Main Stage – Session 4
Q & A
Andrew
Jeavons
Survey
Analy:cs
Jasper
Snyder
Converseon

32. Jasper Snyder, Converseon, USA
Festival of NewMR 2012 - Main Stage – Session 4
Jasper Snyder
Read
Converseon’s
blog
@
blog.converseon.com
Follow
Converseon
on
TwiEer
@converseon
Connect
with
Converseon
on
LinkedIn
@
hEp://www.linkedin.com/company/converseon
Connect
with
Jasper
on
LinkedIn
@
www.linkedin.com/in/jaspersnyder