Posted July 10th, 2012
by Christophe Torrent
No qualifier seemed bombastic enough to evoke the migration that occurred Wednesday 6th of June on the Internet: “large amplitude”, “historical day”, “critical for internet” or even “nuclear transition”… That day, part of the world switched to IPv6.
In practical terms, IPv6 (Internet provider version 6) was created to deal with the long anticipated problem of IPv4 running out of addresses. These addresses are public, individual and unique, like a phone number. Since 1983 all connected machines recognize each other through these IPv4 addresses (the old version). They are coded in such a manner that “only” 4.3 billion addresses exist. When the current system was invented, nobody imagined that we would ever run out, but with the explosion in the number of devices that connect to the Internet it became necessary to enlarge the net… just to be sure that tomorrow´s fridges would be able to be connected.
With the IPv6 it would be possible to have an infinite number of IP addresses: 3.4 x 1038 , so about 667 000 addresses on every square millimeter of the Earth´s surface, or if we prefer looking at the sky, an entire IPv4 internet for every star in the universe.
Since the 6th of July, the IPv4 and the IPv6 addresses have been recognized by most of web big players and we are heading towards the generalisation of IPv6. The progressive migration will take an unknown number of years and the mainstream users will see no difference.
Let´s have a look on how this huge change was reflected in the media.
Traditional media did not pay a lot of attention to this topic. The changes could be “historical” or “critical”, but if they did not have practical applications or a direct influence they did not really interest basic internet users… nor traditional media. It is quite interesting that one of the biggest transformations ever experienced by the internet concerned such a limited number of its users. It gives the impression that few people are aware of what happened and that the fate of such an important tool belongs to a handful of gurus.
The good news comes from the internet itself: web news, blogs, boards… we find 10 times more articles on IPv6 than for print media. It is not really a surprise, the best place to speak about the internet is definitely on the internet.
Well, there is no reason to be concerned. We just hope that this new stock of addresses will not be exhausted in 30 years. Infinity is relative.
Posted in Christophe Torrent, Measurement, Public Relations
Posted June 28th, 2012
by Brian Panton
The idea that America’s expanding waistline warns of a permanent obesity epidemic has prompted New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg to propose a ban on the sale of sugary drinks larger than 16 ounces at restaurants, movie theaters and street carts. Much like New York’s smoking ban, initially derided and later copied around the world, Bloomberg is hoping to send a message.
The ban could not have come at a worse time for the beverage industry, as soda consumption has already witnessed a sharp decline over the last ten years. Meanwhile, the industry has had to grapple with a steady stream of negative messages in the media signaling that sugary beverages are a key driver of the obesity crisis, thus contributing to rising health care costs. This presents a serious risk for Coke and Pepsi’s businesses, which rely heavily on their flagship brands.
Coca-Cola was quick to engage its public relations machine to reframe the debate, highlighting that over the last decade, while obesity was rising, caloric intake from carbonated beverages was slumping, a sentiment that found placement in some prominent media outlets. What’s more, the industry’s messaging was shepherded by critics who assailed the proposal as a “nanny state” overreach of government power.
Media Analysis: Obesity Related Coverage for Coca Cola and Pepsi
Yet, despite Coca-Cola and PepsiCo’s PR strategy, the beverage industry was shouted down by the media and public health experts sympathetic to the notion of a large-soda ban, much like they rally behind taxes on soda. Further, legal analysts ventured that drink makers face an uphill battle in the courts if they mount a legal challenge to obstruct the initiative.
Media Analysis: Favorability of Coca Cola and Obesity Related Coverage
While the media are decidedly behind the ban, that sentiment may not be shared by the audience. During an interview with Mayor Bloomberg on NBC’s “Today” show, anchor Matt Lauer revealed an online poll that found 83% of respondents concluded that the ban would not solve the obesity problem.
Nevertheless, the beverage behemoths will likely have to operate in a media environment that blames sugary sodas for the U.S.’s rising obesity rates.
For more background, read The Wall Street Journal Story, “Sugar Ban Stirs Up New York”
Tags: Coca-Cola, measurement, Pepsi
Posted in Brian Panton, Contributors, Corporate Reputation, Measurement
Posted June 26th, 2012
by David Breg
In my last post, I analyzed the impact of traditional and social media on the Republican primary contest. Here, I’ll look at the issues that have had the most media traction since May 29, when Mitt Romney gained enough delegates to claim the Republican presidential nomination.
The dominant issue since late May has been jobs and employment. A key driver of coverage was the Department of Labor’s monthly jobs report, released on June 1. The release resulted in a large spike in coverage, as both President Obama and Romney commented on the report, and it’s likely that subsequent reports will draw significant pick-up during the rest of the campaign. A second spike in jobs coverage occurred during mid- June when both candidates visited the battleground state of Ohio to promote their visions for creating new jobs.
At the other end of the spectrum is the relatively light volume of coverage since late May for issues such as immigration, taxes and health care, which played central roles in recent presidential and congressional campaigns. The low volume of health care coverage has been particularly surprising, since the Affordable Care Act has been a much debated component of Obama’s legislative initiatives, and Romney’s health care program was a centerpiece of his term as governor of Massachusetts. It’s worth noting, however, that this issue will likely gain significant traction after the Supreme Court rules on key components of the Affordable Care Act this summer.
Social media results have generally mirrored traditional media for coverage of jobs, taxes and health care. This indicates that the candidates’ campaigns or the government’s scheduled economic reports are driving the discussions and setting the agenda for traditional media coverage and conversations in social media.
Traditional and Social Media Analysis of Presidential Campaign Issues: Jobs, Taxes and Health Care
Tags: elections, employment, Health Care, media analysis, Obama, Romney, Social Media
Posted in Contributors, David Breg, Elections, Measurement, Social Media
Posted June 22nd, 2012
by Claudia Schoenbohm
As the EU countries, their political leaders and policy makers argue over the future of the single currency and the fate of the EU as a whole, the Euro Cup 2012 is a welcome distraction from daily concerns. So, while fiscal and currency policies are getting kicked around like footballs by the European leaders, European players are kicking real footballs. Who will win?
The Euro Cup semi-finals are taking place next week and according to a few colleagues in London, their guess is that Germany and Spain will play the final match, with Germany taking the prize.
Yet what is the media’s forecast? The vast majority of media mentions between June 15 and 22 predicted that Spain will meet Germany on the pitch to decide the winner. While Spain vs. Germany received 155 mentions, Spain vs. England gathered 57 articles.
- Euro Cup 2012 Media Analysis: Share of Voice and Volume Trend
What are your forecasts for the semi-finals and final?
Tags: Euro Cup, media analysis
Posted in Claudia Schoenbohm, Contributors, Measurement
Posted June 12th, 2012
by Dennis Daly
There is much that can be written about Facebook’s disastrous IPO last month. Prior to its May 18 launch on NASDAQ, there was excitement on both Wall Street and Main Street with almost everyone wanting a piece of the company thought to be valued at anywhere from $76- $95 billion just days before its IPO. Momentum clearly seemed to be building with newspaper headlines claiming just one day prior to the launch that the sale would create more millionaires and billionaires as well as regional spending booms.
So how did the sizzle turn into a fizzle? And should we have been surprised?
An ominous sign that the offering could be overvalued came on May 16 when The Wall Street Journal reported that General Motors planned to pull its paid advertisements from Facebook. But even before that there were signs that the company was struggling to convince advertisers that it is beneficial for them to advertise through Facebook. One story, which had largely gone underreported until too late, was the company’s failure to connect with the many Facebook users shifting their usage to mobile phones where the company had only just started to sell advertising. Although Facebook had taken efforts since March to advertise on its mobile website, the chart below (measuring the sentiment of all articles within Dow Jones Insight specifically regarding Facebook and mobile phone advertising) shows little unfavourable sentiment practically right up to the IPO even though Facebook itself realized the implications of reaching out to this market too late. Coverage was in fact occasionally positive during weeks in March and April with news articles showing Facebook competing well in mobile ads against Google.
Only ten days prior to the launch was there significant attention paid to Facebook’s struggle to make money from mobile devices. The number of unfavorable news articles rose steadily in the days prior, peaking the week after the IPO (as the value of the stock, which remained virtually the same on the opening day, began to decline) with the sentiment almost entirely negative as the second chart indicates.
So should we have been surprised by such a disappointing performance by Facebook on the day of its IPO? The charts above indicate last minute apprehension by investors regarding Facebook’s ability to generate advertising revenue among an increasing mobile telephone audience, so for users tracking this sentiment through Dow Jones Insight, there probably would have been less of a surprise.
For Facebook, the struggle will remain: the amount of time users spend on the mobile version has now surpassed the time spent on the browser version and advertisers are increasingly uncertain about the effectiveness in advertising through Facebook in any form. (A study indicated that four out of five Facebook users do not buy products or services through the site.) Convincing advertisers not to follow the route of General Motors will be Facebook’s greatest challenge in the months ahead.
For more background, watch the WSJ.com video Unfriended: The Facebook IPO Debacle
Tags: Facebook, General Motors, media analysis, media measurement, Social Media
Posted in Dennis Daly, Measurement, Mobile, Social Media
