Using proprietary software, ZenithOptimedia has analysed the social performance of the presidential candidates in 24 hours following the start of the debate.
President Obama significantly outperforms Mitt Romney across the three key social platforms.
However in the 24 hours following the debate on Facebook,
- Romney had nearly 30% more new Facebook fans than Obama
- Romney increased his likes dramatically overtaking Obama whose likes fell.
- Sharing for both candidates increased dramatically with Obama’s fans rallying round the president while Romney fans attacked Obama’s record
While 24 hours on twitter tells a different story
- @BarackObama had almost 5 times more new followers than @MittRomney
- There were nearly as many new tweets containing @MittRomney as @BarackObama.
- @BarackObama was retweeted 13 times more than @MittRomney as his followers again rallied to the president’s candidacy.
There were however numerous different #’s and @’s relating to the candidates tweeted during the debate so these numbers should only be seen as an indicator of performance.
Finally, YouTube saw very little change in subscriber numbers. Dislikes of Romney declined significantly while likes and dislikes for Obama increased leading to Romney’s average rating on YouTube increasing by 7%. Despite this gain Romney’s score is still less than Obama.
Methodology & Definitions
Data is based on the primary Barak Obama and Mitt Romney pages
% change refers to 24 hours since the start of the debate
A Facebook like and share are when content on the candidates’ pages is liked or shared.
–Ends—
Notes for editors
ZenithOptimedia is one of the world’s leading global media services agencies with 250 offices in 74 countries.
Key clients include Armani Group, ASUS, Aviva, BBC Worldwide, British Airways, Electrolux, General Mills, HTC, Lactalis, LVMH, Nestlé, News Corporation, L’Oréal, Oracle, Puma, Qantas, Reckitt Benckiser, Richemont Group, Royal Bank of Scotland, Sanofi, Telefónica O2, Toyota/Lexus, Verizon and Whirlpool.
As the first agency to apply a rigorous and objective approach to improving the effectiveness of marketing spend, ZenithOptimedia delivers to clients the best possible return on their communications investment.
This philosophy is supported by a unique approach to strategy development and implementation – the Live ROI planning process.
At each stage, proprietary methods and applications have been designed to add value and insight across the full spectrum of paid, owned and earned contact points with the consumer.
The ZenithOptimedia Group of companies equips our clients with a full range of integrated skills across communications planning, value optimisation, performance media and content creation.
ZenithOptimedia is part of Publicis Groupe (Euronext Paris: FR0000130577), the world’s third largest communications group, the world’s second largest media counsel and buying group, and a global leader in digital and healthcare communications. With around-the-world activities spanning more than 104 countries on five continents, the Groupe employs over 53,000 professionals.
With sister agencies Starcom MediaVest, Denuo, Digitas and Razorfish, ZenithOptimedia is a member of Publicis Groupe’s VivaKi, a global digital knowledge and resource centre that leverages the combined scale of the autonomous operations of its members to develop new services, new tools, and new partnerships.
Contact:
Guy Abrahams
Strategic Marketing Director – ZenithOptimedia Worldwide
T: +44 (0)20 7961 1014
F: +44 (0)20 7961 1113
Social Aftershock – How the Presidential Debates changed Candidates’ Social Media
- Social Aftershock – How the Presidential Debates changed Candidates’ Social Media
