Malicious social bots are targeting brands, too

Social bots create misinformation, fabricate online reviews and spread false news about political candidates, maliciously attempting to control and manipulate public sentiments, and disrupt the democratic process. But are social bots “only” disrupting political life, or are they having an impact on brands, too? And, if so, what’s the consequence of that? Xia Liu investigated … Continue reading Malicious social bots are targeting brands, too

The real reason behind the spread of fake news

The journal Science recently published a paper exploring how and why fake news spread. You can access it here, or you can listen to this episode of Chips with Everything (a Guardian podcast that I recommended, previously).   The paper is authored by MIT researchers Soroush Vosoughi, Deb Roy and Sinan Aral. The researchers collected around 126,000 rumour stories on … Continue reading The real reason behind the spread of fake news

Which branded tweets get most retweets?

Researchers at Western Sydney University in Australia – Alena Soboleva, Suzan Burton, Girijasankar Mallik and Aila Khan – have analysed the characteristics of branded tweets that get the most retweets. They collected tweets posted by the leading brands in the automotive, the luxury and the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) industries, and adjusted for factors … Continue reading Which branded tweets get most retweets?

What makes a campaign go around and around and around?

This advert made its way to my Twitter feed, last week.   The kiddo asked me, expectantly: Is it good marketing, mummy?   It is, yes. It is great, actually, I said.   First, because it clearly depicts the product’s benefit. And, fortunately for the brand, no one actually managed to break the unbreakable glass … Continue reading What makes a campaign go around and around and around?