A sample category report illustrating how organic consumer generated content in social media can power more effective marketing and enable better consumer understanding

1. Powering informed decisions
Strategic social listening
Hair Care Insights – Sample Category Report
“Where to play and what to say”
andrew.nelson@precise.co.uk

2. Contents
Background 3
Objectives of the pilot 4
Research objectives 5
Methodology 6
Executive summary 7
Potential actions 8
Strategic social listening insight 12
Linguistic analysis insight 20
Conclusions and considerations 25
Appendix
Hair care influencers (UK)
Passive / active
More details on the methodology
26

3. Background
The purpose of this pilot was to illustrate how strategic social listening can power
informed decisions and inspire actions for consumer insights, R&D and marketing
teams.
Kantar Media created a research brief to investigate a hypothesis from Unilever’s
former R&D Director of Hair Europe (Inge Terpstra). The following presentation
illustrates how strategic social listening can be used to:
 Segment consumer insight
 Identify habits, trends and who is driving these
 Understand consumer language
 Know what to say and where to play

4. Objectives of the pilot
The objective of the pilot was to show how the different applications / actions that
can be taken for R&D, Consumer Insight and Marketing teams, more specifically:
 Ideation: Gathering insights to inform and inspire decisions, new products and test
hypothesis
 Product use: Focusing on insight around product experiences
 Deployment: Inform content marketing, messaging and tactics for different
consumer segments

5. Research objectives
The Unilever hypothesis was the starting point or “research need” that informed our
research brief. Unilever has been implementing natural formulations only to find out
that consumers did not always recognise that their products were more natural than
other products that make “naturally inspired claims.”
Research objectives: Insights to identify trends, habits and language used by women
with Frizzy Hair. Identify the different consumer angles to inform messaging and
tactics by segmenting insights. The pilot focused on women with frizzy hair and aimed
to answer the following key questions:
 Are natural oils a hot trend amongst the fizzy hair segment?
 What other trends / habits are emerging from the frizzy hair segment?
 Which brands are mentioned in connection with natural/organic or natural oils?
 Are “trend setters” and “influential individuals” advocating natural oils and natural
& organic products?
Frizzy Curly Straight Dyed Damaged Afro

6. Methodology
 We gathered content across all social media (July-Sept 2014) using a combination
of phrases, key words and brands in connection with hair care and natural or
organic hair care.
 We then combined these terms to focus on one segment “fizzy hair.”
 Within the frizzy hair data set we qualitatively evaluated a sample of mentions for
themes and sentiment towards products.
 We also identified influential consumers based on Reach, Relevance, Resonance,
and Activity.
Using social media as a source of insight we applied qualitative research techniques
at scale on conversations between women with frizzy hair.

7. Executive summary
Natural oils are a hot trend driving the frizzy hair sector, driven by a belief that
‘chemicals’ cause frizz and natural products are more effective. The focus was invariably
on whether the product / solution actually works to eliminate frizz.
Women with frizzy hair are prepared to pay a premium for a solution that works.
Effectiveness trumps price. Whether the product works was the most important feature.
Price appeared to be seen as a mark of quality.
People with frizzy hair describe or recommend an entire hair care routine, incorporating
the use of products but also washing, styling, and drying techniques that are believed to
reduce and manage frizz. The CG method or Curly Girl method featured most frequently
for frizzy hair. Glycerin free gels and wet gels also appealed to women with frizzy hair.
Women with frizzy hair use more technical terms (Flaxseed gel, FSG) and DT’s (Deep
Treatments). Humidity was mentioned frequently as a problem. Terms such as Hair
Canopy (the mass of hair in the centre) or “taming medusa hair” were used to describe
their problems.
John Frieda’s Frizz-ease range or salon keratin treatments, both seen as effective

8. Potential actions: Frizzy hair segment
Ideation / Product Use: Brands could incorporate popular hair care routines (CG, No-Poo or Max
Hydration) into content marketing aligning brands around consumer routines. Brands could also consider
developing a range of products to support consumers following the no poo, CG or max hydration
method.
Deployment: Brands could use these insights to test the
performance of Adwords and PPC campaigns. Insights can also
be used to modify messages that appear below the paid adverts
to appeal more to people with frizzy hair. For instance
“effective” instead of “best” treatment for frizzy hair.
Hair Care For Frizzy Hair
www.tresemme.co.uk/Hair-Tips
Effective treatment for frizz.
Hair Care For Frizzy Hair
www.tresemme.co.uk/Hair-Tips
Glycerin free treatment for frizzy hair
Ideation: Brands could mimic popular features used by consumers on other social networking sites to
increase owned media engagement. Consumers could take a quiz to understand their hair type on the
landing page, directing users to the right product and routine for their hair.
PANTENE Pro-V - pantene.co.uk
www.pantene.co.uk/
Frizz control that works
Deployment: To increase ROI from advertising target the frizzy hair segment with messages and
content focusing on the key message that “it works” timing marketing to run prior to when humidity
levels rise in certain markets. Focus campaigns on popular YouTube videos & forums. Mumsnet &
Naturallycurly display banner adverts should carry different images and messages.

9. Insight to action: Creative copy

OR
9

10. Where to play and what to say: right message right place
10

11. 11
Where to play and what to say: right message right place

12. Strategic social listening
Insight

13. Twitter Insight
recommending a brand product
asking for advice/recommendation
describes using products
recommending a treatment
giving advice/recommendation
recommending a natural product
products don't work
coupons/deals/competitions/selling/ma…
review
wants to try
advert
complimenting hair
prize winner
passing mention
doesn't use products
Types of mention
Negative Neutral Positive
39%
10%7%
17%
14%
3%
6% 4%
Types of contributor
Frizzy
Afro
Curly
stylist/salon
seller
brand
blogger
other
 Twitter provides a Q&A platform for
consumers at different stages of their
journey. Tweets around frizzy hair and
natural formulations were most likely to be
recommendations and advice to use certain
products or requests for recommendations.
 Very few frizzy haired women considered the
natural or organic credentials of a product to
be the deciding factor on whether to buy. The
focus was invariably on whether the product
actually works to eliminate frizz and fly-
aways, for a variety of types of frizzy hair
including Afro, curly, and straight but frizzy.
 The price was also rarely a factor, with less
than 2% of mentions even mentioning the
cost of a product.
 Around a third of tweets were from users
with a vested interest in selling a product,
such as online sellers, salons, stylists, or
brands’ Twitter handles.

14. Brand Insight: Twitter
John Frieda
Keratin treatment
(salon)
Aveda
Pantene
Moroccan oil
Kerastase
other oils
Tresemme
organic/natural
no shampoo
Kerasilk
Aussie
Bumble & Bumble
 The most mentioned brand for frizzy
hair was John Frieda’s ‘Frizz-ease’
range, which was hailed as highly
effective for various types of frizzy
hair.
 Closely followed by a Keratin
treatment or ‘Brazilian blow-out’,
usually done in a salon. This treatment
was recommended for its lasting
results.
 Moroccan oil and other natural oils
(coconut, olive, argan,…) were also
prominent. While ‘natural’, these
products were recommended based
on effectiveness, not for their
organic/natural credentials.

15. Forum Insight
describes a hair routine
giving advice/recommendation
asking for advice/recommendation
recommending a brand product
products don't work
recommending a treatment
price conscious
describes using products
passing mention
coupons/deals/competitions/selling/
marketing/spam
recommending a natural product
Negative Neutral Positive Mixed
 On forums, the conversations were more in depth
giving more context to the insights found in Twitter.
 Price was again rarely a barrier, in fact, it seemed to be
seen as a mark of quality. The higher the price of a
product, the more effective it was believed to be, with
forum users advising one another to choose the more
expensive option.
 Notably, the most prominent type of mention of
natural or other hair products were lengthy and
detailed descriptions of hair care routines, but again
with a focus on effectiveness.
 Routines often incorporated a range of other products
and washing, drying, and styling techniques that are
believed to reduce frizz, such as using conditioner
instead of shampoo, drying hair with a t-shirt instead of
a towel, brushing with a wide-tooth comb or fingers, no
touching after applying products, braiding at night …
 Most routines are personal, but some have a wide
following, such as the ‘curly-girl’ method and the ‘no-
poo’ (no-shampoo) method.

16. Brand Insight: Forums
John Frieda
other oils
keratin treatment
no shampoo method
coconut oil
argan oil
Pantene
max hydration method
Redken
Wen
Bumble and Bumble
Shea
Dove
Fructis
Deva curl
Aussie
TRESemme
 Like on Twitter, John Frieda’s ‘Frizz-Ease’
range was the brand most mentioned, the
salon keratin treatment came highly
recommended.
 However, natural oils, when taken together,
were by far the most discussed products on
forums.
 Many forum users subscribed to the belief
that hair care products containing sulfates,
alcohols, silicones, and other
‘unpronounceable chemicals’ cause frizzy
hair, leading to a tendency towards using
‘natural’ products and methods because
they are seen as effective.
 Well-known hair care methods such as the
no-poo and CG method were also widely
discussed, with users sharing tips and
experiences.
 Many forum users were aware of and used
the acronyms describing hair as one of
several types, ranging from 2A to 4C.

17. Frizzy: celebrity ‘role models’
Monica from Friends suffering
from frizz while on holiday is a
frequent example given by women
with frizzy hair to describe their
problem (especially when going to
Florida, Disneyland, or on a
holiday).
Curly haired social media users
complained that the curls on the
model in the Frizz-Ease advert did
not look ‘real’.

18.  http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/no-
poo/the-curly-girl-method-for-coily-hair/#!slide1
 http://thecurlyhairproblems.tumblr.com/cgmet
hod
 http://www.britishcurlies.co.uk/articles/article/t
he_cg_method_to_great_curls/
 http://www.nopoomethod.com/
 http://thecrunchymoose.com/one-year-
without-shampoo/
 http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Go-
No-Poo/
Pinke
Cube
 http://maxhydrationmethod.com/the-max-
hydration-method-regimen/
 http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthrea
d.php?t=733423&page=25#post20562731
 http://forum.blackhairmedia.com/the-max-
hydration-methodfrom-my-other-
post_topic368937_page249.html#10991139
Popular hair routines/methods

19. Linguistic insight

20. Further validation: proof of concept
 Using Relative Insights language analytics tool we gathered data from key forums
identified by Kantar Media that discussed hair care (frizzy hair & non frizzy).
 The tool analysed 1.5 million mentions around fizzy hair and non frizzy hair going
back 10 years form the key sources identified from social listening
(naturallycurly.com & mumsnet.com).
 We then compared the language used by people with frizzy hair vs non frizzy on
each site.
 Finally, we identified any similarities / differences with the insights from social
listening.
For the first time strategic social listening was combined with a language analysis
tool (originally designed for crime-fighting) to investigate the findings. For this
secondary piece of research we partnered with Relative Insight.

21. Frizzy hair: linguistic insight from mumsnet.com
People with fizzy hair on mumsnet.com use more descriptive, less technical terms
than people on naturallycurly.com and are more focused on the outcomes / results.
 Results and Appearance are the main focus of conversation. The desired result is
more curls not frizz.
 Terms such as “lovely, “sleek”, “amazing”, “shiny”, “gorgeous” to describe the
results post product or action (blow dry, rinsing out, separating curls or
detangling).
 Brands, the range of product i.e Frizzease and where they are purchased are
mentioned more frequently, Boots, Tescos, Asda, Avon, Sainsburys, L’Oreal, Body
Shop, Dove, Bumble, Superdrug. People reference the product by the colour of
the bottle.
 Cost / price is not an issue, effectiveness is key “costs a fortune, but worth it’ vs
‘I use the cheap one.”

22. Frizzy hair: linguistic insight from naturallycurly.com
People with fizzy hair on naturallycurly.com use more technical terms than people
on mumsnet.com. People on naturallycurly.com are investigating, experimenting,
searching for and trying to figure out how to manage their frizz.
 Glycerin free gel and wet gels. People afraid it might damage hair or remove
colour or cause frizz, hence references to “glycerin free”. Some want soft gels as
hard gels can leave a “gunky feeling.” Others want hard hold gel to “help with
frizz.”
 The weather, in particular humidity appears frequently “ruining hairstyles”
leading to “frizz balls”.
 Natural oils are mentioned with people referencing, aloe, Jojoba, Vegetable
Glycerin and Shea Butters.
 The CG method is frequently discussed
 Cost / Price was not an issue so long as “it works”

23. Non frizzy hair language
Amongst people that do not have frizzy hair the hair style is mentioned more
frequently. The conversations are less about finding solutions or managing ones
hair, instead focusing on ones cut and length of hair. Once the hair reaches a
certain length it can be a problem, hearing of ways to manage hair growth featured
more frequently with people with non-frizzy hair.
What colour to go with and how to grow colour out were topics discussed by the
non-frizzy segment. Price, especially cheaper products were considered more
often than those with frizzy hair, where effectiveness was more important than
price.

24. Conclusions and considerations
The qualitative insight and linguistic analysis both agree that price was not an issue for women
with frizzy hair. Effectiveness trumps price. This segment are willing to pay a premium for
something that works.
Consumer language identified in the qualitative research and linguistic analysis found similar
patterns. This combined approach gives credence to our recommendations on what to say and
where to play.
The insights can be used to inform message testing research and digital campaigns.
Repeat this analysis framework for each hair type to inspire new product development and
inform existing digital marketing messages and tactics. There are differences and similarities
between North America and UK markets . Market segmentation should also be considered.

25. Appendix
Influencers
Passive views / active posts
Methodology

26. Influencers: UK
Jade Elliott is a celebrity fashion stylist and
beauty editor with 35.5K followers on Twitter
and a blog about style and beauty, Style and
stillettos. Her blog is hosted on Tumblr and has
short updates with large glossy images. She
also runs give-aways and competitions.
Jade has launched her own line of make up,
Iconic London.

27. Influencers: UK
Leo Bancroft is a hairdresser for ITV This Morning
and Chelsea FC.
He is active mainly on Twitter (44,414 followers),
where consumers ask him direct hair care and hair
routine questions, which he answers with general
advice and by recommending products and hair
care tools from his own product line. He also
posts advice, tips, and photos around styling hair,
often using positive hashtags such as
#loveyourhair.
He has a website and Facebook page for his own
product line and salon.

28. Influencers: UK
Faye is a beauty and fashion vlogger on
YouTube, where her channel, Faye’s Fix, boasts
21,951 subscribers.
She was shortlisted for the Cosmopolitan Best
Vlog award in 2014.
She also uses Twitter, Blogger, Facebook, and
Instagram but has less followers there.
She most often talks about style and fashion, but
also reviews beauty and hair products on
occasion.

29. Influencers: UK
Heather Katsonga-Woodward is a UK natural-hair
blogger who switched from ‘damaged relaxed hair’
to natural Afro hair. She markets her own free e-
book on how to grow long natural hair and her own
range of products based on natural oils. Aside from
her own range, she also gives many instructions on
how to make DIY natural products.
She provides tips and styling how-to’s on her
Twitter, blog, and YouTube channel. She reaches
most of her fans with links to her videos and blog
posts on Facebook where she has 415,384 likes, and
on Pinterest, where she has 21,308 followers.

30. More people view (passive) than post (active)
Passive: NaturallyCurly.com receives 2 million unique visits monthly
Active members: 192,705
Views

31. Strategic social listening methodology
 We used the following general terms and brand names related to
haircare and natural or organic haircare:
"aussie" "dove" "elvive" "fructis" "head shoulders"~1 "herbal
essences" "john frieda" "natural oil" "natural oils" "no poo" "no
shampoo" "organic" "pantene" "product" "products" "silicone"
"silicones" "suave" "sulfate" "sulfates" "sulphate" "sulphates" "sunsilk"
"timotei" "treatment" "treatments" "tresemme" "vo5“
 We then combined these with terms specific to the 6 consumer
segments: Frizzy, Curly, Straight, Dyed, Damaged, Afro.
 For frizzy hair, we added the terms: “frizzy hair” and “frizz”.
 Within the Frizzy segment, we took a random representative sample
of Twitter mentions and a random sample of forum mentions and
evaluated each mention for relevance, sentiment towards hair
products, topic of conversation, hair type of user and brand or
product mentioned.
 We also identified several potentially influential users based on
Reach, Resonance, Relevance and Activity (number of followers,
recommendations by consumers and frequency of relevant posts).

32. Linguistic analysis methodology
Identify relevant data sources. This is driven by the areas or high-level research questions of interest to the client.
Any digital text can be used as input to the process such as (but not limited to): forum posts, social media data,
promotional emails, digitized mail drops, web site content, etc. Best results are obtained when comparative data
sources are available (e.g. out-bound brand language, frizzy hair discussions compared to non-frizzy hair discussions,
etc).
Processing the data. The data collected in Step 1 (Frizz) is processed by the Relative Insight language analysis
engine that builds language models around the words/phrases, grammar, style and semantic topics contained within the
input data. By examining the language at multiple levels, rather than just the words used, a much richer and deeper
understanding of the content can be extracted.
Perform comparisons. The language models produced in Step 2 (non Frizz) can be compared with each other to
surface statistically significant language characteristics that are associated with each data source. The language
models can also be compared with standard language data sets created by Relative Insight, for example, language
collected from a range of data sources that represent “standard” English use, or language collected from forums
typically used by mums to represent “mum” language.
Analyse the comparisons. Relative Insight uses a data-driven approach for their analysis that allows the data
collected to determine the direction of analysis. This means that unexpected findings can be discovered that the
client was completely unaware to even look for. The analysis process involves exploring the language characteristics
surfaced via the comparisons in Step 2 and interpreting their significance in terms of the original areas and research
questions set out by the client.
Presentation of the results. Relative Insight can produce a report and/or a presentation containing their findings. This
includes an overview/justification of the data sources used, an outline of the process applied, an executive summary of
the insights found, a more detailed explanation of the insights (thIs includes a series of graphs providing evidence of
these insights), and potential actions or next steps on how these insights can be used.

33. Thank you
andrew.nelson@precise.co.uk
@AIFNelson