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Ann-Derrick Gaillot is Meltwater's content writer. She joined the Americas team in March 2022 with nearly a decade of experience in content writing, copywriting, editorial, and culture journalism.

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See all blogs written by Ann-Derrick Gaillot, Meltwater's content writer. Social media management ★ digital marketing ★ ...

Author: Ann-Derrick Gaillot

Competitive businesses operate with an eye on what’s next, tapping into rising trends to better understand the future. But trend forecasting is downright impossible without first knowing that a trend is there. Enter trend detection, every successful organization’s strategic secret weapon.

New to the particulars of trend detection? Let this be your guide. In this blog, we’ll take a look at what trend detection is, how it’s done, and how algorithms make it more sophisticated than ever before. 

Using trend detection algorithms to solve business problems

Trends are shifts in patterns that develop in a particular direction. They can increase, decrease, or move horizontally.

You’ve most likely heard the word trend used to talk about temporary shifts in cultural preferences or behaviors, like fashion trends, marketing trends, social media trends, PR trends, Instagram trends, etc. Think bell bottoms in the 1960s or acid-wash jeans in the 1980s. However, trends can more broadly refer to patterns or shifts in sets of data, such as those gained via social listening, and they aren’t necessarily temporary. 

In business, organizations analyze data trends to extract information about what may happen in the future. Detection is the first step in understanding and analyzing trends.

There are many kinds of trends in data, but some of the common trend lines are:

Linear, which increase or decrease steadily

Exponential, which increase or decrease dramatically

Seasonal or cyclical, which develop in a pattern or on a particular, repeating timeline

Additionally, trends come in different magnitudes, from microtrends (like the short-lived cottagecore aesthetic) to megatrends (like the post-World War II baby boom or the rise of AI technology). They can also be at different stages of development, such as emerging or declining trends. The way trends are categorized, in business and beyond, depends on context and objective.

What is trend detection? Before you can analyze a trend you have to detect it to know that it is there.

Trend detection refers to the process of identifying those patterns, shifts, and developments.

In some cases, trends are so dramatic that detecting them is simple. Often, however, trend detection takes much closer examination and analysis.

In business, trend detection is the first step in trend analysis, in which organizations work to understand shifts. They may want to detect trends, like a particular product becoming more popular or growing customer service complaints on social media, so they can make better business decisions moving forward.

Organizations that don’t actively detect trends will, sooner than later, be negatively caught by surprise. They’re unable to keep up with evolving business demands and economic forces as a result. 

In general, there are two main trend detection methods:

Trend detection can take many forms, but in general, they look at deviations from regular data patterns. These deviations can include:

Ramp-ups or -downs, in which data trends up or down over a sustained period (like the initial rise or drop of a roller coaster)

Abrupt shifts, in which data goes from one steady trend line to another, maintaining that new value over a sustained period of time (like the abrupt rise or drop of a plateau)

Pulses or dips, in which the data values increase or decrease significantly before going back to the original value (like the heartbeat lines on an EKG machine screen)

These and other types of deviations and anomalies can point to emerging, or past, trends.

Methods of detecting trends range from manual to automated, but all rely on careful, complete, and accurate data collection and reporting.

The most basic way to detect trends is with a visual analysis.

For example, someone looking at an energy usage bar graph on their electric bills over three years may notice seasonal trends. The bar graph of their monthly usage may go up in summer when they use their air conditioner more, and down in winter when they use it less. This basic method may work well for situations like analyzing personal finances, but it becomes much more prone to error for larger, more complex data sets used in business, such as examining sales, media exposure, or social engagement over longer and more segmented periods of time. 

One more advanced method of trend detection involves statistical analyses, which use complex mathematical equations and models to detect anomalies in data patterns. They find these anomalies in numerical values, such as percentiles, averages, and means. Those statistical analyses can then be used to create projections of what future data values might look like. Scientists have long used statistical analyses to predict things like extreme weather events and global warming.

And while statistical analyses, when done right, can produce reliable insights, they are still manual processes that aren’t always feasible in business operations. Instead, organizations can use algorithms to detect data anomalies and trends for them.

Trend detection algorithms are tools for automating and refining the process of identifying data trends.

Commonly used via other complex systems or technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), and Natural Language Learning (NLL), trend detection algorithms often operate within platforms and software that present the results in easy-to-understand formats.

For example, our social listening and analytics suite leverages AI-powered trend detection algorithms to detect spikes in online conversations and send out real-time alerts. Algorithms within our consumer intelligence suite also use AI to extract consumer insights that uncover the context around trends so you can forecast where they are headed next. Both translate that data into visualizations with shareable dashboards.

In business, using trend detection algorithms saves time, turning complicated analytical processes into something any organization can achieve.

Start using Meltwater to make sense of your data and detect trends.

Businesses use trend detection algorithms across industries in many different use cases. Let’s look at a few examples.

Supply and demand: Trend detection algorithms help retailers forecast demand for particular products so they can adequately prepare their inventories. Fashion brands use them to spot and track the rise of emerging style trends.

Labor: Trend detection algorithms can help anticipate staffing needs. Healthcare clinics can use them to track seasonal illnesses and plan their hiring cycles around them.

Customer service: Trend detection algorithms within social intelligence solutions can track spikes in customer service complaints. Airlines can use them to anticipate service delays and proactively accommodate travelers, while tech companies can use them to identify bugs and needed software updates.

Reputation management: Organizations across industries use trend detection algorithms for brand tracking to keep track of developments in the reputations of their brands. For example, chain restaurants can use them to evaluate their reputations in different markets over time.

With clear objectives, the applications of trend detection algorithms are infinite. This is especially true when used with other advanced technologies that can break through the data noise. 

Leading organizations around the world are leveraging insight-driven intelligence to solve their business problems — yours should be one of them. Bring your organization to the cutting edge of trend detection technology with Meltwater’s data-rich platforms. Learn more about what our consumer intelligence solution can offer by scheduling a demo today.

Learn the definition of trend detection and the details about trend detection algorithms in this Meltwater guide.

Trend Detection Definition & Algorithm Guide

It’s that time of year yet again. Summer is winding down, back-to-school shopping is wrapping up, and classes are going back into session. From parents to students to educators to retailers, the back-to-school season involves a wide range of audiences. We used the Meltwater Suite to learn more about what they and others were talking about most this time around. Our analysis looks at English-language back-to-school keyword mentions from June 1 through August 21, 2023. 

Mentions of “back to school”, “return to school”, and related hashtags and keywords began picking up in early July and spiked on August 21, which was the first day of school in many districts and regions. Over the entire 83 days we analyzed, back-to-school mentions increased by 114% compared to the previous period. And while that growth is significant, it is less dramatic than the growth we saw around this time last year. 

Want to know what last year’s back-to-school season looked like? Check out our 2022 back-to-school conversation blog all about it!

While many of the top keywords in this year’s conversation focus on school itself, two popular ones concern the times before and after the school day. “Morning” racked up more than 46,600 mentions, and “afternoon” reached almost 19,000 mentions. 

Top Content Cluster: Florida Bans AP Psychology

Meltwater’s AI-powered content clusters detection tool identified “Florida bans AP Psychology over gender identity, sexual orientation lessons” as the top story in this year’s back-to-school conversation. 

Advanced Placement, or AP, courses are a much-discussed, U.S. back-to-school topic this year due to the rise of proposed and passed anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-critical race theory legislation. In early August, The College Board, the non-profit that administers AP courses and exams, stated that its AP Psychology course was “effectively banned” in Florida, where teaching students about sexual orientation and gender identity has been illegal since 2022 under the “Don’t Say Gay” law.

Looking beyond the back-to-school conversation to mentions of the AP Psych ban over the 83 days analyzed, they were overwhelmingly negative. 

The movement to censor books and curricula about American history, gender identity, race and racism, and LGBTQ+ communities and topics in schools will continue to be a dire issue in U.S. education. Learn more about this issue in PEN America’s report Banned in the USA: State Laws Supercharge Book Suppression in Schools.

Tip: Learn more about the Meltwater AI Spike Analysis feature!

Using Meltwater’s Author Segments tool, we zoomed in on the most common topics in the back-to-school conversation for more than 5,000 top Twitter authors of posts about education. 

The leading topic was graphic design platform Canva, which many educators use to make presentations, posters, handouts, and other materials for their classes. Several other software platforms used in education also made the top 30 list, including Adobe Photoshop Express (5th place), Edutopia (10th place), Pear Deck (12th place), Microsoft Teams (16th place), and Kahoot! (24th place). 

Of the more than 4,000 of these authors who share their occupations, nearly half are teachers, educators, lecturers, and professors. 

New hot topics and keywords arise online with each school year, but the top hashtags of the season have staying power. #Backtoschool, the top back-to-school hashtag of 2022, also tops the list this year. And #clearthelist, the third-most-popular hashtag last year, rose to the second spot for 2023. Its popularity suggests that online crowdfunding has remained a go-to for teachers needing support to stock their classrooms for the year.

This overview of the 2023 back-to-school conversation covered its biggest themes, but there are more insights to explore with each one. Interested in diving deeper into these and other topics as the school year progresses? Learn how the Meltwater Suite can help you break through the digital noise to understand what’s going on with a free demo.

See what the most-discussed topics were during the 2023 back-to-school season, as analyzed by the Meltwater Suite.

2023 Back-to-School Trending Topics

Around the world, spring and summer are when humankind gets reacquainted with the outdoors. For many of us, that also means sharing space with legions of newly-hatched bugs in all of their fluttering, jumping, and biting glory. Over the past several years, the arrival of warm weather in parts of the United States has also come with the re-emergence of spotted lanternflies — which are an invasive species to North America, South Korea, and Japan — and online chatter about them. 

First spotted (pun intended) in the United States in Pennsylvania in 2014, the pretty but destructive flying bugs have now infested more than a dozen states. Their spread sparks an annual wave of conversation, both online and off, about what these bugs are and why everyday people should join the effort to eradicate them. We used our Meltwater social listening and analytics platform to take a look at spotted lanternfly conversations from April 15 through July 15, 2023. The insights we uncovered show just how much these little creatures are sparking interest in insects and awareness of invasive species.

Top Locations for Lanternfly Keyword Mentions

Naturally, most U.S. spotted lanternfly keyword mentions are coming from New York and Pennsylvania, the states hit hardest, and earliest, by the infestation. New Jersey rounds out the top three followed, interestingly, by Texas, where the species was first found in the fall of 2022.

When we look at top locations by city, New York City and Pittsburgh are the top places for spotted lanternfly mentions. Meanwhile, outside of the United States, Canada has the second-highest volume of spotted lanternfly keyword mentions. Though, at about 450 mentions, those from Canada make up a very small proportion of the overall spotted lanternfly conversation. 

Reddit is one of the top sites for engagement with content about spotted lanternflies. 

Over on Reddit, the most engaged post features a video showing one user’s homemade, non-toxic lanternfly trap. So far, the post has garnered 4,400 upvotes and 150 comments full of people praising the effective DIY contraption. 

Let’s take a moment to take a closer look at Reddit, which is the top social media platform for users asking for more information about mysterious bugs that turn out to be spotted lanternflies. Over the past three months, there has been an average of three mentions each day on Reddit of lanternflies with the phrases "What is this", "What's this", or "know what this is".

Black/white/red all over found in queens New York. What is this beauty?

The post that drew the most engagement is called “Black/white/red all over found in queens New York. What is this beauty?” It generated 1,900 upvotes and more than 500 comments, with the highest-rated response being: “Spotted lanternfly. Invasive. Kill them all.” Unsurprisingly, the top Reddit page in the “What is this” lanternfly conversation is r/whatisthisbug. For lanternfly mentions overall, r/pittsburgh comes out on top.

The content that had the highest Social Echo (meaning it was posted, shared, and interacted with most on social media) was a link from the positive news outlet Upworthy. Its article about Bobbi Wilson winning the Sustainability Award from the Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions racked up a Social Echo of nearly 10,000 engagements on Facebook. Wilson originally drew media attention in the fall of 2022 after a neighbor called the police on the Black 9-year-old for spraying DIY, non-toxic insecticide on lanternflies in her neighborhood in an instance of racial profiling.

On Twitter, the top authors of this summer’s lanternfly conversations are all news outlets that have reported on the spread and methods to combat it. The New York Times’ Tweet promoting its article about lanternflies was viewed more than 213,000 times.

Twitter users who want to get in on the conversation should use #spottedlanternfly, the most-used related hashtag on the platform. Though the most retweeted lanternfly Tweet, featuring a custom illustration about killing lanternflies, didn’t include any hashtags at all. 

Once people learn about lanternflies and the harm they cause as an invasive species, the natural next question is, “Well, how do we kill them?” There are generally three options: stomping (also known as squishing, squashing, or stepping on) them, spraying them with insecticide, or capturing and killing them with sticky traps. But which option is most popular? 

Our analysis comparing mentions of lanternfly keywords along with those related to each action revealed that stomping is overwhelmingly the most talked about way of killing lanternflies.

This summer’s spotted lanternfly conversations point to an audience of internet users who are interested in learning more about bugs and earth-friendly ways to fight invasive species. Luckily, there is an entire community of bug enthusiasts across social media who are sharing their love of entomology with others. (Here’s a warning for the squeamish: The following pages feature images and videos of creepy crawlers.) They include:

@wannabe_entomologist on Instagram (Klear score: 78)

@BartCoppens on YouTube (Klear score: 78)

Despite the efforts of amateur bug stompers and governmental agencies, the spotted lanternfly is still spreading across the United States, as well as South Korea and Japan, with many other countries at high risk of infestation. As this problem grows, we’ll likely see conversations about it growing across even more locations. So, next summer, prepare for even more #spottedlanternfly sightings online and, more critically, in your neighborhood.

Would you like to be able to conduct analyses like these for your business? Simply fill out the form below and get a free consultation.

We used our Meltwater platform to take a look at spotted lanternfly conversations 2023. See how much they're sparking awareness of invasive species.

The Online Buzz about Spotted Lanternflies

The Online Buzz about Lanternflies

The two most-anticipated movies of the summer come out on the same day — and they couldn’t be more different. Yet social media is abuzz about both of them in the lead-up to their debut in theaters on July 21. 

Barbie, starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, follows the iconic doll and her longtime boyfriend, Ken, as they leave the toy world and enter the real one. On the other hand, Oppenheimer, starring Cillian Murphy and Emily Blunt, tells the true story of physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer as he develops the atomic bomb during World War II. 

The digital realm is filled with chatter about both movies, but how are Barbie and Oppenheimer conversations measuring up against each other? We used our consumer intelligence platform, Radarly, to find out. 

Reading Tip: Who Won Summer 2023? Barbie vs. Beyoncé vs. Taylor Swift

While posts and reposts about Barbie and Oppenheimer were relatively equal at the beginning of 2023, that all started to change in March, shortly before the first look of the Barbie movie was released. Since then, the volume of posts about Barbie has skyrocketed beyond those about Oppenheimer, which have dipped slightly since June. 

In total, there have been nearly 7 million social media posts about Barbie this year, reaching a potential audience of nearly 9.5 billion people and garnering more than 277 million engagement actions.

Barbie is also dominating the conversation when it comes to engagement actions, such as likes and shares. About 89% of all engagement actions in these conversations have been on posts about the Mattel doll-focused film.

Our consumer intelligence platform also shows us who has been drumming up the most buzz about each film. Margot Robbie, who plays Barbie, is certifiably the star of the summer. She has been mentioned in more than 410,000 posts in total, eclipsing mentions of her co-star Ryan Gosling (248,000 posts), who plays Ken, and director Greta Gerwig (189,000 posts). 

Meanwhile, Cillian Murphy, who plays J. Robert Oppenheimer, has racked up the most posts of his cast at about 63,000. That’s definitely a significant number, but it’s still no match for Barbie’s biggest names. 

But where are these posters located? For both Oppenheimer and Barbie, the vast majority of posts and reposts are coming from authors based in the United States. Notably, posts about Barbie are more distributed across other countries, with Brazil generating the second-highest volume of posts, followed by the United Kingdom and Sri Lanka. For Oppenheimer, almost 50% of posts are coming from the United States, while 2.7%, the second-highest volume, are originating in the United Kingdom.

Part of Barbie’s long history is that she was almost exclusively marketed to girls — that gender skew is reflected in the author demographics of social media posts about the Barbie movie. Many more women are posting about Barbie than men, 58% of whom are between the ages of 18 and 24. 

On the flip side, a higher proportion of men than women are posting about Oppenheimer, with 52.7% of them being between the ages of 18 to 24. And while both films are generating some buzz with the 25 to 34 age group, a higher proportion of authors ages 35 and up are posting about Oppenheimer than Barbie.

When it comes to sentiment, about 40% of posts about Barbie are positive compared to 7.5% of negative ones. Sentiment about Oppenheimer, which covers much graver subject matter, is understandably more mixed. About 27% of posts are positive compared to about 12% of negative ones.

Tip: Learn more about The What, Why And How of Sentiment Analysis and about Sentiment Analysis API

In the end, both Barbie and Oppenheimer are drawing the kind of attention any movie maker dreams about. But, as the consumer intelligence data shows, it is undeniably a blockbuster Barbie summer. 

Learn more about how Meltwater's consumer intelligence platform can help you understand what drives your audience — get a free demo by filling out the form below.

Barbie vs. Oppenheimer: Which Movie Is Making the Biggest Social Media Impact? How the Barbie and Oppenheimer movies compare in social media buzz

Barbie vs. Oppenheimer in Social Media Numbers

Barbie vs. Oppenheimer: Which Movie Is Making the Biggest Social Media Impact?

From changing digital payment habits to bank mergers and acquisitions, there has been plenty to discuss in the banking and financial services sector so far this year. While finance-related conversations are thriving in the digital world, some platforms are seeing more money mentions than others. We used our social listening and analytics platform to measure mentions of banking and financial services keywords across 10 sources from the first half of 2023. Here is where finance keyword mentions have decreased and increased.

Tip: Get more finance industry insights in our sector report: 2023 Industry Snapshot: Banking and Financial Services. 

Of the 10 sources we analyzed, finance and banking keyword mentions only fell on Pinterest and blogs.

Volume change compared to previous period: -19% (-880K mentions)

On social blogs, the 2023 finance conversation has been on the decline. This may be due to other sources drawing bigger audiences in previous months. Some of the top blogs that had the most mentions answered common banking and finance questions and provided timely market updates and analysis. [Note: This analysis looked at blog mentions from January 1 through May 31, 2023, due to changes in how we index Wordpress blogs. All other insights in this blog are based on data from January 1 through June 30, 2023.]

Volume change compared to previous period: -1% (-2K mentions)

Though finance mentions on Pinterest lagged slightly in February and March, the conversation began rebounding in May. Some of the most engaging content on the platform was about saving money.

Mentions of finance keywords increased across Twitch, podcasts, forums, Reddit, broadcast, news, and Twitter. Each of those conversations had significant spikes in March, during the collapses of multiple U.S. banks.

Volume change compared to previous period: +37% (+5.4M mentions)

Finance conversations boomed on Twitter during the March bank collapses, but one of the most engaged Tweets was a joke. In it, the Tweeter says they reached “financial freedom” via “liquidating assets” by buying iced coffees, sodas, and smoothies every day. It racked up 29.4K retweets and 158.9K likes.  

Volume change compared to previous period: +21% (+450K mentions)

Broadcast news coverage in 2023 spiked on March 13, 16, and 20 and May 1, each corresponding with news breaks about the collapses of Signature Bank, Silicon Valley Bank, Credit Suisse, and First Republic Bank. 

Volume change compared to previous period: +24% (+162 mentions)

There was also a tiny increase in finance mentions on Twitch, known primarily for video game content. The livestream platform has a very niche community of stock market and crypto enthusiasts.

Volume change compared to previous period: +18% (+11.3K mentions)

Finance talk on podcasts is rising slightly, likely related to more popular news podcasts covering this year’s prominent finance stories. Notably, one of the podcast episodes that had the biggest impact was The Ramsey Show’s April 4 episode “Do I Need a Credit Card for International Travel? (Hour 2),” which reached 242 million listeners. 

Tip: Take a look at the best finance podcasts to listen to.

Volume change compared to previous period: +16% (+1.7M mentions)

As with broadcast news coverage, finance mentions in news sources grew, spiking along with major news breaks during the spring banking crisis. One of the finance-focused news articles that had the biggest impact on social media was Ghanian outlet Starrfm Online’s piece “Standard Bank, PAPSS partner to enhance cross-border payment across Africa”. Its Social Echo — meaning the number of times it was shared, commented on, and reacted to on social media — was 773K. 

Tip: Check out our finance industry report for more data on digital payment methods. 

Volume change compared to previous period: +9% (+180K mentions)

As they did on forums, people looking to chat finance converged on Reddit in March. The top five subreddits for finance mentions were: 

r/wallstreetbets (84,800 mentions from 14 million members)

r/personalfinance (63,500 mentions from 17.9 million members)

r/Superstonk (56,200 mentions from 885,000 members)

r/PersonalFinanceCanada (41,300 mentions from 1.2 million members)

r/AskReddit (33,400 mentions from 41.7 million members)

Tip: Learn more about finance conversations on Reddit in our finance sector report. 

Volume change compared to previous period: +2% (+30K mentions)

Forums grew as a site for finance conversations during the spring banking crisis. The top forum, with 229K mentions, was tickerreport.com.

From sharing saving advice to commenting on industry upheavals, finance conversations are alive and well, offering a wealth of insights into consumer opinions, perceptions, and behaviors. Learn more about how banking and financial services organizations can use media and social intelligence to uncover rising trends and opportunities in our sector report 2023 Industry Snapshot: Banking and Financial Services. 

Read this blog with a Meltwater social and media intelligence analysis of the global finance conversation so far this year (2023) and stay on top of trends.

Global finance conversations in 2023 (so far)

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer and all non-straight, non-cisgender people across the globe have a long history of resistance against dehumanization, disenfranchisement, and injustice. In fact, it was the Stonewall Uprisings in New York City in 1969 that birthed Pride Month, the annual celebration of LGBTQ+ culture and rights. 

Despite the progress LGBTQ+ communities have fought for and won, their human rights and safety are continuously at great risk. In the United States, for example, many state legislatures are rolling back sexual orientation and gender identity protections as hate crimes against LGBTQ+ people are on the rise. As of June 9, 2023, the American Civil Liberties Union was tracking the progress of 491 anti-LGBTQ bills across the country.

Marketing and advertising are not immune, as shown by recent conservative backlash against major brands that market Pride collections or partner with LGBTQ+ content creators and organizations. We asked two Meltwater customers what companies and brands need to do better.

What are some of the mistakes brands make when it comes to LGBTQ+ representation?

Michael Kaye, Director of Brand Marketing and Communications at Archer, Match Group’s social-first dating app for gay men: Cisgender, gay men cannot be the default. The LGBTQ+ community includes all body types, ethnicities, identities, and races. When brands only show one silo of the community, it comes off as clearly performative and shows they were just trying to check off a box. There especially needs to be more transgender inclusion in advertising and marketing to ensure that all members of the LGBTQ+ community are represented in these conversations.

What responsibilities do companies that feature LGBTQ communities in their marketing and advertising have?

Bobby MacPherson, Director of Operations at Pride Toronto, the not-for-profit organization behind the largest Pride festival in Canada: To not make superficial, one-off campaigns. Pinkwashing happens every year. To me, it's about creating more than just that one-time campaign that is aired just in June. How do you build that campaign that's reoccurring, year-long, meaningful, and always growing? How do you continue that campaign year after year, and adapt it to whatever that community needs are?

It's just not a checkbox, you're doing it because you're trying to push a boundary a bit. For example, I understand there's always a fine line with businesses and what they can dabble in relation to politics and political things, but what frustrates me a lot of the time is, sure, 2SLGBTQ+ rights may be political, but this is also, for some, the fight to live. Why are we politicizing that? 

Just recently, we tried to feature art that was highlighting 2SLGBTQ+ folks in Ukraine and sharing their story, but we were rejected by so many places because it was too political and people want to just focus on the fun of Pride. I have goosebumps sharing that with you.

So to me, I understand we have business agendas. Sure, I would love to focus on the positive all the time too. Who wouldn't? But that's not the reality. So tying that back to the original question, it's really about authenticity. If people aren't willing to be there in the good and the bad, then don't bother doing a campaign.

What questions should companies and brands ask themselves as they work to be more inclusive of LGBTQ+ communities in their marketing?

MK: Before acting, focus on education and representation. Educate yourself on the queer community by bringing in partner organizations — GLAAD, Gay Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), the Human Rights Campaign, and The Trevor Project. Ensure LGBTQ+ people are represented in your leadership teams, throughout your company, and in the room when decisions are being made. By choosing not to include the LGBTQ+ community in your marketing campaigns, brands give in to anti-LGBTQ+ activists who taint the progress of the movement thus far.

BM: A big one is, Are we avoiding stereotypes and cliches? As campaigns are being developed, the question is, How are we approaching 2SLGBTQ+ representation with authenticity and respect? That's one of the first questions I ask sponsors as they tried to get involved with Pride Toronto. The other one is, How are they consulting with the 2SLGBTQ+ community? Often, what I find is people just hire a marketing firm to work with Pride Toronto, and it doesn't really represent the community or the brand they're representing. But, we want to be working with a campaign with their senior leadership to make sure that these are the values of the organization, not just some kind of checkbox. 

And, How are they supporting 2SLGBTQ+ causes and initiatives year long? Not only in a campaign, but also in how that going back to the community. Most importantly, one of the questions I would suggest is, Are we being open to learning, evolving, and growing whatever that campaign is to something larger?

Why is LGBTQ+ representation in marketing and advertising important?

MK: At a time when homophobia is on the rise and anti-transgender legislation is sweeping the nation, the LGBTQ+ community needs support. And there are benefits to rallying behind the community, too. 

It’s better for business. Companies that commit to LGBTQ+ inclusion attract and retain top talent, and have stronger relationships with customers and key stakeholders. According to the Edelman Trust Barometer, a global survey conducted by public relations firm Edelman, more than 51% of Americans said they were more likely to work for a pro-LGBTQ company and 34% of consumers said they were more likely to buy from a brand that expressed support for LGBTQ rights, per CNBC.

The community is growing more proud and less avoidable as this demographic grows. In 2023, the percentage of adults in the United States that identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or something other than heterosexual doubled from a decade ago according to Gallup. Businesses who do not clearly support the LGBTQ+ community will lose out on them as consumers as well as see decreased sales from their allies.

BM: 2SLGBTQ+ representation in marketing and advertising is crucial for promoting diversity, fostering inclusivity, advocating for equal rights, and creating positive social change. It benefits society at large and embraces the richness of human diversity, promoting acceptance and understanding. Even that question, when I think about it, really helps us reflect on what diversity and inclusivity means. 

Marketing and advertising has really a significant impact on shaping societal norms and attitudes. By including 2SLGBTQ+ individuals in themes, in campaigns, highlighting them, companies can promote a more inclusive and diverse representation of society. It feeds into helping to combat stereotypes, break down different barriers, foster that acceptance, and really embrace the difference of sexual orientations and gender identities.

Learn more about best practices for LGBTQ+ representation in marketing and advertising in GLAAD’s LGBTQ Inclusion in Advertising and Media study and Inclusive Marketing resource page developed with Google.

Interviews: This blog covers the importance of LGBTQ+ representation in marketing, according to Pride Toronto and Archer.

LGBTQ+ Representation in Marketing

Why LGBTQ+ Representation in Marketing is Important

To put it simply, 2023 has been a harrowing year for LGBTQ+ communities all over the world, from the expansion of Russia’s anti-LGBTQ content laws to the surge of anti-transgender legislation across the United States. Online, LGBTQ+ people, communities, organizations, and their allies are using social media to share news, resources, and updates on those threats, but they are also using those platforms to share stories of progress and resistance. 

We used our Meltwater social listening and analytics platform to find the more hopeful stories of LGBTQ+ resistance that had the biggest impacts on social media. The following stories (from 2023 so far) achieved high social echo scores, which show the number of times the article was posted to, shared, or engaged with on Facebook and Twitter. With them, social media users around the globe are attempting to spread some hope. Because, in the words of the late politician and gay activist Harvey Milk, “The only thing [young gay people] have to look forward to is hope. And you have to give them hope!”

Ryan Murphy Honors LGBTQ Actors in Golden Globes Speech

This January blog post from CNN made a huge splash across social media, highlighting just how eager users were to share the news of a prominent gay figure in entertainment honoring his peers. When producer Ryan Murphy accepted the 2023 Carol Burnett Award at the Golden Globes, he highlighted the contributions of actors Billy Porter, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Niecy Nash-Betts, Matt Bomer, and Jeremy Pope to LGBTQ+ representation in pop culture. He also offered them up as examples of progress, stating:

When I was a young person at home in the '70s watching The Carol Burnett Show, I never ever saw a person like me getting an award or even being a character on a TV show. It's hard being an LGBTQ kid in America, in fact all over the world then and now. And I have one word for you: Florida. You are often told you will never become anything, you have to hide your light to survive. But for those kids watching tonight, I offer up M.J. and Billy and Niecy and Matt and Jeremy as examples of possibility. There is a way forward. Use them as your North Stars. 

Transgender Day of Visibility: Minister Luan | Déclaration du ministre sur la Journée de la visibilité trans

Governmental press releases aren’t normally popular on social media, but this one posted to the Government of Alberta’s blog on March 31 stands apart. Social media users spread Minister of Culture Jason Luan’s statement recognizing transgender, nonbinary, and two-spirit Albertans for Transgender Day of Visibility far and wide. 

43-Year-Old Used Her Life Savings to Open a Bar that Only Plays Women’s Sports—It Brought in Almost $1 million in 8 months

Who knew bargoers were so hungry for a place to gather around women’s sports? Jenny Nguyen, a lesbian business owner from Portland, OR, that’s who! This CNBC story reporting on the success of Nguyen’s bar The Sports Bra — which only shows women’s sports on its TVs — was a much-shared, feel-good story in April. While the article focuses on Nguyen’s business, it also mentions the part her identity played in the ideation process:

Nguyen, who came out as a lesbian at age 17, says she doesn’t always feel welcome at most traditional sports bars. The Sports Bra could help her, and anyone else who’d rarely felt accepted in other sports establishments, feel like she belonged. “I thought about, if we can even get one kid in here and have them feel like they belong in sports, it’d be worth it,” she says.

Kelsea Ballerini and CMT Music Awards Drag Queens Explain Message Behind Performance (Exclusive)

This year, legislators in the U.S. state of Tennessee have passed multiple anti-LGBTQ+ laws, including a bill heavily restricting drag show performances. This has sparked many protests and demonstrations — one of which saw country artist Kelsea Ballerini highlighting drag queens during her performance at the 2023 CMT Music Awards. Entertainment news outlet ET interviewed the featured drag queens — Kennedy Davenport, Manila Luzon, Jan Sport, and Oliva Lux — to get their takes on that performance’s impact. Luzon told ET:

Just like all these amazing country music artists, we drag queens are also artists. And we deserve a space to be ourselves, express ourselves, and create something wonderful for everyone to enjoy.

Charlize Theron Warns She'll 'F--- Anybody Up' Who Comes for Drag Queens: 'We're in Your Corner'

People reported on actor Charlize Theron’s appearance at the Drag Isn’t Dangerous telethon, where she stated:

We love you, queens. We're in your corner and we've got you, and I will f--- anybody up who's trying to f--- with anything with you guys… There are so many things that are hurting and, really, killing our kids, and we all know what I'm talking about right now and it ain't no drag queen — because if you've ever seen a drag queen lip-sync for her life, it only makes you happier, it only makes you love more, it makes you a better person.

This article, like the others on this list, was shared by people celebrating the news, as well as those with hateful intentions. However, its popularity shows just how much impact mainstream stars can have when they make it a point to support LGBTQ+ communities.

These stories have offered glimmers of hope for progress across social media, but, sadly, anti-LGBTQ+ articles by far-right extremist outlets like The Daily Wire are also some of the most shared on social media. As GLAAD has noted, anti-LGBTQ efforts from white supremacists and religious extremists have been sharply rising over the past year. 

Sharing stories of LGBTQ+ joy and resistance is one small way that supportive internet users push back against the onslaught of hate. Along with protesting for, donating to, and voting for pro-LGBTQ+ movements, next time you see a story that gives you hope, consider taking a moment to share the good news. You never know who might need to see it. 

Read this blog to learn about and take a look at the 5 LGBTQ+ articles that have made a big impact on social media this year.

5 of the Most-Shared Pro-LGBTQ+ Articles of 2023 So Far

Every April 22, the world celebrates Earth Day, an opportunity to rally together to raise awareness of the global environmental movement. And though the first Earth Day was observed in 1970, it took more than a decade before “green” products — that is, those specifically marketed as environmentally friendly — made their way to mainstream store shelves. According to Fast Company, the number of new green household products doubled between 1989 and 1990. 

Today, eco-friendly products are everywhere in every form as demand for them continues to grow. We used Explore, our social intelligence platform, to learn more about how consumers have been talking about “green” products over the past year. 

Social Mention Volumes: The Christmas Day Plunge

From April 1, 2022 through March 31, 2023, there were 31.3 million social media mentions of “green” product-related keywords — including “sustainable”, “compostable”, “eco-friendly”, and “zero-waste”. That represents a 356% increase compared to the previous 12 months. 

Earth Day 2022 was understandably the top day for mentions of “green” keywords, but they dipped dramatically on December 25, 2022, making Christmas an especially uncommon day for online conversations about eco-friendly products.

#Sustainable was the top hashtag in the global eco-friendly conversation. It was followed by #savesoil, which refers to the global movement to fight soil degradation. 

Other top hashtags included #organic, #ecofriendly, and #plantbased.

The most-shared link was the homepage of the Save Soil movement. It was followed by “How plastic pollution is choking the planet, and what’s being done about it,” a Global News article about plastic waste. Each of these pieces of content shows how eager participants in this conversation are to discover opportunities to join the fight against climate change. 

r/Vegan, the vegan Reddit forum with more than 1.2 million members, racked up 49.3K mentions off our “green” keywords list. It was followed by r/AskReddit, the site’s advice forum, and r/ZeroWaste, a low- and zero-waste lifestyle forum. 

From April 1, 2022 through March 31, 2023, there were 130K mentions of “green” keywords across product reviews, at an average of 357 per day. Excluding reviews marked as posted as part of a promotion, mentions were again fewest on Christmas Day 2022. However, they spiked on April 11, 2022, with “food” and “plant” among the top keywords.

Food and drink products were the top topics of these reviews. Home and garden as well as beauty and fitness products were also highly-mentioned. 

From product reviews to social media touch points like r/Vegan and #sustainable, consumers look to one another to discover effective “green” products online. Reddit may be joining platforms like Pinterest as a top product discovery destination. As Earth Day comes and goes, so does a good amount of eco-focused marketing messaging. But brands committed to fighting the climate crisis all year long may have opportunities to differentiate themselves during the holiday season. 

Want to learn how to extract insights like these for your brand? Schedule a demo today to see what Meltwater’s social intelligence solutions can do for you. 

An analysis of social media mentions of "green" keywords like "eco-friendly", "biodegradable", and "zero-waste".

What Brands Can Learn from “Green” Keywords

What Brands Can Learn from a Year of “Green” Keyword Mentions

Wondering how the 2023 March Madness hype played out online? As the college basketball tournament gains more fans each year, the digital conversations surrounding it hold a lot of insights for sports industry brands. We used our social listening solution to look at what NCAA Division I basketball tournament topics got everyone’s keyboards clattering. 

March Madness is the annual championship basketball tournament for teams in the top competitive tier of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the main governing body of college sports in the United States, as well as some schools in Canada. 

Wondering how the 2023 March Madness hype played out online? Let's look at 2023 March Madness online conversations using our social intelligence tool.

Ann-Derrick Gaillot

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Happy International Women’s Day, 2022!