Case Study: Analysis of Avon UK Twitter Followers
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Case Study: Analysis of Avon UK Twitter Followers
Segmenting @Avon_UK followers according to Twitter behavior
Background Avon Overview
Avon’s direct sell business has a natural social component. Rather
than selling directly to the end customer, Avon relies on a network One of the largest
of independent sales Representatives. These Representatives build direct selling
businesses in the
their businesses through their personal connections, reaching out
world with over $11B
via traditional methods like word of mouth and more recently in annual revenue
through social networking. Network of over 6
million
Avon can benefit from social media sites in several ways. They can Representatives
communicate with their Representatives and also directly with their Spans more than 100
end customers. Representatives can also communicate with their countries
customers, conveying news such as new product offerings and Product offerings are
special deals. Understanding how Representatives and customers in beauty, fashion,
use social media can help Avon communicate with them more and home
Independent Avon
effectively.
Representatives sell
products through
Why analyze Twitter followers?
brochures and on-line
Twitter is one of the largest and most popular
social media sites in the world and has a strong “In the UK, Avon now reaches
following in the UK. In fact, the UK is estimated to one in three women, with six
have the “fourth-largest number of Twitter users in million women seeing an
the world” (Arthur). Activity on Twitter is typically Avon brochure every three
publicly visible (unless the user specifically elects to protect their weeks.” (About Avon)
account), and Twitter allows some very rich information to be
pulled directly from their site.
6565 Penn Avenue
(412)362-2000 www.msa.com
Pittsburgh, PA 15206
Avon’s UK Twitter feed, @Avon_UK, has a strong following on Twitter with over 50,000
followers. Avon UK provides a variety of engaging content including contests, special offers, and
beauty tips. Tremendous insights can be gained by performing a cluster analysis using Twitter
data on people connected to @Avon_UK. The followers can be clustered based on their
common interests and their Twitter activity. The different characteristics of the groups can be
identified and recommendations made on how to reach each type of Avon UK follower. The
results can be used to determine engagement opportunities as well as possible ways to incent
Reps and customers.
Results and Analysis
Methodology
Management Science Associates Inc. (MSA) extracted data on all the followers of @Avon_UK.
Data extracted included who else they follow (referred to as friends), number of people
following them (followers), and how often they Tweet. This study then clustered and profiled
the @Avon_UK followers based on who else they follow on Twitter. Clusters are therefore
defined by common interests and not based on demographics; in fact, minimal demographic
information is available.
Where is Lady Gaga?
Pop star Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) has the greatest number of Twitter followers, over 25 million.
As expected she also has a large following among @Avon_UK followers (46%). Looking across
clusters, she is always one of the top ten people being followed by each cluster. This tells us
that there is nothing unique or unusual about following Lady Gaga.
Profiling of clusters is therefore based on indices. For example, 7% of
@Avon_UK followers also follow @avonwalks, the official Twitter page of the
Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. However, 21% of a cluster within the Beauty &
Social Media Tools segment follows @avonwalks, giving them an index of
around 300 for the cluster. A much greater than expected percentage of this
(“@avonwalks cluster follows @avonwalks.
profile photo”,
2013)
2
6565 Penn Avenue
(412)362-2000 www.msa.com
Pittsburgh, PA 15206
Top Indices
Simple profiling shows the accounts that are most commonly followed by the @Avon_UK
followers. These Twitter accounts are uniformly popular across clusters and are therefore not
used for profiling purposes. However, they are highly engaging for @Avon_UK followers and
can be subjects for “get this look” videos, discussion items on Twitter feeds, and free music,
movie or television downloads.
% of
# of
Twitter Description @Avon_UK
Followers
Following
Official Twitter of American singer-songwriter Lady
@ladygaga Gaga, who's had international success in the genres 25.6 MM 46%
of pop, dance, electronic, and rock
Official Twitter of American singer-songwriter and
@katyperry actress Katy Perry, who's had international success 21.1 MM 46%
in the genres of pop, rock, dance, and gospel
Official Twitter of Barbadian recording artist and
@rihanna 20.5 MM 43%
actress Rihanna in the genres of R&B & pop
Official Twitter of Fearne Cotton, an English
@Fearnecotton 3.4 MM 42%
television and radio presenter for BBC Radio 1
Official Twitter of television presenter and model
Holly Willoughby, currently a presenter on the
@hollywills 2.5 MM 41%
shows This Morning, Celebrity Juice, and The Voice
UK
Official Twitter of Victoria Beckham, former Spice
@victoriabeckham Girls singer and English fashion designer. She is 3.8 MM 39%
married to famous footballer David Beckham
Official Twitter of Jessie J, the English singer and
@JessieJ songwriter in the genres of R&B, pop, hip hop, 4.6 MM 38%
dance pop, and soul
Twitter of Alan Carr, an English stand-up comedian,
@AlanCarr 2.4 MM 37%
TV presenter, and host of Alan Carr's: Chatty Man
Twitter of English singer-songwriter Cheryl Cole in
@CherylCole 2.3 MM 36%
the genres of pop and R&B
Twitter of Peter Andre, an English and Australian
@MrPeterAndre 2.1 MM 35%
singer-songwriter in the genres of R&B and pop
3
6565 Penn Avenue
(412)362-2000 www.msa.com
Pittsburgh, PA 15206Segments
Four distinct segments, each with underlying clusters, emerged from a more sophisticated
analysis using segmentation techniques:
Segment Median
Segment Description # of Tweets / # of
Friends Week Followers
Beauty & Social Media Tools: Follow Avon’s other Twitter
262 2.7 74
accounts as well as Social Media Tools
Fashion News & Comedy: Follow fashion industry news
407 4.8 109
and an eclectic mix of comedians and political accounts
Cutting Edge Beauty: Follow accounts for beauty sites with
edgy, dramatic looks as well as sites focusing on samples of 501 8.1 148
the latest products
Music & TV: Follow personalities from reality TV shows
589 8.4 156
and pop music stars
Beauty & Social Media Tools
This segment Tweets less, has fewer followers, and follows fewer Twitters
compared to the other segments. What differentiates them is that they show
additional interest in Avon and in social media tools. For example, many of the
clusters in this segment over-index on Avon’s other Twitter accounts, as well
as for social media management tools like @hootsuite and @addthis. Social
media management tools are often automatic follows when a person signs up
(“@AddThis profile
photo”, 2013) to use their services. Although this may not be a true decision on the part of
the segment to follow those Twitter accounts, it still indicates that the people
in this segment have a strong interest in the tools.
This segment is also likely to have a high concentration of Avon Representatives. There is no
way to match Twitter IDs to Avon account data, so it is impossible to know the true percentage
of @Avon_UK followers who are Avon Representatives. However, some people identify
themselves as Representatives in their Twitter description, and the vast majority of these people
fall into this segment.
4
6565 Penn Avenue
(412)362-2000 www.msa.com
Pittsburgh, PA 15206All of these traits indicate that Representatives are interested in finding ways to effectively sell
Avon via social media.
Recommendations for the Beauty & Social Media segment include:
Create tools and tips to help the Avon Representatives in this segment become better
sellers.
Focus on tips that help them use social media to their advantage to better market
themselves and sell products.
Use How-to Videos to engage this segment; it is extremely focused on cosmetics and
follows makeup artists that specialize in creating makeup video demonstrations.
Fashion News & Comedy
This segment has average activity on Twitter and an average number of other
people following them. Their primary interests are fashion news, comedians,
and politics. Fashion industry trade journal Women’s Wear Daily was one of
the highest indexing accounts for all the clusters within this segment. Given
the focus on industry news, politics, and more adult humor, this segment
(“@womensweardaily
may have a more professional demographic as well.
profile photo”, 2013)
Recommendations for the Fashion News & Comedy segment include:
Tweet about general fashion news from Avon.
Create a magazine focusing on industry news and happenings.
Consider Tweeting fun makeup facts.
o Did you know the Egyptians invented makeup in 4000 BC? Surviving paintings
depict men and women wearing makeup, especially to highlight their eyes.
Promote interview looks and ways to stand out at work.
Promote networking events for professional women.
Cutting Edge Beauty
People in this segment are very focused on what is new. One of the highest indexing accounts
being followed is a beauty site focusing on very edgy, dramatic looks. Accounts featuring
subscription sample services are also quite popular, indicating a strong interest in trying out new
products. This segment tends to be more active on Twitter, so engaging content is more likely
to be shared with others.
5
6565 Penn Avenue
(412)362-2000 www.msa.com
Pittsburgh, PA 15206Recommendations for the Cutting Edge Beauty segment include:
Given their interest in edgy looks, provide on-line content and videos
that show followers How-to Create the Dramatic Look.
Use the top followed Twitter feeds as inspiration for a how-to video.
o Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, and Jessie J are popular across all
clusters and tend to have very theatrical looks appealing to
this segment.
Take the extravagant beauty styles from the runway to everyday by (“@JessieJ profile
showing how to adapt these over-the-top looks into something photo”, 2013)
everyone can wear.
Offer sample sizes of the new products Avon is offering in the same package for a
discounted price.
Music & TV
This segment Tweets more, has a greater number of followers, and follows
more things. What distinguishes them is that their interests on Twitter are
mainly for entertainment purposes.
The underlying clusters follow hit Reality TV-show actors from series’ like
The Only Way is Essex and popular singers from bands like The Saturdays.
(“@TheSaturdays
profile photo”, 2013)
Recommendations for the Music & TV segment include:
Consider advertising during shows that over-index for this segment or other similar
television series.
Use contestants from the shows as spokes people.
Try product placement advertising.
Run a contest where the prize is tickets to a concert.
Encourage live Tweeting at popular events.
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6565 Penn Avenue
(412)362-2000 www.msa.com
Pittsburgh, PA 15206Conclusion
This study’s findings are directly based on the follower’s on-line behavior, not demographics or
perceptions. Therefore, many interests and characteristics can be uncovered that might not be
exposed in a traditional survey.
Questions a Twitter-based segmentation can answer:
What are your distinct clusters of followers, and how varied are they from one another?
Which TV shows, musical acts, and celebrities resonate most with your followers?
Which of your competitors are your followers following, and how strong is the overlap?
What kind of content will engage your followers?
o For example, finding that your followers have a love for fun facts presents an
opportunity to provide content they are likely to find engaging and even willing
to re-Tweet.
Does your company have a specific niche group of followers?
Are there specific magazines or retailers that are popular Twitter feeds?
Are there areas where you can expand your company offerings?
Possible Additional Analyses:
The competitive landscape can be further understood by performing a similar analysis
on a top competitor.
Determine the attitudes and opinions of each cluster by running a sentiment analysis on
each cluster’s Tweets.
If you would like more information on how to get your own Twitter Follower Analysis or other
customized analysis for your business, please contact Management Science Associates, Inc.
Contact Information
Armeen Gould
Business Development Director
412-362-2000
6565 Penn Avenue
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15206-4490
AGould@MSA.com
www.msa.com
7
6565 Penn Avenue
(412)362-2000 www.msa.com
Pittsburgh, PA 15206References
About Avon. (n.d.). AVON the company for women United Kingdom. Retrieved from
http://www.avon.uk.com/PRSuite/whoWeAreMain.page
Arthur, C. (2012, May 15). Twitter now has 10m users in UK. The Guardian. Retrieved from
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/may/15/twitter-uk-users-10m
@AddThis profile photo. (2013). [Web Photo]. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/addthis
@avonwalks profile photo. (2013 ). [Web Photo]. Retrieved from
https://twitter.com/avonwalks
@JessieJ profile photo. (2013). [Web Photo]. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/jessiej
@TheSaturdays profile photo. (2013). [Web Photo]. Retrieved from
https://twitter.com/thesaturdays
@womensweardaily profile photo. (2013). [Web Photo]. Retrieved from
https://twitter.com/womensweardaily
8
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(412)362-2000 www.msa.com
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