This may be the most wonderful time of the year, but it is also the busiest – between the Thanksgiving holidays and stores opening at midnight, I’m much more likely to be hidden away in my house rather than seeking out the season’s best discount. Be that as it may, the “day of deals” is always the hot button and this year was no exception: Black Friday was the topic for the November 26th installment of the Wall Street Journal [...]

Twitter and Facebook are always abuzz with the latest in news and controversy, and this past week was no exception. With a hearing on the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) underway on November 16th, the social media universe exploded with opinions on the controversial bill, so it was no surprise when it was picked as the topic for Saturday, November 19th’s Wall Street Journal Sentiment Tracker which is powered by NetBase.  In the analysis of 9,000 posts on Facebook and Twitter [...]

My last installment of the Brand Passion Index was all about looking at stores that have the perfect merchandise to accent your holiday table. This time around, I decided to look at one of my favorite items to bring to the table: a great bottle of wine to enjoy with family and friends. Living in California, I have the privilege of having lots of great wineries – and delicious bottles of wine – just a short drive away. However, since [...]

I had a feeling when I saw the news about the Joe Paterno drama that it would be the topic of choice for the Wall Street Journal Sentiment Tracker on Saturday, November 12, 2011. This subject spurred a lot of emotionally charged commentary, something NetBase is expert at analyzing. In the chart below you will see that 50% of the conversation on this matter was made up of people talking about agreeing with the decision to fire Joe for his [...]

I am so excited to announce a new addition to my blog: a weekly post from the Wall Street Journal’s Sentiment Tracker which is now powered by NetBase. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this section, it is a weekly analysis on the chatter found in Twitter and Facebook about a hot topic for that given week. The most interesting part about WSJ’s unique approach is their commitment to understanding the percentage of jokes in social network chatter [...]

If you really love Peet’s coffee, you become a Peetnik®, and have “the freshest Peet’s coffee automatically delivered straight from our artisan roastery to your door so you never run out.” The term “artisan roastery” should clue you in to Peet’s positioning—they want to be perceived as the most gourmet coffee out there. Let’s see if consumers agree. BTW, the company has some unique job titles, like Vice President of Coffee and Director of Tea. Many people would like those [...]

Wow. After trick-or-treating as Lady Gaga with Obi Wan, Minnie Mouse, Tinkerbelle, and a Dalmatian, Halloween is gone and the holiday season has officially begun. Before we talk gifts (it is still November, people – plus, the Index will get to that in a couple weeks ), my mind is more focused on preparing my home for the steady stream of relatives and visitors that the holidays always brings. This time of year is so incredibly busy, but I love [...]