The countdown to Black Friday has begun, and social media in Greece is buzzing with posts and comments! Consumers are expressing their expectations, concerns, and… complaints about the big shopping day on November 29. Let’s dive into the insights gathered through Digital Listening to understand the prevailing sentiment leading up to the event!
Social Media Buzz
From November 1 to November 17, 2024, a total of 3,373 references about Black Friday were recorded on social media. As the date approaches, interest is steadily increasing. X (Twitter) leads the way with 57% of references, followed by Facebook at 25%. Forums and Reddit also show notable activity (6%), often hosting in-depth discussions about deals and product features.
Black Friday Trending Topics
The level of engagement is high, as evidenced by the diversity of topics and keywords driving conversations. The hashtag #blackfriday dominates, serving as the primary means of participation. Other related hashtags, such as #sales and #black_friday, support the general discussion. Brand-specific hashtags like #kotsovolos, #adidas, and #plaisio reveal users’ focus on particular retailers and products.
Humorous phrases like “μπλακ φραιντεϊ” and “Black Friday λες” bring a more personal and often comedic tone to the discourse. Terms like “μετρο_θεσσαλονικης” and “λευκή νύχτα” highlight local events and trends influencing the conversation. Cyber Monday also makes an appearance, illustrating the connection between these two commercial events. Irony is not absent, with emojis such as 🤡 🤣 😂 often accompanying critiques of discounts.
Dominant Sentiment
The sentiment analysis reveals that only 1% of references expresses positivity, while a concerning 17% is negative. Common complaints include low or misleading discounts and technical issues with online orders during Black Friday. The overwhelmingly neutral tone suggests room for improvement in businesses’ communication strategies.
Influential Voices on Social Media
Prominent news accounts actively shape the discourse on X (Twitter), significantly influencing public opinion. Accounts like SKAI (705,547 followers) lead the discussion, followed by personalities like journalist Nikos Chatzinikolaou and other news accounts like Protothema and Enikos. Apart from X, Digital Listening tools provide comprehensive lists of top authors across different platforms, including forums and Reddit.
Leveraging the Buzz
Black Friday presents a golden opportunity for businesses, but success requires strategic execution. Here are some actionable ideas based on insights from Digital Listening:
- Address Concerns: Prioritize transparency and mitigate misunderstandings about discounts.
- Discover Trends: Leverage hashtags and viral phrases already in use for maximum visibility.
- Invest in Strategic Partnerships: Identify and collaborate with influential voices across platforms.
- Engage the Right Time: Analyze peak posting times for each platform to optimize engagement.
Conclusion
The conversation surrounding Black Friday 2024 has already gained momentum and will undoubtedly remain one of the year’s most talked-about commercial events. This analysis demonstrates the power of Digital Listening as a tool for brands to gain real-time market insights. By monitoring social media, businesses can identify consumer trends, understand public concerns and sentiment, and recognize key influencers shaping the narrative. These insights are invaluable for optimizing marketing strategies and refining communication efforts.
Analysis Details
- Digital Listening Tool: Brandwatch
- Timeframe: November 1–17, 2024
- Sources: Social media (with each platform’s limitations)
- Keywording/Analysis: Clip News
This analysis provides an indicative approach, noting that variations in social media data sample and timeframe could produce different insights.
Although Clip News has over three decades of experience in the Media Monitoring & Analysis sector, it continues to innovate and adapt to the challenges of the modern digital world. Through the development of Artificial Intelligence tools and the expertise and experience of its analysts, it offers new capabilities to all communication professionals.
In today’s era, where technological advancements, particularly artificial intelligence, are transforming communication, Clip News has strategically invested in maintaining its leadership in the Media Intelligence sector. The company’s Chairman and CEO, Theofilos Argyriadis, along with Managing Director Theodoros Anastasilakis, Vice President Media Intelligence Katerina Kechagia, Reporting & Analysis Manager Anna Plomaritou, and IT Manager Aspa Nasiou, explain how the combination of AI & Human Expertise emerges as the ultimate tool for companies’ marketing and communication strategies.
MW: What is Clip News’ philosophy and how has the company evolved over the last 30 years?
Theofilos Argyriadis: Our primary focus has always been to provide reliable and immediate information to the businesses that trust us, alongside advanced analyses that decode the messages they receive and transform them into action. The triad Monitor – Analyse – Predict perfectly encapsulates our philosophy. Our vision for the future is to remain pioneers in the Greek market, offering innovative services that combine technological advancements with our team’s expertise. Through strategic collaborations, such as with the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, and keeping a close eye on global developments in Media Intelligence, our goal is to deliver tools that enable brands to deeply understand their reputation, identify opportunities and threats, and make real-time strategic decisions.
MW: Intellectual property rights are a hot topic. What are the latest developments and how does Clip News ensure compliance?
Theofilos Argyriadis: Clip News is fully licensed for the media monitoring services it provides. We were among the first companies to participate in the Licensing Program (ΑδΥΑ) of the Greek Collecting Society for Literary Works (OSDEL), initially for print media and, as of August 2024, for the internet as well. This program ensures that all parties involved operate legally, respecting the effort and investment of the Greek media, both print and online. This licensing guarantees that creators’ intellectual property rights are respected and compensated, allowing our subscribers to use monitoring services without legal concerns. It is therefore crucial that those receiving monitoring services, whether from print or online media, choose a company participating in the ΑδΥΑ program.
MW: You recently developed your own AI tools. What exactly do they offer?Aspa Nasiou: In collaboration with the Intelligent Systems Lab (IS Lab) of the Department of Informatics at Aristotle University, we developed
AI tools for media data analysis. These tools are based on Greek language models, enabling us to achieve high prediction accuracy regarding data sentiment. For the first time, we can recognize emotions (sadness, joy, anger, etc), detect hate speech, and identify irony. Additionally, these AI tools enable automatic tagging for every reference and data clustering since our algorithm understands the content of every collected reference.
MW: Are there other areas where AI solutions are applied in your services?
Aspa Nasiou: Clip News has made a comprehensive investment in artificial intelligence to enhance its entire service range. We have developed an updated version of our platform “Clip News Portal” incorporating advanced AI tools that automate processes. This enables us to analyze large volumes of data in real-time, delivering more accurate and up-to-date analyses. Furthermore, we will soon offer data visualization and analysis through interactive Power BI dashboards, uniquely combining offline and online media. Looking ahead, we plan to invest further in developing AI tools to strengthen our ability to monitor and analyze data, focusing on communication patterns and the prediction of threats and crises.
MW: What does Media Intelligence mean and how do Clip News subscribers benefit from it?
Katerina Kechagia: Media Intelligence refers to the collection, analysis, and use of media data to support business decisions. Businesses benefit by identifying consumer trends, improving product strategies and brand image, and analyzing competition. By monitoring discussions on social media and other media, they can make data-driven decisions rather than relying on assumptions. Media Intelligence transforms raw data into actionable insights.
MW: What is the significance of Reporting & Analysis services?
Anna Plomaritou: These services are critical for understanding and interpreting media data, enabling communication professionals to leverage them to gain deeper insights into market trends, identify influencers affecting their audience, and measure the effectiveness of their messages. We provide daily concise summaries of key publicity points in Greek or English, as well as quantitative and qualitative analyses, offering valuable insights into public perception of each brand, the main issues of interest, and how they compare to competitors. In a rapidly evolving environment with an ever-increasing volume of information and new communication channels, our services are essential for designing an effective marketing strategy.
MW: How do you combine artificial intelligence with human expertise in your Reporting & Analysis services?
Anna Plomaritou: We believe that the combination of artificial and human intelligence provides the best possible service. AI helps us quickly and accurately analyze vast amounts of data. However, analysts are the ones who shape the final conclusion, validate the data, and pinpoint critical aspects that may influence a company’s reputation. Media analysts add a human dimension, which is essential for interpreting data. This AI and Human Expertise combination enables us to deliver the most reliable insights and serves as the competitive edge of our services. It plays a decisive role in both preventing and managing publicity crises. The smart alerting system helps brand and marketing managers anticipate potential PR crises, while real-time data analysis allows them to respond appropriately and manage their communication effectively.
MW: How does your presence in international organizations impact the development of Clip News and what are the next steps following your expansion to Cyprus?
Katerina Kechagia: Clip News is an active member of FIBEP (International Association of Media Monitoring Agencies) and AMEC (International Association for Measurement and Evaluation of Communication), gaining access to international practices and technological advancements in publicity analysis. Membership in AMEC certifies the high-quality Media Analysis services we offer. Notably, within just a year of joining AMEC, we were shortlisted for the AMEC Communications, Research and Measurement Team of the Year (Small) award, recognizing our achievements in technology, investments, growth, and data-driven analysis services. Our focus is expanding into new markets, as demonstrated by our entry into Cyprus, where we are the only licensed company by the Cyprus Publishers Association to provide monitoring and analysis services. Highlighting the importance of new markets, we decided to host this month’s annual World Media Intelligence Congress of FIBEP in Cyprus, focusing on AI and its transformative impact on our services.
MW: You have successfully implemented a hybrid work model with employees across Greece. How challenging was this and what are the key elements of its success?
Theodoros Anastasilakis: Effective collaboration is key to the work models we have implemented at Clip News. These models were successfully developed during the Covid-19 pandemic and have continued, offering on-site, remote, and hybrid work options. With invaluable support from the Human Resources department, we have created a pleasant and supportive work environment and a close-knit team, despite being dispersed across various cities in Greece. Additionally, we have invested in a specialized internal training system (LMS) to continuously enhance our team’s skills and knowledge. At the same time, we place great emphasis on our social impact, supporting local communities, associations, and organizations through CSR activities in Athens and Thessaloniki, providing opportunities for all our people to participate.
MW: How do you see the future of Clip News with the continuous technological advancements?
Theofilos Argyriadis: Artificial intelligence will continue to play a central role in our evolution. However, we firmly believe that human expertise is irreplaceable. We will continue to invest in combining both of them to deliver services distinguished by accuracy and strategic value. Our next step involves exploring new markets and developing innovative services that meet the needs of modern businesses with speed and precision.
This interview was published in the 1693 issue of Marketing Week.
November is AMEC Measurement Month
As part of the Global Educational Program by AMEC (International Association for Measurement and Evaluation of Communication), November is dedicated to showcasing best practices and new trends in communication measurement and evaluation. The aim of this educational initiative is to encourage collaboration and foster innovation in the field of communication measurement, offering practical tools and strategies to professionals worldwide.
A Global Communication Initiative
The “AMEC Measurement Month” initiative spans the entire month of November on a global scale. Free events, both online and in-person, are organized by AMEC members and partner organizations, providing a unique international platform for knowledge and experience exchange. This presents an excellent opportunity for professionals in communication, public relations, and marketing to gain new insights, exchange ideas, and refine their strategies based on the latest data.
Clip News Participation in “The Art of Sales” Webinar
In this context, on November 14, 2024, Clip News Vice President Katerina Kechagia participated in the “The Art of Sales” webinar organized by AMEC. Alongside two distinguished communication industry experts, Sandra Macleod, Group CEO of Echo Research, and Jon Anders Tangnes, Chief Partnership Officer of Opoint. They exchanged ideas on tackling sales challenges and provided valuable advice from their extensive experience. The webinar was hosted by the Chairs of AMEC’s European Chapter, Simon Gebauer of OBSERVER Brand Intelligence and Sofia Karakeva of DataScouting.
Key Takeaways: Lessons from the Webinar
The “The Art of Sales” webinar highlighted essential points that can make a difference in the field of service sales, particularly in the demanding sectors of communication, public relations, media monitoring, and data analysis. Below are the key insights shared by the experts during the event:
- Understanding Needs: Understanding clients’ needs is crucial for creating targeted and effective solutions.
- Long-Term Relationships: Building trust-based relationships forms the foundation for sustainable business partnerships.
- Flexibility: Sales professionals sometimes need to adapt their solutions to fit clients’ limited budgets.
- Differentiation: Maintaining high-quality service standards is essential for distinguishing a brand from the competition.
Stay Informed!
Stay up to date on developments and global trends in the communication sector. Check out the AMEC Measurement Month calendar.
In a remarkable acknowledgment that highlights its commitment to innovation and quality, Clip News has been honored with the “AMEC Communications, Research and Measurement Organization of the Year” award in the small-sized business category. This distinction, awarded by the International Association for the Measurement and Evaluation of Communication (AMEC), is one of the highest in the global communications industry.
For Clip News, this recognition is not merely a corporate achievement but a validation of the impact that media monitoring and publicity analysis solutions can have on the planning of modern communication, PR, and marketing strategies.
The Significance of the AMEC Award for Clip News and its Clients
The AMEC recognition, from a global leader in setting standards for communication measurement and evaluation, marks a significant milestone. The “Global Communication Effectiveness Awards” are known for their rigorous criteria, acknowledging only the most innovative and impactful companies in the sector.
“Clip News is the first Greek company in the industry to be distinguished by AMEC. We are proud that the company is recognized as an entity for its technological evolution, investments, internal organization and operations, and high-level media intelligence services” stated the company’s CEO, Theofilos Argyriadis.
The company was recognized as “Organization of the Year” after an evaluation of its performance in the following categories: 1) Technology & Investment, 2) Data, Engagement & Insights, 3) Thought Leadership, 4) Turnover Growth & Footprint, 5) Achievements in Development. 
Promoting Excellence in Media Monitoring & Analysis
s a leader in media monitoring & analysis in Greece and Cyprus, along with international accounts in its portfolio, Clip News has a long history of transforming raw data into actionable insights. It offers a comprehensive range of services, including monitoring online and offline media (internet, social media, print, radio, television), qualitative analysis of publicity data, and tailor-made publicity reporting.
Through these services, Clip News supports clients in designing their communication strategies, tracking the image of brands and their competitors, identifying emerging trends, and evaluating sentiment (positive, neutral, negative). This enables businesses to respond strategically to developments, manage their reputation effectively and have real-time updates in the event of a PR crisis.
The Power of Qualitative Analysis and Insights
A cornerstone of Clip News’ success is its commitment to providing actionable insights by combining quantitative and qualitative metrics, aligned with the international standards for communication measurement and evaluation advocated by AMEC. Going beyond publicity data, Clip News offers qualitative analysis that directly enhances communication, PR, and marketing initiatives.
“Our participation in AMEC as an official member has strengthened our emphasis on qualitative publicity analysis. Our solutions are tailored to each brand’s needs, helping our clients see beyond the numbers” stated the company’s Vice President, Katerina Kechagia.
Continuing to Set the Standards in Media Intelligence
Clip News remains dedicated to investing in technology, integrating AI tools, and in a highly trained team, enhancing its capacity to monitor enormous amounts of publicity data, especially on social media. This commitment to growth ensures that it will continue helping businesses understand their media presence, make data-driven decisions, and respond effectively to this dynamic environment.
The announcement of winners and the award ceremony took place in London on November 7, 2024.
Clip News has been an official member of the International Association for the Measurement and Evaluation of Communication (AMEC) since December 2023.
What happens when a brand suddenly faces a PR crisis that threatens its reputation? Such a case can turn into a public relations nightmare – unless you manage it quickly and properly.
Let’s look at an example: A well-known company in the food and beverage sector is forced to recall batches of its products due to contamination concerns. Almost immediately, the incident triggers a wave of negative publicity on websites and reactions on social media, with consumers clearly expressing their frustration.
For companies in the FMCG sector, where consumer trust is of utmost importance, such a negative publicity crisis can be catastrophic. However, with the right tools, a crisis can become an opportunity to rebuild trust. This is where media monitoring and especially digital listening can make a difference.
Crisis Overview
In the FMCG industry, especially for companies handling consumer products such as food and beverages, product safety is a top priority. A contamination issue can escalate quickly as consumers share their concerns on social media (like Facebook, Twitter, Forums), while the media amplifies the news across print, radio, TV, and predominantly online platforms (news websites). In this particular case, the product recall quickly became a topic of discussion, with consumers questioning the brand’s commitment to safety and transparency.
The company’s initial response failed to address the public’s main concerns. As a result, negative sentiment continued to grow, with social media users sharing their disappointment and anger. Even competitors took advantage of the situation, highlighting their own safety practices, further undermining the brand’s position in the market.
The Role of Digital Listening
This is where media monitoring -and more specifically digital listening– could have significantly changed the brand’s response strategy. By real-time monitoring sentiment, the brand could have detected the negative tone of conversations on social media and online articles from the moment the recall story started. Understanding the speed and scale of the reaction would have allowed for a faster and more tailored response aimed at addressing the concerns of both consumers and the media.
Digital listening tools go deeper than media monitoring, revealing different concerns of the public. For example, are consumers more worried about health risks or about the company’s lack of transparency? By analyzing the conversations, the brand can craft targeted messages that directly address these concerns, such as a clear explanation of the recall process or the steps being taken to ensure product safety in the future.
Moreover, digital listening allows brands to identify key influencers -journalists, bloggers, and social media personalities- who shape the conversation. Engaging directly with these online voices can help steer the narrative in the company’s favor.
Impact of a PR Crisis on the Brand
A product recall in the FMCG industry is not just a logistics challenge. It’s also a threat to the brand’s reputation, which it has built slowly and steadily over the years. Poor management of a recall can lead to a loss of consumer trust, which may take months or even years to restore.
In this case, the company’s slow and vague initial response deepened the crisis, leading to an increase in negative comments on social media and a drop in sales. This shows how ineffective management of a product recall can turn an online PR crisis into a broader business problem.
Rapid Response and Analysis
In a similar product recall incident, Clip News immediately activated its effective procedures for PR crisis cases to handle the sudden surge in media data (over 3,500 references per day for the brand on the internet and social media).
Additional shifts were created immediately, ensuring that our team of analysts was available 24/7 to monitor the situation’s evolution and regularly send updated crisis reports to the client.
The Keywording department quickly adjusted the keyword tracking on our platform, adding the most critical terms, phrases, and hashtags related to the incident. This enabled us to have full coverage of the topic without missing any publications or comments.
Although the crisis initially broke on social media, the search profile was automatically “built” across all media monitored by Clip News (internet, social media, print, radio, and television). This allowed us to immediately track when and how the story expanded across all communication channels.
Additionally, we conducted extensive tagging (breaking the issue into subcategories) and sentiment analysis (neutral, negative, positive) to provide the brand with a clear and comprehensive picture of what consumers were saying, their concerns, and emerging trends in the discussion.
Sentiment analysis categorizes your publicity references as positive, negative, or neutral, offering a detailed view of public opinion. This approach allows the brand to quickly identify areas of concern, adjust the messaging, and engage more effectively with consumers.
The combination of AI technology for speed in processing media data and our analysts‘ human expertise for accuracy ensures that you receive reliable data as quickly as possible. This is key to responding promptly to an incident of negative publicity, detecting consumer reactions early, and adapting your PR crisis management plan accordingly.
Key Takeaways
- Speed and Transparency Are Crucial: Being honest about mistakes and presenting a clear plan to address the problem is vital in handling a crisis. An effective response must target the concerns expressed by the public. Therefore, it’s critical to identify and analyze the discussions surrounding the issue in order to regain consumer trust more quickly.
- Use Digital Listening Tools for Better Results: Digital listening tools can guide a brand in shaping a more targeted response. In the first case we described, if the company had closely monitored sentiment on social media, it could have identified that consumers were more upset about the lack of transparency than the actual contamination of a specific product batch.
- Resilience through Continuous Media Monitoring: Beyond crisis incidents, continuous monitoring of a brand’s publicity helps companies identify potential issues before they escalate. By constantly monitoring how consumers perceive products and messages, brand managers can be better prepared for future challenges.
Turning a Challenge into an Opportunity
Due to the constant flow of information on the internet and especially on social media, a brand’s reputation can now be affected overnight. But with continuous media monitoring and the use of digital listening, even the toughest crises can become manageable.
Perhaps even more important is the ability to turn a PR crisis into an opportunity. By evaluating what worked effectively and what didn’t, you have the chance to improve your strategy for handling such incidents, so that next time you are prepared and can act more effectively.
For FMCG brands, where product safety is critical, media monitoring and digital listening tools are not just an option -they are a necessity. The key question for every brand is: Are you listening to what your customers are saying before it’s too late?
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