Webtrends: The Great Bike Fiasco of 2009 Research Report

In a way, I started on this project before I even joined Webtrends, when I wrote a blog post titled: “Portland Bike and Marketing Freak Out.” It’s a good description of what happened when Webtrends bought an ad on the side of a TriMet train asking, “should cyclists pay a road tax?”  I stand by that analysis of the campaign today — a near miss.

Ironically, I left Pop Art shortly thereafter, and ended up at Webtrends where I was tasked to do the final analysis of the campaign. To be honest, I didn’t agree with doing it. The whole fiasco had died down, and it seemed folly to bring it up.

Since this is my portfolio section, the thing to point out here is that I did all the sentiment analysis and calculations myself. (Yes, I can do math.) And then I wrote up my conclusions for a downloadable PDF.

Our goal was to highlight our online tracking and measurement capabilities measure and analyze the content and sentiment of the resulting online conversation.

In other words, we try to understand what people say and how they feel about the topic. This measurement can be helpful for businesses and organizations who are exploring new ideas, and who want to find out how the ideas will be received, unearth misconceptions, and identify influencers.

Measuring sentiment and opinion is not a new science — public relations firms and politicians have used it for decades through opinion polls and surveys. We apply similar fundamentals and modern tools to digital conversations.

It’s not the most exciting thing in the world — I intentionally wrote it more like a flat research paper so that it wouldn’t inflame the conversation again. But given the way I naturally write (kinda like a smart ass teenager), it’s a good example of my ability to write in a different voice.

It’s also a good example of my ability to hold my nose while I do something I strenuously disagree with, both on a business and personal level.

Situational morality: That’s why I work in marketing!