The Nightmare Before (Spirit) Christmas: Social Media Reacts to Spirit Halloween Stores Transitioning to Christmas in 2024

MONTCLAIR, N.J.– On Halloween Eve, researchers from the Joetta Di Bella and Fred C. Sautter III Center for Strategic Communication in the School of Communication and Media at Montclair State University released a study examining how social media has reacted to one of the most meme-friendly brands in recent history, Spirit Halloween.

Since 1983, the popular retailer has utilized traditional mall space and failed commercial buildings to create temporary pop-up stores to sell Halloween costumes and decorations. In recent years, Spirit Halloween costumes appear as popular memes on social media, driving additional and awareness and engagement surrounding the brand. 

Google Trends and the Brandwatch platform were used to analyze more than 61,000 social media posts on X, Instagram and YouTube from October 1-October 28. Highlights include:

• This year, the volume of posts peaked on October 8, with almost 10,000 mentions coinciding with Spirit Halloween’s announcement of its new Spirit Christmas Stores. This led to a 100% increase in mentions of the brand during the studied time period.
• Search activity for Spirit Halloween is 40% lower than the brand’s high point in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the brand still clearly leads Google searches surrounding Halloween costumes since October 2022.
• Since October 2022, Spirit Halloween searches have overtaken Party City as the preferred Halloween store by by more than 30%.
• In addition to opening a record number of Spirit Halloween locations in 2024, the announcement of the addition of new Christmas themed stores attracted much attention on social media. With only 10 stores to be launched primarily in the U.S. northeast region, discussion of anticipated seasonal décor as well as photos and meet-and-greets with Spirit Christmas’s very own Santa Clause filled social media conversations.
• Tongue and cheek, “Fear” was a dominant sentiment in the posts related to the brand, along with the more understandable “Joy” feeling related to the the Spirit Christmas transition.
• Spirit Halloween’s new collaborations with popular brands like Chipotle, Uber Eats, Warner Bros., and Anne and Cinnamon to create unique costume lines, such as BEETLEJUICE, Deadpool, and meme-inspired outfits, offering fans fun options to embody their favorite personalities during the festive season. 
• Social Media discussion also surged after the brand was mocked on Saturday Night Live’s season premiere on Sept. 28, with the brand humorously responding on “X” with a meme of its own brand poking fun at the long running show.

The study was conducted by faculty Dr. Jin-A Choi, Dr. Yi Luo and Dr. Bond Benton It is the 21st study released from the School’s Joetta Di Bella and Fred C. Sautter III Center for Strategic Communication, which provides social media analytics tools and training for faculty and students for classroom learning and research projects.

“Trending memes on social media continue to keep Spirit Halloween relevant this Halloween season” said Dr. Choi, Director of Data Analytics for the Joetta Di Bella and Fred C. Sautter III Center for Strategic Communication and an Assistant Professor of Advertising. “With its expansion to Spirit Christmas, the seasonal pop-up store will now also attempt to capture America’s most expensive and favorite holiday, Christmas.”

“Spirit Halloween’s innovative brand collaborations with popular brands such as Chipotle, provide a fresh take on Halloween attire, bringing a blend of fast food culture and spooky fun to costume enthusiasts,” said Dr. Luo, Associate Professor of Strategic Communication.

“Spirit remains a cultural touchstone for our country, yet its placement in terms of cultural relevance is clearly evolving,” said Dr. Bond Benton, Professor of Communication.

The full study is here.

Media Contact: Keith Green, greenk@montclair.edu or 973-655-3701

Pumpkin Spice is as Popular as Ever, 2024 Montclair Study Shows

*Despite fatigue and confusion over fall drinks releasing too early, social media is still crazy for Pumpkin Spice Latte season*

MONTCLAIR, N.J.– A team of faculty and students from the Joetta Di Bella and Fred C. Sautter III Center for Strategic Communication in the School of Communication and Media at Montclair State University today released a new study examining 2024 conversations, trends and sentiment on social media about pumpkin spice. With Starbuck releasing its popular Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL) one week earlier than last year, consumers took to social media to discuss the polarizing flavor.

Highlights from the study from the School’s Center for Strategic Communication include:

• PSL is as popular and polarizing as ever. Combing through more than 209,000 social posts from August 22 to September 23, 2024 via the Brandwatch platform, the Montclair team discovered an 895% increase in social media conversations surrounding pumpkin spice from a similar period in 2023.
• Too early for fall drinks? There was heightened negative emotion (26%) vs. positive (17%) due to what appears to be confusion and fatigue. Compared to 2023, when Starbucks released its fall drinks on August 30, this year’s release (August 22) felt premature to many social media audiences.
• Team Apple vs Team Pumpkin. Apple emerged as a highly anticipated flavor for fall. Apple was frequently discussed as a preferred alternative fall item to pumpkin spice, especially “spiced apple,” “apple cinnamon,” “apple cider” and “apple cider donut.”
• A comparison of Google Trends for pumpkin spice vs. apple cider reveals that interest in apple cider has surpassed that of pumpkin spice since early September.
• ‘Pumpkin spice’ searches haven’t slowed. Still, a Google Trends Analysis of “pumpkin spice” over the past five years showed that the highest share of search frequency in history occurred in 2024 during the studied time period, reaching the 100-point mark. This is four points higher than the level of search interest for pumpkin spice in 2023.
• More searches for at-home PSL recipes. Amazon emerged as a new competitor in our data. The arrival of the Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks has divided boycotters in the midst of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Many consumers flocked to Starbucks, while others turned to home recipes to mimic the Starbucks drink. Therefore “pumpkin spice syrup” was mentioned frequently in posts discussing where to buy the syrup (e.g. Amazon, Walmart, etc.).
• Other brands join the PSL craze. Krispy Kreme and Einstein Bros, brands not featured prominently in previous studies, also emerged to join the pumpkin spice social media trend in 2024.
• The study was released on National Pumpkin Spice Day on Tuesday. Oct. 1. The full study is here.

The study was conducted by faculty Dr. Jin-A Choi, Dr. Yi Luo and Dr. Bond Benton, with research and event planning assistance from Professor Keith Green and graduate students. It is the 20^th study released from the School’s Joetta Di Bella and Fred C. Sautter III Center for Strategic Communication, which provides social media analytics tools and training for faculty and students for classroom learning and research projects.

“There were 209k social conversations regarding ‘pumpkin spice’ in a span of a month from the first date of the Starbucks PSL release to the first day of fall (August 22 to September 23, 2024),” continued Dr. Choi, who is the Director of Data Analytics for the Joetta Di Bella and Fred C. Sautter III Center for Strategic Communication and an Assistant Professor of Advertising. “This is a staggering 895% increase from the 2023 volume, indicating an even bigger craze for everything pumpkin spice this year.”

“Notably, this year’s conversations highlighted a rising trend toward apple cider and healthier options for enjoying pumpkin spice-infused drinks and food,” said Dr. Luo, who is an Associate Professor in the School of Communication and Media.

This study is a follow up to the 2023 and 2022 reports from the Center for Strategic Communication on the same topic that garnered national attention.

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‘Rigged’ Presidential Debate Conspiracies Flooded Social Media Within Hours, Study Shows

A joint study from Montclair State University faculty in the Joetta Di Bella and Fred C. Sautter III Center for Strategic Communication in the School of Communication and Media and the Justice Studies Department at Montclair State shows that conversation about a “rigged presidential debate” spiked dramatically after the presidential debate on September 10, 2024, fueled by a conspiracy theory that ABC News coached Vice President Harris on moderator questions.

Highlights from the full study which is found here, include:

• 194,044 posts supporting the conspiracy that ABC News coached Vice President Harris on moderator questions prior to the debate in under twelve hours on X
• 48,877,717 impressions generated by debate conspiracy content on the platform
• Support for the conspiracy voiced by key Trump influencers, including former New York Mayor and longtime Trump advisor Rudy Giuliani
• Search activity related to the false idea an ABC whistleblower would “reveal” the conspiracy was over 100X higher in the same period
• The themes, speed, and spread of this content are similar to the “Stop the Steal” messages that were instrumental in inciting the January 6 attack

“These results are chilling as they echo the posts that preceded the attack on the Capitol in 2021. It’s particularly concerning that public figures and major platforms are boosting this,” said Dr. Daniela Peterka-Benton, Associate Professor of Justice Studies at Montclair State University.

“Particularly concerning is the speed at which the conspiracy spread and the high-level figures who quickly boosted; this suggests a turbulent period is coming with election results, as well,” said Dr. Bond Benton, Professor of Communication in the School of Communication and Media at Montclair State University.

The full study was conducted by Dr. Bond Benton from the Joetta Di Bella and Fred C. Sautter III Center for Strategic Communication and by Dr. Daniela Peterka-Benton, Dr. Daniela Peterka-Benton, Department of Justice Studies.

Study: Coconut Tree Memes Lead to 1000% Increase in Positive Sentiment for Kamala Harris

The popular TikTok and X posts have had a major impact on Harris’ ability to reach Gen Z voters

A study released on July 29, 2024 by a team of faculty from the Joetta Di Bella and Fred C. Sautter III Center for Strategic Communication in the School of Communication and Media at Montclair State University shows that TikTok and X content that resonates with Gen Z voters, specifically memes surrounding coconuts and Mario Kart, is driving major interest in Kamala Harris and having a positive impact on her presidential campaign.

Researchers examined more than 265,000 social media conversations on various social media platforms (X, Facebook, Reddit, YouTube, Tumblr, blogs, etc.) over seven days, from July 18 to July 24, 2024. Highlights from the study include:

• 1818% increase of social media conversations pertaining to coconut tree memes

• 973% increase in positive sentiment around Harris-related memetic content

• 574 million TikTok views

• Double the amount of online content related to the infamous Mario Kart course “Coconut Mall”

• “Coconut Mall/Harris” studied mash-ups had a higher increase in view rate than even the recent “CupcakKe” remix trends

• This audience landscape on TikTok shows that embracing pop meme culture has enabled Harris to connect with traditionally difficult-to-reach younger demographics, a political audience relevant to Harris’ campaign.  Specifically, Joe Biden’s candidacy in 2024 was failing to inspire significant enthusiasm from younger voters, with 62% having a negative opinion of Biden.

• Meme related content on TikTok over the studied timeframe reached over half (58%) of viewers under the age of 24.

From the full study about coconuts: “The reference to coconut trees originated from Harris’ speech in May 2023 to advocate opportunities for Hispanic Americans. During the speech, Harris stressed the importance of considering the context, such as the needs of students’ families, teachers, and communities by stating: ‘Everything is in context. My mother…would say to us, ‘I don’t know what’s wrong with you young people. You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?’”

The coconut theme was amplified by an edit by @ranvision_official that places Harris’ words over the theme song for the Mario Kart racecourse “Coconut Mall.” Coconut Mall is a famous track in the Mario Kart series, and the music has become a variation of the 2008 Rick Roll meme. As of July 29, the video garnered more than 1.5 views.

“Coconut tree memes and emojis have become a distinct symbol of support and admiration for Harris among younger generations. Young voters found that such a funny, quirky association of the VP with coconut showcased her unique persona and resonated with diverse audiences,” said Dr. Yi Luo, study co-author and Associate Professor in the School of Communication and Media.

“With more than half of Gen Zs who are of age to vote, meme culture is playing an unprecedented role in the 2024 Presidential election. The participatory nature of social media is expected to continue to evolve how voters engage in election campaigns in the future,” said Dr.  Jin-A Choi, study co-author and Assistant Professor in the School of Communication and Media.

“The integration of meme content and election promotion, seems novel but it has a long history.  Frank Sinatra, for example, remixed the song ‘High Hopes’ turning it into a campaign theme for John F. Kennedy in 1960. It was as unique as the viral coconut content of today,” said Dr. Bond Benton, study co-author and Professor in the School of Communication and Media.

The full study is the eighteenth from the Montclair team at the Joetta Di Bella and Fred C. Sautter III Center for Strategic Communication and can be found here. The study was conducted by Dr. Yi Luo, Dr. Jin-A Choi, and Dr. Bond Benton.

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About the School of Communication and Media: The School of Communication and Media offers a range of dynamic programs in communication and media to a talented and diverse student population of over 1,800. Offering degrees in film and television, social media and public relations, advertising, journalism and digital media, sports communication, communication and media studies, animation and visual effects, and an MA devoted to strategic communication, the School prepares the next generation of communication and media practitioners and leaders. The School houses award-winning student programs that include WMSC Radio, The Montclarion newspaper,  Hawk Communications Agency, the Red Hawk Sports Network, Hawk+ OTT streaming platform, and News Lab, as well as the Center for Cooperative Media, which serves the public by working to grow and strengthen local journalism. Student projects and programs have recently received national recognition from PRSSA’s Bateman Competition, an Edward R Murrow Award, several Marconi Award nominations, and a College Television Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. 

Media Contact: Keith Green, School of Communication and Media, 973-655-3701 or greenk@montclair.edu

Montclair Social Media Study: Pride Month and LGBTQ Branding Backlash Driven Largely by QAnon and Popular Extremists

In a collaborative study of 68,481 posts on Twitter (recently rebranded as X) from 2022, Montclair State University faculty identified the most influential accounts pushing the narrative that Disney is “grooming” (i.e. sexually manipulating) children by its support and inclusion of the LGBTQ community. The findings are timely as Target and other corporations are scaling back or eliminating Pride Month activities this June, driven by backlash companies have received in recent years.  Data from PR Daily suggests some 30% of consumer goods companies will be making changes to their Pride observances this June based on concerns about this backlash.  As such, this research project offers context for the most influential voices driving social media advocacy against LGBTQ inclusion in the corporate space.      

Highlights of the study recently published in the Journal of Crime, Media, and Culture include:

•  The impact of the posts engaged with the most (including comments) were  Jack Posobiec, Mike Cernovich, Donald Trump Jr.,and The Post Millennial.
• The four accounts sharing “inclusion is grooming” content with the greatest reposts and “favorites” also included content from Marjorie Taylor Greene and Matt Walsh.

• A strong connection to the QAnon conspiracy (that an organized cabal of “elites” is harming children) was identified in the accounts producing the most significant visibility of the message.  
• Accounts critical of LGBTQ inclusion that previously shared QAnon sentiment represented:

• 80% of the most followed accounts
• 80% of the accounts with the highest “impact” (total number of posts an account produced on a topic multiplied by the total number of followers)
• 71% of accounts producing the most liked content
• 57% of accounts producing the most shared content

• Total posts on this theme collected from March 13, 2022, to May 16, 2022, netted a total of 322,832,159 potential impressions, driven by the notable accounts identified.
• The full study, which is the seventeenth from the Montclair team at Joetta Di Bella and Fred C. Sautter III Center for Strategic Communication, is found here. 

The study’s authors express concern about the effects of such messages.

“’Grooming’ is a term that extremists and conspiracy theorists have co-opted from the anti trafficking movement, and it’s now being used against the LGBTQ community,” said Dr. Daniela Peterka-Benton, Academic Director of the Global Center on Human Trafficking at Montclair.

According to Dr. Joel Penney, an Associate Professor in the School of Communication and Media at Montclair, this represents an ongoing “model of framing the sheer existence of LGBTQ people as inherently sexualized and thus inappropriate.”

“What seems to be an organic movement against the LGBTQ community appears to be guided by a small number of extremist voices with outsized social media reach,” said Dr. Bond Benton, Professor of Public Relations in the School of Communication and Media and researcher at the Joetta Di Bella and Fred C. Sautter III Center for Strategic Communication.

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Contact: Keith Green, School of Communication and Media, 973-655-3701 or greenk@montclair.edu

Montclair Social Media Study: Negative Emotions on Social Media Dominate Gen Z Presidential Election Discussion as Voting Decisions Near

*More than One Million Social Media Posts were Studied*

A new study released May 2, 2024 by a team of faculty from the Joetta Di Bella and Fred C. Sautter III Center for Strategic Communication in the School of Communication and Media at Montclair State University shows more than 75% of Gen Z have shared negative sentiment on social media surrounding the 2024 Presidential election, with emotions driven specifically by sadness (41%), disgust (27%), and anger (9%).

The study was authored by Dr. Yi Luo, Dr. Jin-A Choi, and Dr. Bond Benton by combing more than one million social media conversations from or targeted at Gen-Z social media users starting February 1 through April 7, 2024. The team used search terms including “2024 voting,” “2024 election,” and “2024 presidential election.” The data were contributed by 58% male and 42% female X users. Notably, this period witnessed a staggering 36,000% increase of social conversations related to Gen-Z and the 2024 presidential election compared to the previous two months.

“The amount of negativity from Gen Z was eye-opening” said Dr. Jin-A Choi, Assistant Professor at Montclair and Director of Data Analytics for the Center for Strategic Communication. “However, it would not be surprising to see the negativity increase over the summer as each party’s nominations become official and as we draw closer to the Presidential election in November.”

The following Gen Z emotions were most prevalent in the study:

Sadness (41%). Feelings of helplessness and dejection dominated the negative sentiment from Gen Zs on social media, highlighted by sorrow over the Supreme Court’s decision on abortion rights, the momentum of Donald Trump’s candidacy, current economic impact (e.g., surging food prices, rising inflation rates, etc.) of the Biden administration, and doubts about President Biden’s mental wellness. Notably, a second strong wave of sadness emerged right after Biden’s State of the Union speech on March 8.

Disgust (27%). Disgust, accounting for nearly one third of the emotions identified on social conversations, revealed Gen Z’s feelings over a series of sociopolitical issues, including legal rights among the trans community, restricted abortion rights, classified document mismanagement by Presidents Biden and Trump, mental as well as physical wellness for Democratic and Republican’s presidential candidates, and enforcement of border policies.

Anger (9%). The outrage exhibited on social media appears to shift with the evolving Israel-Hamas war. Specifically, social media users vented strong fury against the Biden administration’s support and funding violence in Rafah, explicitly calling it “a genocide.”

Staying Hopeful: A more promising and positive theme emerged as Gen Z social media users were urging others to ignore polling results and to instead focus on voting and to exercise that Constitutional right.

Other Key Findings: Social conversations championing women’s rights jumped 74% in the observation period, including a staggering 93% increase of social chats about humanitarian aid, food assistance, opening aid corridors, and women as well as girls’ rights in Gaza.

“The data show that Gen Z social media users are understandably emotional about a number of issues,” said Dr. Luo. “There are many existing hot-button issues and undoubtedly new ones will emerge that will shape how Gen Z feels and acts surrounding this historic Presidential election.”

The full study, which can be found here, is the sixteenth from the Center of Strategic Communication, which provides social media analytics tools and training for faculty and students for classroom learning and research projects.

Montclair Social Media Study: Guinness and St. Patrick’s Day are the Equivalent of the Fall Season and Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte

*A study on brand sentiment around St. Patrick’s Day shows the iconic beer company dominates the conversation from the bar to the kitchen to the boardroom*

A new study released March 13 by a team of faculty from the Joetta Di Bella and Fred C. Sautter III Center for Strategic Communication in the School of Communication and Media at Montclair State University shows that Guinness was the most-discussed brand on social media leading up to St. Patrick’s Day, and not just in the traditional ways people share how they drink the popular beer brand.

While the Shamrock Shake from McDonald’s was another popular product discussed by social media users, the Guinness brand was highlighted in non-traditional ways related to the holiday, including cooking and recipes, Guinness chocolate, a new ad campaign with Aquaman star Jasom Momoa, and a partnership with Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and the Joe Burrow Foundation.

“For Guinness, St. Patrick’s Day is probably as big as the Super Bowl,” said Dr. Jin-A Choi, Assistant Professor at Montclair and Director of Data Analytics for the Center for Strategic Communication. “The data clearly shows that Guinness is linked to St. Patrick’s Day, and it’s not a stretch to say that the brand ‘owns’ the holiday similar to how Starbucks and its Pumpkin Spice Latte dominate the conversation every fall season.”

The study, authored by Dr. Jin-A Choi, Dr. Yi Luo, and Dr. Bond Benton found the following data from 32,000 posts on X from February 1 to March 8:

• The volume of social media conversations related to Guinness beer and St. Patrick’s Day saw a 25% increase.
• Most social chats exhibited a happy mood as evidenced by a 62% joyful sentiment. Social media users raved about the fresh taste of Guinness, the drink’s “restorative power,” and even the brand’s new non-alcoholic beer, Guinness O.
• The term “Guinness brewery” enjoyed a 48% increase in mentions among social conversations since March 1.
• Over half of social posts (54%) centered around cooking with Guinness. Interestingly, individuals expressed their excitement of elevating the traditional holiday recipes with Guinness for celebration, adding this signature holiday drink to dishes such as Shepherd’s pie, drumsticks, muffins, bread, beef stew, beef roast, burger, marshmallows, or chocolate cakes.
• Among all social conversations related to Guinness and food, Guinness-flavored chocolate products witnessed the highest surge, with a 91% increase.
• Guinness also unveiled a new action-packed commercial featuring Jason Momoa, the Aquaman star, and his mother. The humorous short “Lovely Day” ad campaign was released on social platforms on March 7 and on television on March 11. The social chats mentioning “Jason Momoa” and “Guinness Ad” showed a 97% and 92% spike respectively, emerging as two of the most trending topics on social media.
• Since March 1, the term “Guinness gives back initiative” increased 59% due to the brand’s partnership with Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and the Joe Burrow Foundation, as well as other community nonprofits (e.g., La Soupe) to address some dire social issues such as food insecurity and mental health. During this observation period, social chats acknowledged Guinness’s generous donation ($500K) to Joe Burrow Foundation and its participation in community events in collaboration with La Soupe to repurpose excess food to feed those in need.
• On March 5, the joy sentiment toward Guinness reached its high in a two-month period following the brand’s “Guinness Gives Back Initiative” event partnering with Joe Burrow Foundation and La Soupe Cincinnati on March 4, 2024.
• Interest in a similarly themed product for St. Patrick’s Day, McDonald’s “Shamrock Shake,” also spiked in the runup to the holiday, although results showed a mix in sentiment and less of a clear linkage to McDonald’s as a brand. The highest peak as St. Patrick’s Day approaches was not in March as expected, but on February 5, 2024, when McDonald’s announced that they have brought back the Shamrock shake on their menu along with the Oreo Shamrock McFlurry on February 5.
• While joy and excitement accounted for approximately 50% of the conversation surrounding the Shamrock Shake, about a quarter of the discussion showed emotions of “disgust.” From stomach aches to vomiting, social media users took to X to share their experience of trying the seasonal shake, especially the one from McDonald’s.

“The data shows social media users’ clear affinity for Guinness around St. Patrick’s Day and also reflects the brand’s commitment to connecting with consumers in non-traditional ways,” said Dr. Luo. “The company continues to engage consumers using a diverse PESO strategy (Paid, Earned, Shared and Owned media) and the impressive results across many topics related to the brand are apparent in the data.”

The full study, which can be found here, is the 15th from the Center of Strategic Communication, which provides social media analytics tools and training for faculty and students for classroom learning and research projects.

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About the School of Communication and Media: Founded in 2012, the School of Communication and Media offers a range of dynamic programs in communication and media to a talented and diverse student population of over 1,800. Offering degrees in film and television, social media and public relations, advertising, journalism and digital media, sports communication, communication and media studies, animation and visual effects, and an MA in public and organizational relations, the School prepares the next generation of communication and media practitioners and leaders. The School houses award-winning student programs that include WMSC Radio, The Montclarion newspaper, Hawk Communications Agency, the Red Hawk Sports Network, Hawk+ OTT streaming platform, and News Lab, as well as the Center for Cooperative Media, which serves the public by working to grow and strengthen local journalism. Student projects and programs have recently received national recognition from PRSSA’s Bateman Competition, an Edward R Murrow Award, several Marconi Award nominations, and a College Television Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

Media Contact: Keith Green, School of Communication and Media, 973-655-3701 or greenk@montclair.edu

Valentine’s Day 2024 Trends: Money Can Buy Love and Chocolates

“Joy” is the Dominant Emotion Found in the Social Media Data Analytics Study

To explore how social media users feel about Valentine’s Day and what consumers are buying leading up to February 14, a team of faculty from the Joetta Di Bella and Fred C. Sautter III Center for Strategic Communication in the School of Communication and Media at Montclair State University examined over 2 Million social media posts from February 1 – February 11.

The full study, which is found here, found that the conversations surrounding Valentine’s Day were dominated by emotions of joy (85%) and a bit of sadness (8%). “Love” and “relationships” emerged as prominent themes, emphasizing the importance of expressing love and appreciation through thoughtful and heartfelt gifts. The act of gift giving was accepted as an important gesture of love, especially to highlight positivity in chaotic world.

Additionally, the study authored by Dr. Jin-A Choi, Dr. Yi Luo and Dr. Bond Benton found the following:

• Commercial spending around Valentine’s Day this year is expected to reach a record $25.8 billion in the U.S. alone,with an average spending of approximately $185 per person. Chocolate, roses, and flowers were were the most popular gifts mentioned that will contribute to that record spending. 
• Related to that spending, “chocolate” is the most searched Valentine’s gift on Google above flowers, roses and jewelry. In the 118k social media mentions from February 1-11 2024, “chocolate” dominated a third of the social conversations, especially “chocolate
  covered strawberries” and a “box of chocolate”
• Social media users expressed positive sentiment 2.5 times more than negative sentiment on social discourse surrounding Valentine’s Day gift ideas. Echoing this positivity, an overwhelming 83% of the social media posts expressed joy explicitly regarding the act of gift giving.

Fittingly, this is the 14th study from the Center of Strategic Communication, which in addition its media-friendly social media studies, provides social media analytics tools and training for faculty and students for classroom learning and research projects.

Montclair Study: Taylor Swift, Super Bowl and Social Media Conspiracy Theories Suggest Record Viewing and Online Chatter

Is Taylor Swift about to help set a record for Super Bowl ratings and overwhelm online discussion around the “Big Game?”

Based on a research study released on February 5 by a team of faculty from the Joetta Di Bella and Fred C. Sautter III Center for Strategic Communication in the School of Communication and Media at Montclair State University, the continuation of America’s most popular sport meeting the world’s most famous pop star seems destined to dominate the airwaves and social media next weekend.

“The Super Bowl always brings in a whole new audience because some people just come for the ads and halftime show while attending Super Bowl parties,” said Professor Kelly Whiteside who leads the Sports Communication program in the School of Communication and Media. “But now you are adding the biggest pop star on the planet, almost guaranteeing this will be the most watched Super Bowl of all time. It will not surprise me if the viewership record (114.12M) is broken by more than 10%.”

The study, authored by Dr. Yi Luo, Dr. Jin-A Choi, and Dr. Bond Benton, backs the theory that a sharp increase is likely. Data from the study includes:

• In the period when the Chiefs and 49ers advanced to Super Bowl LVIII, Taylor Swift related #superbowl posts on “X” (formerly known as Twitter) totaled more than the COMBINED number of posts about the game’s QB’s and even her beau, Travis Kelce. Total #superbowl posts generated in the period around and immediately after the AFC and NFC championship games resulted in 52,419 mentions for Purdy, 75,258 mentions for Mahomes, 91,325 mentions for Kelce, and an astounding 272,406 mentions of Swift in connection with the big game. For #superbowl tweets mentioning any of the four studied individuals, Swift mentions accounted for 63% of the total.
• The social mentions of Taylor Swift and Super Bowl reached 2 million in the seven-day period (January 28 – February 3, 2024) after Chiefs’ win on January 28 and sparked an 80% surge in social mentions compared to the previous seven days. Particularly, the conversation thread of “Taylor as a national treasure” increased 100% and is still gaining strength on social mentions.
• The social discussions on Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s relationship surged 490% since Chief’s AFC Championship victory on January 28. Tons of “Swiftie” fans shared their well wishes for the couple and demanded more coverage of their love story. Fans have also speculated about if/when Kelce will pop the question…perhaps after a potential Super Bowl win.
• Nearly 31,000 social posts (approximately 224% increase) in the past seven days speculated that Swift’s involvement with the Super Bowl could potentially boost ratings and interest in the event. This land-slide interest in Taylor Swift’s role in the NFL made lots of social media users predict that this year’s big game will be the “highest watched Super Bowl in history.”

Data related to conspiracy theories such as Swift being an ally of the Democratic Party, that the NFL playoff games were “rigged” to favor Kelce’s Kansas City Chiefs, and that the Swift-Kelce relationship is a product of the “deep state,” are also examined in the study.

“Adding the ‘conspiracy theory’ factor to all this is like pouring gasoline on a rating’s fire that was already set to explode,” Dr. Luo said. “It will be fascinating to see how the numbers on and off the field shake out.” Dr. Choi stressed that “From deepfakes to politics, the ‘Taylor Swift effect’ is evident in our data. She holds unprecedented influence among Americans and her star power is expected to continue beyond this Super Bowl.”

The full study, which can be found here, is the 13^th from the Center of Strategic Communication, which provides social media analytics tools and training for faculty and students for classroom learning and research projects.

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About the School of Communication and Media: Founded in 2012, the School of Communication and Media offers a range of dynamic programs in communication and media to a talented and diverse student population of over 1,800. Offering degrees in film and television, social media and public relations, advertising, journalism and digital media, sports communication, communication and media studies, animation and visual effects, and an MA in public and organizational relations, the School prepares the next generation of communication and media practitioners and leaders. The School houses award-winning student programs that include WMSC Radio, The Montclarion newspaper, Hawk Communications Agency, the Red Hawk Sports Network, Hawk+ OTT streaming platform, and News Lab, as well as the Center for Cooperative Media, which serves the public by working to grow and strengthen local journalism. Student projects and programs have recently received national recognition from PRSSA’s Bateman Competition, an Edward R Murrow Award, several Marconi Award nominations, and a College Television Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

Media Contact: Keith Green, School of Communication and Media, 973-655-3701 or greenk@montclair.edu

Study: ‘Pizzagate’ Posts on X Spike Dramatically After Elon Musk Boosted the Conspiracy

Barbie Dominates the 2023 Halloween Costume Conversation on Social Media

 *A study of more than 46,000 Social Media Posts and a Google Trend Analysis finds Barbie costumes are res­­oundingly more popular than costumes for Ken, Star Wars and Marvel characters*

Move over, black and orange, and step aside for the color that is going to dominate Halloween this year, “Barbie Pink.” And yes, Ken, “it won’t matter what you do, you will always be number two,” at least when it comes to Halloween costumes in 2023. And those wildly popular Star Wars and Marvel character costumes traditionally seen during the “spookiest” time of the year? It seems they won’t match the popularity of the fictional character, Barbie, who reemerged this year on the pop culture scene after the incredible success of the Warner Bros. film “Barbie” released in July.

A team of faculty from the Joetta Di Bella and Fred C. Sautter III Center for Strategic Communication in the School of Communication and Media at Montclair State University released its most recent study on October 26, with this one focusing on 2023 Halloween costume trends. Highlights from the study utilizing Brandwatch and Google Trends include:

• Google Trends offered the most popular costumes ranking through their “frightgeist,” highlighting key Halloween costume trends powered by searches. According to this frightgeist, Barbie is the most popular costume of the year for Americans.
• From October 1 to October 24, internet interest in Barbie costumes was 273.6% higher than activity for Ken costumes, according to the conducted Google Trends Analysis. Given the predictive nature of search interests on consumers’ purchasing intent and social behavior, the data implies that Barbie costumes will almost certainly be much more popular than Ken outfits. As was noted in Ryan Gosling’s song in the film, “doesn’t seem to matter what I do, I’m always number two.”
• From October 1 through October 24, a Google Trends analysis showed interest in Barbie costumes was 787.5% higher than activity for Marvel costumes and 545.4% higher than activity for Star Wars costumes, as indicated by the Google Trends Analysis. Like Ken, the trend analysis shows that this Halloween likely means more pink with fewer lightsabers and superhero capes.
• With more than 277,000 social media conversations observed around Halloween during October 1 through October 25, more than 30% of the conversations surrounded Halloween costumes. Of those conversations, more than 46,000 social media mentions discussing Barbie and Ken costumes were collected on Brandwatch, specifically. The co-occurrence “Barbie” and “popular Halloween costumes” among social conversations saw a steep 61% increase in October. Supporting Google’s data as the most searched costume of the year, social conversations on Barbie and Ken costumes revolved around the anticipation of Barbie and Ken being the best costumes for Halloween 2023, from where to get Barbie costumes, deciding which Barbie to be (e.g., Cowgirl Barbie), and anticipating celebrity couples to dress up as Barbie and Ken (e.g., Taylor and Kelce).
• Social Media users also enthusiastically shared their intention to dress as Barbie or Ken. Users gushed about the excitement of creating a “pink utopia” for this Halloween, which was specifically associated with key words such as “ridiculously fun,” “spirit,” “family-friendly,” “Barbieland,” “neighborhood coordination,” etc. With 48% of the conversation being contributed by males, there was excitement and sarcasm surrounding those dressing up as Ken.

“It seems that Barbie has successfully made a return in 2023, prevailing again at the pinnacle of popular culture. More than 46,000 social conversations in the month of October centered on Barbie and Ken costumes,” said Dr.  Jin-A Choi, assistant professor of Advertising at Montclair. “News outlets, brands, and events were keen to seize this opportunity during this Halloween season to use Barbie and Ken as keywords and hashtags to jump aboard the hottest Halloween trend and enhance the visibility of their messages.”

“Barbie, once an arcane hobby, has torpedoed all other traditionally favored Halloween costumes, such as princess, spider-man, witch, batman, fairy, vampire, or ninja,” noted Dr. Yi Luo, Associate Professor in Strategic Communication at Montclair. “Especially, the association between pink and Barbie has been exponentially amplified through online searches and discussions on social channels.”

The study was conducted by faculty Dr. Jin-A Choi, Dr. Yi Luo and Dr. Bond Benton. It is the tenth study released from the School’s Joetta Di Bella and Fred C. Sautter III Center for Strategic Communication, which provides social media analytics tools and training for faculty and students for classroom learning and research projects.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce Relationship Drives Spike in Social Media Conversation During Sunday Night Football 

On October 2, a team of faculty from the Joetta Di Bella and Fred C. Sautter III Center for Strategic Communication in the School of Communication and Media at Montclair State University released a study analyzing social media data during last evening’s NFL primetime game between the host New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs. The game took on more significance early in the season due to an evolving relationship between pop icon Taylor Swift and Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce that has dominated the social media conversation since Swift attended a Chiefs home game on Sept. 24.

The full study can be found here, but highlights from the study utilizing Brandwatch, Tweetbinder and Google Trends from the School’s Center for Strategic Communication include:

• Initial analysis conducted on X (formerly Twitter) shows that as the game began, there was a 118% increase in mentions of Swift-Kelce over the previous seven-day period. Platform activity showed a surprisingly low decrease in continued activity after the game with activity at midnight EST remaining greater than the highest total of Swift-Kelce tweets in the previous seven days.
• Data suggests that there were consistent attempts to hijack discussion during the game with political statements about vaccination and the perceived political stances of Swift and Kelce. The period of the game brought a 1941% increase in content politicizing the Swift-Kelce relationship. While such instances of “hate jacking” are increasingly common in social media spaces, this particular event appears to have hate content largely drowned out by sentiment that was supportive and positive.
• Despite this and other notable divisive content occurring on social media during the game, sentiment remained largely positive towards the Kelce/Swift connection. Data analysis from posts on X shows that people were more than four times as likely to express positive sentiment than negative sentiment (82% positive content posted compared to only 18% negative).
• When Swift appeared on the NBC broadcast during the game, social media chatter spiked considerably after Kelce’s first catch (8:25 p.m. EST), after a Chiefs touchdown (8:39 p.m.), after a Jets punt (8:47 p.m.), at the end of the third quarter (10:40 p.m.) and the conclusion of the game at 11:18 p.m. A graph is linked in the full study below.
• The study was conducted by faculty Dr. Bond Benton, Dr. Yi Luo, and Dr. Jin-A Choi and Professor Kelly Whiteside.

2023 Pumpkin Spice Study

On September 28, 2023, our team from the Joetta Di Bella and Fred C. Sautter III Center for Strategic Communication in the School of Communication and Media at Montclair State University released a new study examining 2023 conversations, trends and sentiment on social media about pumpkin spice. Starbucks, which is often credited with popularizing the fall flavor by launching its Pumpkin Spice Latte 20 years ago, still dominates the social media conversation despite copycat beverages and spawning products in bizarre categories that make pumpkin spice polarizing every late summer and early fall.

Highlights from the study from the School’s Center for Strategic Communication include:

• Combing through more than 21,000 social posts from August 27 to September 25, 2023, the Montclair team discovered 45% of social media users feeling positive about pumpkin spice, with only 5% feeling negative. The remaining 50% of the posts were deemed neutral.
• Further, specific emotions included excitement, anger and even mockery of the flavor.
• Seemingly, there are almost no categorical or product boundaries when it comes to pumpkin spice, as trash bags, engagement rings, caviar, tobacco, body wipes and a non-alcoholic dog brew are among the new products this season.
• Pumpkin spice sales are still on the rise – $802.5 million worth of pumpkin spice products were sold in 2022, up 42% from sales in 2019.
• Starbucks continues to dominate the realm of pumpkin spice coffee drinks. Specifically, when people search for PSL, they mean a Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte. When searching for “PSL,” 72% of people searched “Starbucks” specifically.
• Additionally, 52% of people searched for Starbucks when searching for “pumpkin spice latte” as opposed to Wendy’s (8%), Dunkin’ (4%) and Dutch Bros (4%).
• The team also found that social conversations around the term spiked over 100% on the first day Starbucks released its fall drinks on August 24.
• Large household brands continue to jump into the pumpkin spice trend, such as Wendy’s pumpkins spice frosty and Dunkin’s Ice Spice MUNCHKINS drink, a blend of pumpkin munchkins and frozen Dunkin’ Coffee.
• The study was released prior to National Pumpkin Spice Day on Sunday. Oct. 1. A press release about the study is here and the full study is here.

Montclair Social Media Study Finds Overwhelming Increase in Sadness and Disgust from SCOTUS Rulings 

A new study released on July 6, 2023 by the Joetta Di Bella and Fred C. Sautter III Center for Strategic Communication in the School of Communication and Media at Montclair State University examined social media reaction to two historic rulings last week by the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS).

The study examined more than 150,000 posts between June 27 and July 3 on major social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Reddit and Twitter. The research team utilized search queries to discover how social media users in the U.S. reacted to the separate, landmark rulings regarding Affirmative Action and Student Loan Forgiveness. A press release about the study can be found here.

Study: 80%+ of the Buffalo Shooter Manifesto Copied Directly from Hate Sites Raising Concerns about Internet Dangers

A new study summarized here from Montclair Justice Studies professor Dr. Daniela Peterka-Benton and Dr. Bond Benton of the Joetta Di Bella and Fred C. Sautter III Center for Strategic Communication in the School of Communication and Media demonstrates the extent to which Buffalo Shooter Payton Gendron’s manifesto was derived from hate content he consumed online.  His highly planned attack on May 14, 2022 at a Buffalo, NY supermarket focused on the killing of African Americans and left 13 people dead. Understanding what motivated such a hateful attack was a focus of the research.

Specifically, the study showed over 80% of the visual and written content of the rationale sections of the manifesto came from extremist spaces he reported visiting.  The full study can be found in the Journal for Deradicalization.

Valentine’s Day Study: Does the Over-Commercialization of Valentine’s Day on Social Media Leave Us Living in a Sadder, Material World?

New research from the Joetta Di Bella and Fred C. Sautter III Center for Strategic Communication at Montclair State University found that the commercialization of Valentine’s Day is more prevalent than ever, and that might not be a good thing.

To investigate the themes of Valentine’s Day messaging in social media, researchers from Montclair’s Joetta Di Bella and Fred C. Sautter III Center for Strategic Communication analyzed over 80,000 posts using #Valentinesday and #Valentinesday2023 on various social media platforms such as Twitter and Instagram over a one-month period. The full study is found Montclair State 2023 Valentine’s Day Commercialization Study, but highlights of the findings released on February 13, 2023 include:

• Through analysis of a social media dataset using “Valentine’s Day” as a keyword, the most associated term was “shop”, with “shop” and “gift” identified 131.17% more frequently than the term “love.”
• The commercialization of Valentine’s Day and its cultural construction as the linkage between romantic authenticity and market participation appears to have created a context that creates significant mental health challenges. The notion of “noble love” has, in many ways, been replaced by the commercialization of messaging associated with the holiday.
• Interestingly, among the Valentine’s Day social messages targeted toward singles, the popular hashtags included “#selflove,” “selfcare,” “valentinesgift,” “#chocolate day,” “#roseday. Particularly, supportive messages encouraged singles to focus on setting healthy boundaries, focusing on mental health, prioritizing personal goals, launching positive changes, seeking love from friends and families, purchasing personal dreams, learning strategies to manage loneliness, seeking balance by turning inward, staying physically active, etc.
• Media literacy and the ability to unpack manipulative online content should be a focus for all populations with a significant emphasis on Gen Z (Micu and Coulter 2012). The monetization of problematic messaging is noted as a function of social media (Center for Countering Digital Hate, 2021).  The coupling of love with commoditization for a holiday as seemingly benign as Valentine’s Day is indicative of the need for continued vigilance against acceptance of online messaging as being rooted in truth and legitimacy.

Study on Spike in “Grooming” Terms on Twitter After Colorado Springs Tragedy

A new study released on November 28 by the Joetta Di Bella and Fred C. Sautter III Center for Strategic Communication in the School of Communication and Media at Montclair State University points to what hate speech on Twitter could look like following Elon Musk’s offer of “general amnesty” to suspended accounts on the platform.

Specifically, the study showed a dramatic spike in the use of the term “grooming” (a slur used against the LGBTQ+ community) on Twitter in the period after the shooting at an LGBTQ+ nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on November 19-20. The full study can be found here.

FIFA World Cup Studies

Leading up to the start of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar on November 20, our team from the Joetta Di Bella and Fred C. Sautter III Center for Strategic Communication in the School of Communication and Media at Montclair State University released separate studies surrounding the controversial tournament, one on boycotting and activism and another highlighting popular players, teams, brands and trends.

Twitter Hate Speech Study After Musk’s Acquisition

On October 29, 2022, our team from the Joetta Di Bella and Fred C. Sautter III Center for Strategic Communication in the School of Communication and Media at Montclair State University released a study on the increase in hate speech on Twitter in the hours immediately after Elon Musk’s acquisition of the platform, a transaction that created the perception by extremist users that content restrictions would be alleviated.

Highlights from the study from the School’s Center for Strategic Communication include:

• The seven-day average of Tweets using the studied hate terms prior to Musk’s acquisition was never higher than 84 times per hour.
• However, on October 28 from midnight to noon (immediately following Musk’s acquisition), the studied hate speech was Tweeted some 4,778 times.
• Terms studied included vulgar and hostile terms for individuals based on race, religion, ethnicity, and orientation.
• The potential impact of this hate speech (the potential number of times a term posted in Twitter could have been viewed) was more than 3 million.
• Elon Musk has promised to reduce restrictions on the platform and “free the bird.” From these results, this directive represents an obvious danger to young people using the platform.
• Platforms with lax or no moderation are frequently spaces filled with racism, homophobia, transphobia, and antisemitism.
• Recorded data indicating the spike in hate speech.
• The entire study can be found here: Montclair State SCM Study- Increases in Twitter Hate Speech After Elon Musk’s Acquisition

Pumpkin Spice Study

On September 29, 2022, our team from the Joetta Di Bella and Fred C. Sautter III Center for Strategic Communication in the School of Communication and Media at Montclair State University released research that found despite what the skeptics say, Americans still really love pumpkin spice and can’t get enough of pumpkin spice foods, beverages and products.

Montclair State SCM Pumpkin Spice Study

Combing through nearly 20,000 Twitter and Instagram posts from September 2022, the Montclair team of faculty and graduate student researchers discovered that 55% of posts containing “pumpkin spice” or the hashtag #pumpkinspice were positive in nature, 8% were negative and 37% were deemed neutral. There’s no sign of the pumpkin spice latte (PSL) love dying down, either. In fact, according to Google Trends, the popular fall flavor is on pace to create more internet activity this year than ever before.

The buzz around pumpkin spice initially peaked in 2017-18 and fell slightly as a trend in the following years. But current data suggests that this year is on pace to far surpass the 2017-18 peak, meaning the seasonal star is back. Big time.“The power of pumpkin and pumpkin spice are clear in the data,” said Jin-A Choi, assistant professor of Advertising at Montclair. “While many assume the topic is polarizing, the majority of the social media data we analyzed showed that America and a wide range of companies continue to want more pumpkin spice.”The trending topic has also prompted brands and businesses unrelated to the fall flavor to use the #pumpkinspice hashtag to sell or drive interest in their products – a phenomenon known as “trendjacking.” The upside? About 2% of evaluated trendjacking posts were linked to social causes, such as dog adoption shelters.