At Tuesday lunchtime, many rugby supporters were eagerly awaiting the announcement of the squad for the British and Irish Lions tour of Australia, which gets underway next month.
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(Image from: www.telegraph.co.uk )
So for those of you who may not follow rugby as closely, who made the cut? You can find out here.
After the names of the squad were released, Lions coach, Warren Gatland, said “I don’t think there was too many surprises,” however it seems some of those on social may think otherwise… Just after the line-up was revealed, social went into overdrive. We took a look at the social discussion over the past seven days to see what was creating the social hype.
Buzz Volume
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As you can see, the level of comments surrounding the Lions steadily increased over the course of the week in the run up to the announcement with the number reaching a peak of 1167 mentions on Tuesday. Some of these mentions were from news sites spreading the word, while the majority were people’s reactions to the chosen team.
So what was the social reaction?
Various rugby fans showed their excitement because it was that time again:
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While other social media users posted comments about particular members of the squad. One Facebook user thought Sam Warburton being made captain of the team was a great opportunity for the player’s sporting future:
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As well as another congratulating two specific team members:
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Others weren’t so pleased about the squad and were quick to criticise the choice made by Warren Gatland. The line-up caused some confusion and shock amongst social media users:
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Along with Johnny Wilkinson, Chris Robshaw and Rory Best’s absences from the team:
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One tweeter even referred to the chosen line up as a ‘boring’ squad!
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So, it seems there was a mixed response from fans. This is just one example of how monitoring social media allows you to see immediate reactions to announcements. If your brand has a big announcement coming up, have you got everything prepared in order for you to monitor the reaction effectively?