Building from last week’s story about the London Mayor’s election, I wanted to look at some baseline analytics behind the race. Keeping in mind that Boris Johnson eventually wins the race all these charts seem to take on an interesting look. Is it possible to predict an election based on buzz, volume and traffic? If you believe these charts the answer is yes.
Buzz
First look at the below Blogpulse chart (query here) showing the buzz leading up to the May 1, 2008 results. Conversations appear equal through the second week of April but after that they begin the initial spike in Boris Johnson’s favor. The old adage goes “no publicity is bad publicity” and although I have not looked at sentiment it seems to bare true here as Boris peaks much higher than Ken in the buzz chart. (Additionally, Boris Johnson also shows up on the Key People chart here at number thirteen.)
Volume
Volume is an interesting metric online. Ultimately it is about your brand popularity and reach. Or how much the press is talking about you. This Google Trends chart shows that Boris Johnson outpaced Ken Livingstone in news volume too. How did an incumbent so quickly lose press mentions? Did all the online squatters have an effect on Mr. Livingstone’s ratings?
Traffic
Finally, looking at traffic can show you interest about a candidate’s platform. Compete.com’s analytics tool shows backboris.com getting much more traffic than kenlivingstone.com. Which actually did not even register on their graph. Does this mean people were just not intrigued enough about the incumbent to check his website?
Buzz, traffic and volume metrics give us different insights into online behaviors and working in tandem they can help complete the story. They give us an interesting look at the Mayor’s election in London and how a candidate swung the tide in his favor. Was it his online savvy or the help of other’s acumen that helped Boris Johnson?
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