OAKLAND, Calif., Oct. 27, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Based on a study of
online flu conversations that showed a strong correlation between
these conversations and actual flu cases last year, Clorox®
launched a cold and flu conversation tracker that is a social
predictor of the flu. People tweet about the flu before they treat
it, so they may be sharing more than 140 characters offline.
The Clorox Cold & Flu Pulse analyzes millions of
conversations in real time and reports how cold and flu is trending
online, including what topics are being discussed, top cities where
it's trending, and tips related to the current virality of the cold
and flu. Clorox is using the Bottlenose Stream Intelligence™ system
to find the words, hashtags and topics about cold and flu that
define a trend and measure conversation volume. Visit FluPulse.com
to see what's trending and remind others to #stopthespread of
germs. What you talk about online can make a difference
offline.
Linking Flu Conversation Online with Flu Cases
Offline
In the study of flu conversations, Clorox worked
with Jonah Berger, social media expert and bestselling author of
"Contagious: Why Things Catch On." By identifying trends in flu
conversation online, Clorox will help consumers identify predictors
of increased flu activity and take steps to #stopthespread of the
flu offline.
"We aimed to uncover what people talk and share about online
when it comes to the flu and see if there is a link to flu virality
offline," said Berger. "Our findings reveal a strong correlation
between the two.[1] Online flu conversation tends to spike a week
earlier than number of flu cases confirmed by the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention."
Online conversations about flu prevention also peaked before the
flu was most severe, underlining the importance of prevention
throughout cold and flu season, which can begin as early as October
and last until as late as March. With the Cold & Flu Pulse, you
can help spread the word instead of spreading the flu. Key
correlations between flu virality online and offline include:
- Starve a fever… or not? Was mom's advice right all
along? People really did gravitate toward chicken soup and tea when
flu cases spiked.
- Binge watch much? When flu spiked, many of us turned to
TV. Last year, every 200 cases of flu led to a tweet about watching
TV and flu. #OITNB
- Burning the midnight oil. Sorry boss, but I have to
leave for my health. When conversation about staying late at work
was higher, it correlated to higher flu rates in the next
week.
- All I want for Christmas is NOT the flu. Last year,
cases of the flu spiked around the holidays and every five cases of
the flu is associated with a tweet about holidays and the flu.
- Flu or a late night? A lot of conversation about flu and
alcohol was humorous, but vodka doesn't count as prevention. When
conversations about being hungover and the flu were high, it
correlated to higher flu rates the next week.
- Sweating it out. Could a place you go to get healthier
be making you sick? When conversation about exercise was high, it
correlated to higher flu rates in the next week.
Help Make Prevention Go Viral, Not the Flu
Dr.
Tanya Altmann, pediatrician, author
and mom, recommends following simple steps to help #stopthespread
this cold and flu season.
"Vaccination is the first step in flu prevention. Even after
getting vaccinated – and particularly when you see people talking
about the flu virus online – you should still take simple steps to
stop the spread of germs," said Dr. Altmann. "Throughout cold and
flu season, wash your hands frequently, cough and sneeze into
elbows and disinfect germ hot spots with a disinfectant approved to
kill cold and flu viruses, like Clorox® Disinfecting Wipes.[2]"
Clorox® Disinfecting Products kill 99.9 percent of germs that
can live on surfaces for up to 48 hours, including Cold and Flu
viruses, Staph, E. coli, Salmonella and Strep.
About the Study
Jonah Berger and Ketchum Global
Research & Analytics reviewed weekly data on flu prevalence
from the CDC's U.S. Outpatient Influenza-like Illness Surveillance
Network. They analyzed weekly mentions of various flu and other
related terms in social media using the tool Brandwatch. In
addition, they performed textual analysis and manual coding on the
top 100 flu tweets from the past year, as well as a random sample
of 1,000 flu tweets. Additionally, more than 1 million tweets
related to flu using the Brandwatch tool were analyzed and overlaid
on flu data from the CDC. The top 100 most viral tweets about flu
within the Brandwatch data were analyzed to determine what drove
sharing.
They also used a lagged data structure to examine not only the
co-incidence of flu-related discussions and flu severity, but also
whether one preceded the other. A series of correlations and
regression models were developed to examine the relationship
between the confirmed incidence of flu and social media. They then
ran a series of regressions to confirm the relationships between
flu incidence and social media activity. The regression beta
coefficients were converted into relatable numbers for the study.
Additionally, a time-series model to test the hypothesis that
mentions of the flu on social media in one week can be used to
predict the actual number of confirmed flu cases in the next week
was developed.
The Clorox Company
The Clorox Company (NYSE: CLX) is a
leading multinational manufacturer and marketer of consumer and
professional products with about 7,700 employees worldwide and
fiscal year 2015 sales of $5.7 billion. Clorox markets some of
the most trusted and recognized consumer brand names, including its
namesake bleach and cleaning products; Pine-Sol® cleaners; Liquid
Plumr® clog removers; Poett® home care products; Fresh Step® cat
litter; Glad® bags, wraps and containers; Kingsford® charcoal;
Hidden Valley® dressings and sauces; Brita® water-filtration
products and Burt's Bees® natural personal care products. The
company also markets brands for professional services, including
Clorox Healthcare® and Clorox Commercial Solutions®. More than 80
percent of the company's sales are generated from brands that hold
the No. 1 or No. 2 market share positions in their categories.
Clorox is a signatory of the United Nations Global Compact, a
community of global leaders committed to sustainability. The
company has been broadly recognized for its corporate
responsibility (CR) efforts, including, most recently, two U.S. EPA
Climate Leadership Awards for Excellence and inclusion among the
top 40 companies on the 2015 Newsweek Green Rankings and CR
magazine's 100 Best Corporate Citizens 2015 list. The
Clorox Company and The Clorox Company
Foundation contributed approximately $15 million in
combined cash grants, product donations, cause marketing and
employee volunteerism in the past fiscal year. For more
information, visit TheCloroxCompany.com, the CR Matters
Blog and follow the company on Twitter at @CloroxCo.
NYSE: CLX
CLX-B
[1] (r2 = .45, p = .01)
[2] Clorox® Disinfecting Wipes is a disinfectant,
registered with the EPA as Clorox® Disinfecting Wipes1, number
5813-79. 3 Human coronavirus, Influenza A2 Virus
Media Contacts:
David
Kellis
The Clorox Company
David.Kellis@clorox.com
510-271-2252
Colleen Dolan
Ketchum
Colleen.M.Dolan@ketchum.com
202-835-9421
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20141202/161734LOGO
To view the original version on PR Newswire,
visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/clorox-launches-cold--flu-pulse-a-socially-predictive-cold--flu-tracker-300166403.html
SOURCE Clorox