the Lyndon log

In a recent post I studied the biggest sports personalities on Facebook and analysed what makes a sports star popular on social networks. During my research I began looking at the phenomenal social media success of Lady Gaga, in what can only be described as Gaganomics.

Aside from Barack Obama, who’s social media activity is well documented, the most prolific celebrity Facebooker in the world is none other than Lady ‘1 billion video views’ Gaga. Gaga’s current Facebook fanbase stands at a little under 6million. That’s more than Madonna, Britney Spears and Cheryl Cole put together. It’s also twice that of her nearest musical rival, Beyonce Knowles. 

Believe it or not, there was a time when Lady Gaga wasn’t famous, and it wasn’t that long ago. The below graph, crafted by the Facebook Data Team, illustrates the the number of status’s that mentioned her name over time. 

Facebook says of Gaga, “She was virtually unmentioned until November 2008. The big spike in mentions of her name in September of 2009 corresponds to the MTV Video Music Awards, where she did well.” The Facebook story is also true on Twitter, where Gaga is the 6th biggest celebrity tweeter in the world, by followers. Although she’s been active on MySpace since 2005, I think it’s fair to say that it’s only in the last 18months that the world has really seen Gaga become a true Superstar. 

Where do all these fans come from and what is it about Lady Gaga’s brand personality that makes her so appealing? Well, Gaga seems to combines sexual intrigue with musical talent which, along with her raw individuality, make her a very interesting person. Unlike predecessors like Spears and Aguilera, but more akin to the likes of Madonna, Kurt Cobain and Michael Jackson, Gaga’s non-conformist, genre-defining style has appeared on the scene at a time in musical history where young consumers feel that the only people they can relate to are those they perceive as understanding the power of the ego over capitalist distractions. In their struggle for an inspirational matriarch, they become the loyal subjects -  ”little monsters” - of the new Queen of Pop.

Of course, I just made that up, but Gaganomics isn’t just conjecture. Take a look at her search and news traffic. 

lady gaga roger federer

As with Facebook we see that Gaga was unsearched on Google until late 2007. Since then she has sky-rocketed over and above even one of the world’s most talked-about sports stars. In the news, she again appeared from nowhere in the Autumn of 2007, but her rise here does not match the meteoric rise in search queries. What does this mean? Firstly, similar to what we found with Cristiano Ronaldo, the supply of Gaga news is not in keeping with the demand.

Perhaps this is why she is so popular in social networks: because the biggest, and best, source of Lady Gaga content is Gaga herself. That’s a simple answer, and probably true, but why is there such a huge discrepancy between search queries and news coverage? There must be fewer interviews and PR stories than the demand, but is this strategy conscious (ensuring her material is unfit for general public consumption e.g. she wouldn’t be able to appear on the Disney Channel) or unconscious (an erratic lifestyle and busy international schedule restricting the amount of attention she can give media channels other than her own)? 

Either way, this gap between news channels and search demand is driving interested persons through to her Twitter and Facebook pages, but her conversion rate still leaves much room for improvement. Although she’s outperforming all competitors, Lady Gaga still drives a much higher level of search than the extent of her Facebook fanbase. The people that search for Lady Gaga aren’t fans. They’re not even driven by news coverage. They’ve come through word of mouth, or repeat search. Her Google homepage does include three sponsored links, but more needs to be done here to drive conversion. More sponsored links, more rich content (especially video) and her twitter feed need to come up as well. If her search strategy was as deep as her social strategy, she would compile a fanbase more akin to her cultural fame. 

We should revisit this subject in 12months’ time and see where these figures stand. For now, I’m content to pull this topic back to brand value and note that Lady Gaga’s influence over her direct followers, by virtue of her social media activity, should make her a more attractive proposition for sponsors and affiliates than a celebrity with a fragmented, and therefore expensive to reach, following. Gaganomics is then, at least in part, a look at social influence, and Gaga, with her “little monsters” at her feet, is leading the way.

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