The United States Postal Service is at the center of attention as conversations rise over the organization’s government funding. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the USPS was considered the most reliable government agency. Throughout the pandemic, it became a staple for businesses, helping them stay afloat after in-person operations shut down. Now, the USPS is at risk of being dissolved during a critical time: election season. To lower their risks of contracting the virus, citizens are opting to do mail-in-voting instead of going to their local polling location. However, without the USPS their votes cannot be securely mailed and won’t be counted in time. BrandGraph, IZEA’s social intelligence platform, recorded a spike in social media content and engagement for the USPS as online communities push to save the organization after it was denied essential government funding by the Trump Administration.
Also trending this week on BrandGraph were brands like the Boston Bruins and Uber. BrandGraph tracks and records the performance of these brands across social media platforms. See what got these brands trending by taking a closer look at the Top Trending Brands for this week:
Trending Brands for the Week of August 17, 2020
- USPS(@uspostalservice)
- Boston Bruins(@nhlbruins)
- Democratic Party(@thedemocrats)
- Portland Trail Blazers(@trailblazers)
- Uber(@uber)
Like all businesses, the USPS was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, they were denied financial aid from the pandemic relief fund. Ultimately putting the organization in an extremely rocky position. Many view this as a strategic move by the government to reduce mail-in voting for primary and general elections. Allegations of voter suppression are flooding social media platforms as users try to help save the organization. Others argue that restricting mail-in-voting can help deter voter fraud. Celebrities are coming forward now in support of the USPS using #SaveTheUSPS. Encouraging their fans to contribute what they can to help fund the organization, by either purchasing stamps or just spreading the word.
Top Content for USPS
The Boston Bruins trended on BrandGraph after defeating the Carolina Hurricanes in the Stanley Cup playoffs. They bested the Hurricanes in Game 5 with a 2-1 score. Fans were ecstatic to see their favorite team advance to the Second Round against the Tampa Bay Lighting. The Bruins are five-time Eastern Conference champs and six-time Stanley Cup champions. But it has been a decade since the Bruins last won the Stanley Cup. They came close last year, competing against the St. Louis Blues in the finals but lost 4-3.
Top Content for Boston Bruins
The Democratic Party trended after hosting the first-ever virtual Democratic National Convention. The event occurs every four years to correspond with the Presidential elections. This year’s DNC was Aug 17 through Aug 20, 2020. There were 17 key-note speakers including former President Barack Obama and his wife, First Lady Michelle Obama. All speakers endorsed Joe Biden for President and urged the public to vote. Remotely in Delaware, Joe Biden formally accepted the Democratic presidential nomination. Kamala Harris also accepted her role as Vice President. The four-day event had some controversy of course. Rumors on social media circulated that claimed the DNC omitted “Under God” from the Pledge of Allegiance. Fact-checkers say this is not entirely true, “one nation Under God” was recited during the main stage of the conventions nightly broadcasts. But some caucus members left it out during individual meetings.
Top Content for Democratic Party
The Trail Blazers defeated the Memphis Grizzlies on Aug 15, 2020, with a score of 126-122. Advancing them to Round 1 in NBA finals playoffs, where they are facing off against the Los Angeles Lakers. The Trail Blazers had a strong start beating the Lakers in Game 1 but are struggling to keep up after losing the following three games. And now fan-favorite Damian Lillard might be out permanently after suffering a knee injury in Game 4. If the Trail Blazers can pull through, the Trail Blazers will face the Houston Rockets or Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Semi-Finals.
Top Content for Portland Trail Blazers
On Aug 9, California Superior Court granted a preliminary injunction on ride-share companies Uber and Lyft. The injunction filed by California’s Attorney General and other city attorneys will require Uber to re-classify its drivers as employees rather than private contractors. They argue that classifying drivers as independent contractors give Uber and Lyft an unfair and unlawful competitive advantage. Uber started trending after appealing the injunction and announcing they will temporarily shut down in California if the ruling is not overturned.
Top Content for Uber
BrandGraph Trends is designed to help marketers identify, compare, and contrast momentum among brands, topics, and concepts in social media. Powered by IZEA’s proprietary content classification engine, BrandGraph Trends allows marketers to benchmark any keyword against a brand or groups of brands in a general industry or specific category.
Those interested in learning more about BrandGraph Trends can request a product demonstration at izea.com/brandgraph/get-a-demo
