The Twitter analysis was drawn from a sample size of over 14,500 tweets, and was able to go beyond the high level summary to break down exactly what Twitterers were saying — positive or negative — about the deal. Bottom line, you were conflicted about how much creative control Disney would have over Marvel characters and story lines.
Some of the highlights of the supporting research shows:
- 5% of people saw Disney’s big, bad corporate reach as a negative factor and expressed concern that Disney was “taking over the world of superheros” and lamented Marvel as “another casualty of Disney imperialism”
- 3% of conversation cited Disney’s management of other brands – like Pixar and ESPN – that maintain editorial flexibility as proof that Marvel would remain true to its creative roots
- 4% of Tweets speculated that Disney’s influence would require Marvel’s stories to have “happy endings” and “G ratings”
- 7% of Tweets thought Marvel would benefit from access to Disney’s broad corporate resources, in particular its large marketing and distribution networks and deep pockets
- 23% of Tweets were jokes, many of the Disney-Marvel character mashup variety.
See Also: Tweeting By Numbers: 7 Ways to Become a Twitter Analyst