Publications
Publications
- June 2013 (Revised November 2013)
- HBS Case Collection
Bluefin Labs: The Acquisition by Twitter
By: John Deighton and Leora Kornfeld
Abstract
What is the value of Bluefin Labs's social listening data to Twitter? Acquired by Twitter in 2013, Bluefin had built a system that gathered millions of online comments in an effort to develop new metrics for TV programs and brand advertising. With data from Twitter and other social sites, expressions, not just impressions, could now be aggregated, measured, and used to calibrate brand performance and to sell media time. A second objective of the case is to understand the implications of social TV viewing, the audience engagement that results when people watch television with a smartphone or tablet in hand, participating in a virtual community of real-time TV watchers.
Keywords
Measurement and Metrics; Data and Data Sets; Internet; Software; Communication Technology; Advertising; Social and Collaborative Networks; Acquisition; Television Entertainment; Advertising Industry; Media and Broadcasting Industry; United States
Citation
Deighton, John, and Leora Kornfeld. "Bluefin Labs: The Acquisition by Twitter." Harvard Business School Case 513-091, June 2013. (Revised November 2013.) (request a courtesy copy.)