Tweeters Cast Their Oscar(R) Votes for 'The Hurt Locker'

SEATTLE, March 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Waggener Edstrom Worldwide (WE,) a global integrated communications agency, has predicted that "The Hurt Locker" will win over "Avatar" for best picture at The Academy Awards®, according to Twitter community conversations analyzed by the WE twendz pro™ service. The influence analytics service helps measure brand impact and engage audiences on Twitter, revealing conversation topics and gauging tenor, themes and drivers of those conversations.

"In a year where the best picture category has swelled, most of the dialogue has centered around two films. The buzz created the perfect opportunity for us to utilize our own tool, WE twendz pro service, to evaluate not only what the Twitter community is predicting, but who might be influencing that general sentiment," said Karla Wachter, senior vice president, product development, at Waggener Edstrom Worldwide. "We identified a clear leader for best picture, and determined that Roger Ebert, one of the foremost respected film critics, is leading the discussion — proof that influence can and is crossing media channels and mediums."

Film critic Roger Ebert (@ebertchicago) was identified as a top influencer and contributor to the Academy Awards conversations on Twitter. Ebert picks "The Hurt Locker" for best picture and "Avatar" as the other top candidate. "Avatar" and "The Hurt Locker" represent two ends of the Hollywood spectrum in budget, scope and storyline. The Twitter community picked up on the budget differences between the two films, as well as the recent controversy regarding producer Nicholas Chartier's e-mail pleas for Academy voters to choose "The Hurt Locker" instead of a "$500 million film." This week, @ebertchicago tweeted, "Although the rule-breaking producer of "The Hurt Locker" will lose Oscar tickets, his goof won't affect the outcome."

More interesting points gleaned from the Twitter community:

• Many of the supporting tweets for "Avatar" as best picture referenced its budget and sales.
• The average number of followers for an "Avatar" Twitter voter was over 110.
• Those supporting "Hurt Locker" focused on its plot, characters and director Kathy Bigelow's directing capabilities.
• The average number of followers for a "Hurt Locker" Twitter voter was over 220.

The prediction by the WE twendz pro service is based on tweets noting a definitive vote for "Hurt Locker" or "Avatar," while accounting for overall level of influence. "Hurt Locker" was the winner with over 460 votes, and "Avatar" received over 200 votes.

To view more details on the Twitter discussion of the front-runners for best picture, and to see the WE twendz pro  dashboards in action, please visit Academy Award Frontrunner for Best Picture: Avatar, Academy Award Frontrunner for Best Picture: Hurt Locker.

To learn more about WE twendz pro service capabilities and how it evaluates the impact of conversations on Twitter, please visit http://www.twendzpro.com.

The 82nd Annual Academy Awards air Sunday, March 7, 2010, at 5 p.m. PST on ABC.

About Waggener Edstrom Worldwide

Waggener Edstrom Worldwide (WE) is a global, integrated communications agency. For more than 25 years, the independently owned firm has developed strategic communications programs for innovative and world-changing clients, working to influence markets, inspire people and improve lives. This year, PRWeek US named WE an agency to watch in its Editor's Choice 2010: Who to Watch list. In 2009, WE was awarded Best PR Agency in North America by International Business Awards and Top Place to Work in PR by PR News. WE was also named European Technology Agency of the Year in 2008. WE has earned numerous honors for its outstanding work on behalf of clients, for its exceptional people and for its innovation in communications. The agency has more than 750 employees in 16 offices around the world, and its 17 Global Alliance partners expand the agency's reach to 45 additional international markets. WE has seven global practices: Analyst Relations, Consumer Marketing, Corporate Communications, Healthcare, Public Affairs, Technology and WE Social Innovation, along with its digital strategies group, WE Studio D™. More information can be found at http://www.WaggenerEdstrom.com.  

Waggener Edstrom, Innovation Communications, WE Studio D and WE twendz pro are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Waggener Edstrom Worldwide Inc. in the United States and/or other countries.

Oscar® and the Academy Awards® are the registered trademarks of the Academy for Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The names of any other companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

SOURCE Waggener Edstrom Worldwide