Brands/Products
Why Analyzing Media Sentiment by Frequency is Holding You Back
By Philip Odiakose
As someone who has spent over 15 years working directly with public relations measurement and intelligence and more than a decade helping brands make sense of their media performance, I can say with confidence (and a touch of media analysis fatigue) that not all PR metrics are doing what we think they are doing. And when it comes to sentiment analysis, many of us have been led by tradition, not truth. In my constant pursuit to help PR and comms professionals access metrics rooted in objectivity and research, I had to take a deeper look into how sentiment is currently being measured. After spending time digging into the methodology, analysing patterns, and comparing outcomes, it became clear: sentiment analysis by frequency has overstayed its welcome.
“Too often, we focus on counting sentiment rather than weighing it — frequency tells us how much, but deeper analysis tells us how much it matters.”
For too long, we have boxed sentiment into just three labels — positive, negative, and neutral — and then celebrated (or panicked) based on how large each segment appears. If a brand has 60% positive sentiment, someone somewhere is already serving small chops and cutting cake. But ask the hard question: what does that 60% actually mean? Does it carry weight? Is it impactful? Is it meaningful? I recall being in a strategy session where an agency CEO saw a 60% positive sentiment report and asked, “So… should I be excited or worried?” And truthfully, the data didn’t answer that. In another situation, a client saw 35% negative sentiment and wanted to escalate to crisis mode. Again, I had to ask, what kind of negative are we talking about?
“When it comes to sentiment analysis, it’s not enough to know the quantity of sentiment; you need to understand the intensity and quality of that sentiment. Without that, data can lead you astray.”
You see, frequency analysis doesn’t tell you intensity. It doesn’t ask, how positive is this positivity? Or how damaging is this negativity? In reality, a comment like “The brand dey try sha” (Nigerian slang for “they are doing okay”) and another saying “This brand saved my life!” are both tagged as positive but are clearly worlds apart in tone and impact. That is where the problem lies — we have focused too much on counting sentiment without weighing it.
Research provides a more meaningful approach. The empirical formula I recommend is:
Sentiment Score (StSc) = (Number of Positive Mentions – Number of Negative Mentions) / Total Number of Mentions
This gives us a normalized sentiment index between -1 and +1, where 0 is neutral, and the extremes show very strong positivity or negativity. So if a brand has 3 positive and 2 negative mentions out of 10 total, the score becomes (3 – 2)/10 = 0.1 — slightly positive. But if it is 8 positive and 1 negative, the score is 0.7 — that is significant. Now compare that to simply saying “80% positive,” and you see why frequency alone is not enough. The difference is in the depth of interpretation. This formula still isn’t widely used across the media intelligence space, but one company that’s already ahead of the curve is Truescope (North America) — where my friend and industry expert, Todd Murphy, serves as President of North America.
“Objective metrics that account for sentiment weight and distribution are what truly empower PR strategies. It’s not about having more positive mentions — it’s about understanding the level of positivity and negativity and its true impact on brand perception.”
To fix this gap in analysis, we have developed the Future-Proof Sentiment Score Framework – A P+ Measurement Services Proprietary Sentiment Score Framework. This includes a more advanced Sentiment Weight Score and Distribution Matrix, which doesn’t stop at “positive/negative/neutral,” but goes further to classify sentiment into strongly, moderately, and slightly — for both positives and negatives. This matrix brings clarity to brands and communications teams. It helps you know when to celebrate, when to adjust, and when to truly raise the red flag. Starting from Q2 2025, all clients of P+ Measurement Services will have access to this upgraded sentiment analysis dashboard, alongside a dedicated dashboard that tracks the media performance of competitive CEOs. And I can say with confidence — it changes the game.
“Let’s stop being impressed by pie charts that look shiny but don’t provide actionable insight. Understanding the meaning behind sentiment and the true impact on your brand is what matters.”
I will give you a practical example. A multinational brand we monitored recently saw 35% negative sentiment and was ready to call a crisis meeting. But our deeper analysis showed 80% of that negativity was slightly negative—things like delayed customer service or pricing feedback. Meanwhile, their strongly positive mentions were increasing daily, driven by user experience reviews. Instead of reacting emotionally, the brand realigned calmly. No panic, just action. That is the power of context.
So, let us stop being impressed by shiny pie charts. Let us stop reporting frequency without understanding what it means. A sentiment report that doesn’t answer so what? and what next? is simply not useful. This is why I always say: vanity metrics may look nice in a report, but they can’t guide strategy. Objective, research-backed metrics can.
“Vanity metrics can’t guide strategy. Only research-backed, objective metrics help you turn insights into action.”
At the end of the day, this isn’t just about a better dashboard. It is about moving our industry forward. For those interested in the technical side, I am happy to share more about lexicon-based sentiment scoring and resources like the Harvard General Inquirer—empirical research that goes beyond assumptions and digs into real language science. But even without the jargon, the message is simple: frequency tells you how much, but only deeper analysis tells you how much it matters.
Philip Odiakose is a leader and advocate of public relations monitoring, measurement, evaluation and intelligence in Africa. He is also the Chief Media Analyst at P+ Measurement Services, a member of AMEC, NIPR, AMCRON, ACIOM and Founding Member of AMEC Lab Initiative
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
To make finding the right service provider or reaching the right customer seamless, popular local information portal, Connect Nigeria, has introduced a Quote Request platform.
Connect Nigeria described the new system as “a digital solution designed to make connecting with service providers faster, easier, and more reliable.”
It said the Quote Request was built for consumers who need services quickly and want trusted options without the stress of searching endlessly; and service providers and businesses looking for real, high-intent customers without spending heavily on marketing.
“Whether you need a caterer for an event, a plumber for your home, or a designer for your brand, the platform is designed to connect you with the right people,” Connect Nigeria added.
“By connecting demand directly with supply, the platform creates a more structured and dependable marketplace,” it further stated.
At its core, the Quote Request simplifies the entire process of finding and offering services.
To use the service, users have to submit a request describing the service or product needed, which is then sent to verified vendors on the platform. Interested providers respond within 1–2 days, and users compare offers and choose what works best for their needs and budget.
“Instead of searching for vendors, the vendors come to you, with relevant, tailored responses,” Connect Nigeria explained.
The company expects this new platform to eliminate the stress of endless online searches, delayed or vague responses, and uncertainty about service quality.
As for businesses, it solves poor visibility, inconsistent customer flow, and lost opportunities due to slow response times.
Connect Nigeria Quote Request mobile app is now available on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
An institutional investor, First Ally Capital, has strengthened a leading Nigerian financial technology company, Mathesis Analytics, to scale its proprietary credit decisioning infrastructure.
It made this possible by injecting fresh capital into the firm, which specialises in AI-powered credit decisioning infrastructure, an action that will directly support the growth and scaling of Mathesis’ core mission of providing the intelligence and infrastructure needed to bridge the credit gap for millions of unscored or underscored individuals across Nigeria.
With this investment, Mathesis will enable financial institutions to confidently assess and extend credit to borrowers who lack a formal credit history by leveraging an expanded pool of alternative behavioural and transactional data.
To date, Mathesis’ systems have supported more than 8 million loans for over 2 million unique borrowers in Nigeria, and the company is actively deploying its infrastructure to establish a growing pan-African footprint.
With the investment from First Ally Capital, Mathesis is well positioned to transform how the credit ecosystem operates, driving financial inclusion in partnership with lenders across the continent.
A significant barrier to credit access in Nigeria, which prides itself on being Africa’s largest economy, is data fragmentation. Borrowers frequently build positive financial behaviours across multiple digital platforms by repaying microfinance loans, saving through fintech wallets, or servicing Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) facilities.
However, under traditional credit infrastructure, these achievements remain invisible to new lenders.
Mathesis addresses this challenge through the concept of Personal Equity—the quantified expression of an individual’s financial behaviour aggregated across every institution with which they have transacted.
By translating these disparate signals into a precise, portable measure of creditworthiness, Mathesis creates a comprehensive credit identity that reflects the full breadth of a person’s financial life.
“True financial inclusion cannot be achieved in a vacuum; it requires structural collaboration in which lenders and fintech companies work as partners within the ecosystem.
“This investment from First Ally Capital validates our approach to reshaping credit infrastructure. By quantifying Personal Equity, we empower lenders to safely look beyond the constraints of formal credit histories and recognise a borrower’s true creditworthiness. This capital enables us to accelerate our pan-African expansion while maintaining the robust, institutional-grade infrastructure our partners rely on,” the chief executive of Mathesis Analytics, Winston Osuchukwu, stated.
On his part, the chief executive of First Ally Capital, Mr Ebenezer Olufowose, said, “At First Ally Capital, we pride ourselves on being a one-stop destination for financial solutions, offering a diverse portfolio of services ranging from investment banking and asset management to trusteeship, inclusive banking, and real estate.
“Our investment in Mathesis Analytics reflects our strong belief in the company’s vision and our commitment to supporting forward-thinking enterprises that deliver excellence.”
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The chief executive of Canal+ Africa, Mr David Mignot, has disclosed that MultiChoice is now fully integrated into the media group.
Mr Mignot disclosed this via a statement issued on Thursday, noting that this development marks a new phase in the evolution of one of Africa’s leading pay television operators.
He noted that the integration positions MultiChoice within a global media organisation with an extensive international footprint.
“MultiChoice is now a full subsidiary of a truly international media group operating in 70 countries. The group was founded in France, is listed in London and Johannesburg, and has a strong African presence with operations in more than 45 countries,” Mr Mignot said.
The statement underscores the scale of the combined business, highlighting Canal+’s global reach alongside its significant investments across Africa.
The completion of the transaction is expected to strengthen MultiChoice’s position in the African media and entertainment market by giving it access to the broader resources, expertise and international capabilities of the Canal+ Group, while reinforcing the group’s commitment to the continent.
MultiChoice operates across sub-Saharan Africa through platforms including DStv and GOtv, serving millions of subscribers with entertainment, sports and news content.
