‘승자의 저주’?…애플 부정적 평판 25→85%

‘승자의 저주’?…애플 부정적 평판 25→85% 美포브스, 페이스북 글 5만8000건 분석

미국에서 열린 삼성전자와 애플 간의 특허침해 소송에 대한 배심원 평결 이후 애플의 평판이 급전직하로 추락했다는 실증적인 조사 결과가 처음으로 나왔다. 미국의 경제전문매체 ‘포브스’는 6일(현지시간) ‘삼성전자와 애플 간의 특허침해 소송에 대한 배심원 평결 이후 애플의 평판이 어떻게 추락했는지 밝혀지다(Here‘s How Apple’s Reputation Dived After the Samsung Verdict)’라는 기사를 통해 미국에서 나온 배심원 평결 이후 애플의 평판이 급격히 나빠졌다고 보도했다. 포브스는 영국 런던에 있는 ‘미디어 메저먼트’라는 소셜 미디어 분석업체에 의뢰, 지난 8월3일부터 30일까지 애플 페이스북에 나타난 약 5만8000건에 달하는 네티즌의 글을 분석했다. 미디어 메저먼트는 조사를 위해 현재 광범위하게 사용되고 있는 정서 분석 도구인 ‘라디안6’뿐만 아니라 ‘인간 분석’ 작업까지 병행했다. 미디어 메저먼트의 분석 결과, 미국에서의 배심원 평결 이전에는 약 25%에 불과하던 애플에 대한 부정적인 네티즌의 반응이 배심원 평결 뒤에는 무려 약 85%로 급증한 것으로 나타났다. 애플 페이스북에 나타난 네티즌들의 부정적인 반응을세부적으로 분석한 결과 ▲애플은 무분별하게 특허를 남용한다 ▲애플은 경쟁을 두려워한다 ▲애플도 다른 기업의 제품을 베꼈다 ▲애플의 제품은 다시는 사지 않겠다 ▲애플은 (특허) 소송을 멈춰야 한다는 내용이 많은 것으로 나타났다. 특히 네티즌들의 부정적인 반응 중에서도 ‘애플이 무분별하게 특허를 남용한다’는 반응이 전체의 약 30%를 차지한 것으로 나타나 소비자들이 애플이 경쟁보다는 특허 소송을 통해 시장을 장악하려 하고 있다는 의심을 갖고 있는 것으로 분석됐다. 헤이든 쇼네시 포브스 칼럼니스트는 “삼성전자와 애플 간의 특허침해 소송에 대한 배심원 평결 이후 페이스북에 올라온 글의 40%가 특허 소송에 관한 것이었다”며 “배심원 평결 이후 삼성전자에 대해 소송을 제기한 애플을 비판하면서 독설을 퍼붓는 글이 올라왔지만, 애플을 방어하는 글은 거의 없었다”고 밝혔다. 조해동 기자 haedong@munhwa.com http://www.forbes.com/sites/haydnshaughnessy/2012/09/06/heres-how-apples-reputation-dived-after-the-samsung-verdict/2/ Here's How Apple's Reputation Dived After the Samsung Verdict A week ago, I suggested that Apple’s victory over Samsung, after last month’s eagerly awaited patent verdict, could hurt Apple and its reputation more than it would Samsung’s. That seems to be how it’s turning out. Worse, for Apple, the reaction against the brand is coming from its own fan base. Following the verdict, a significant proportion of comments on the Apple Facebook page, were strong reactions against Apple’s use of the patent laws for what was seen as trivial innovation. That is one of the conclusions drawn by researchers at Media Measurement Ltd, a London based social media analysis company who undertook an initial review of social media commentary on the verdict for me. Their most serious conclusion is that the patent trial alienated members of Apple’s core fan base, those advocates and defenders who have provided Apple with staunch support down the years. The graph below shows a breakdown of the types of comments about the trial made on the Apple Facebook page. They are mostly negative about  Apple’s actions and motives. It is perhaps also significant that shortly after the case, rumors began to spread that Apple’s CEO was holding secret talks with Google’s about their patent conflict. Chances are Apple had already begun to add up the cost to its reputation. Media Measurement analyzed social media data between the 3rd and 30thAugust to do an initial probe of the case and its fallout. Here’s what they found: In the week beginning 24th August, over 700,000 discussions or shares of the trial and its protagonists were distributed on the web, the vast majority of them on Twitter but with a significant number (58,000) also in public Facebook posts. The proportion of negative posts attributed to Apple and Samsung was about the same, each incurred about 62% negative sentiment. Now that might be partly attributable to the analysis software’s lack of sensitivity to the core discussion but Media Measurement used Radian 6, a commonly used sentiment analysis tool. What it means is that Apple picked up just as much negative sentiment as Samsung did. Media Measurement went further and explored the results with human analysis. Sentiment against the verdict was broadly distributed across a number of issues – the patent system, Apple itself, anti-corporate culture, anti-choice, anti-Android and anti-Apple. Sentiment in favor of the verdict was very narrowly focused – it was pro-Apple. But the big loss for Apple was on its own Facebook page, according to Media Measurement. “Prior to the verdict, posts on Apple’s Facebook page covered a range of topics, including technical queries, questions about the release of products, complaints about price and product performance, and general messages of support and praise. In the week following the Apple/Samsung verdict, 40% of the posts specifically referred to the trial. Following the trial, there was a large increase in negative posts on the Apple Facebook page. Despite the vitriol in some of the posts criticizing Apple for its patent action against Samsung, few defended the brand.” The graph below shows the percentages of negative, positive and neutral sentiment, among those who commented on the trial on the Apple Facebook page, according to Media Measurement Ltd. Note the substantial increase in negative sentiment towards Apple, post the verdict (the red area). Follow me on Twitter @haydn1701 You might also be interested in: The issue of copying versus innovating or a heated discussion on the patent verdict