December Portal Trend Snapshot
Here’s the latest buzz.
Christmas entertainment
There are brain-teasers aplenty on the portal this month, with people searching for games like Jeopardy! (up 89%), and potentially googling the answers – with “onomatopoeia,” “common misspelled words,” and “word play,” all trending upwards. “List of films considered the best” (up 44%) feels like it could be a quiz answer, but it could also be people looking to choose what to watch over the holidays.
One of those choices could be The Crown, with lots of Royals popping up on the portal in the same period. Prince of Wales has climbed an astonishing 127% (that’s William, not Charles). Princess Margaret hasn’t had quite the same growth, but she’s still in the mix, trending 72% upward.
Travel news
Of course, when you look deeper into the data, interesting patterns start to appear. Those trending games could actually be how people are planning to entertain themselves as they go home for the holidays – because folks have been searching for all sorts of travel-related content.
Whether it’s the elements, such as flood (up 90%) and wind gust (up 89%), or the very vehicles people will be traveling in – Ford Motor Company is up an amazing 181% – journeys are very much on audiences’ minds. And the same could be said for Tiger Woods – he’s rumored to be leaving Nike, and he’s up 60% in people’s searches.
Comfort food
The holidays are a time for giving, but also for eating. Audiences are suddenly very interested in Tim Hortons (up 48%), possibly so they know where to stop off on their homeward-bound road trips. It’s also a time for drinking – hot chocolate especially, which is up (98%), which could be explained by people wanting to perfect their recipes.
Speaking of getting things right, processed food company General Mills has reportedly pulled back on price hike plans following consumer pushback – and audience trends are responding, with the brand up an incredible 179% in search interest.
New year old news?
You’d expect ‘New Year’ and New Year’s Eve’ to be trending high this month, but they’ve both seen relatively small growth – New Year was trending at 38%, with New Year’s Eve slightly higher, at 50%. But ‘Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’ has the combined search power of both, at a mighty 88%, which could suggest a rise in popularity for Christmas presents, or it could reveal what people are really planning to do this NYE – instead of catching up with friends and family, they’ll be catching them all!
