Using the hashtag #homeadvantage, British Airways has created a clever way to visualize the social media buzz surrounding the Summer Games in London.
Dubbed the Social Symphony, the first-of-its-kind Facebook application compiles all of the tweets, posts and updates mentioning the #homeadvantage.
The barometer turns Olympics-related social media chatter into a moving visual sound wave, and creates a symphony based on the number of people commenting on certain athletes, events and venues.
While listening, the user sees and hears the wave change, growing and shrinking as the volume of social media ‘noise’ flows. They can interact with it too, thereby affecting the sound and appearance of the barometer.
The integration is intelligent, delivering a soothing sound that allows for a completely different way to experience the Olympics. It's almost as if you've been transported back into the peasant fields represented at the start of the Opening Ceremony - or perhaps it's the Shire, with Bilbo Baggins on his way over for a spot of tea!
There are also a series of filters, creating a separate sound wave for each individual sport, venue or athlete. This allows for some fun comparisons: the sounds of sailing are different than the sounds of boxing. The comparisons across sports, venues and athletes also offer insight into each category's popularity across social media.
On the app, users can even scroll back through previous days to experience the symphony rise and fall alongside popular Olympic events. Each day is completely different, altered by the day's social media waves and represented by a timeline that shows when each event was occurring.
Of course, there's the limitation of only aggregating those tweets, messages and posts using #hometownadvantage.
Nonetheless, this promo continues the airline's thorough activation surrounding their official sponsorship of the 2012 London Games. Earlier in the summer, BA released a video showing an airplane taxiing through the streets of London. The video, which has received almost 1 million views, had a companion app integrated with Google Maps that allowed users to see the British Airways jet on their home street.