Before You Say Buzz Is Down, Check the Calendar

Imagine a festival announces its lineup much earlier than it did the year before. When you pull a chart for the weeks leading into the festival, this year looks quieter. It’s tempting to say people cared less. But did you include the moment when they first had something to react to?

I like to build the comparison around the moment I’m actually trying to understand. If the question is how people reacted to the lineup, I’ll compare equal stretches of time after each announcement. If the question is what held people’s attention during the festival, I’ll look at the festival weekends separately.

I also read what people are saying in each window. A lineup announcement might get people debating who’s missing. During the event, they might be sharing clips or asking how to watch. A single chart can make those conversations look interchangeable even though they point to different opportunities for a social team.

Before I send a comparison out, I try to write a sentence I’d be comfortable hearing someone repeat in another meeting. “Conversation was quieter during the festival weekend” is a much more useful sentence than “buzz was down.” It tells the next person where to look and gives them a better question to ask.