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If you’re reading this, it probably means that you, or your brand, are interested in becoming a stronger ally to the LGBTQIA+ community. Welcome! We’re happy you’re here. To our LGBTQIA+ readers, we hope this blog post will be a helpful resource for specific strategies and information that you can share with your brand, colleagues, employees, partners, or clients.

At AMP Agency, we believe that people of all genders, sexual orientations, and romantic orientations deserve to feel safe, respected, loved, validated, and represented. Through this lens, we’ve curated a list of actionable ideas that your brand can incorporate into your workplace and year-round marketing efforts.

1. Establish an Atmosphere of Respect within Your Workplace

Before your brand can be an LGBTQIA+ ally to the general public, it must be an ally to the LGBTQIA+ people behind the scenes. No matter how inclusive a campaign appears on the surface, it will feel inauthentic (and perhaps even disrespectful) if the brand that created it doesn’t treat its own employees equally and with respect.

In addition to the following sections of this blog post, which include tips for brands to use internally and externally, here are a few more tactics you can use to make inclusivity a key component of your company culture:

  • Hire LGBTQIA+ employees and work with LGBTQIA+ influencers, partners and clients year round. Did you know there are professional recruiting events specific to this community? There are also employment programs for community subgroups, like the SF LGBT Center’s Transgender Employment Program.
  • Create employee resource groups to foster a sense of community among workers. For example, our parent company Advantage Solutions created the group PRISM to nurture personal and professional growth among our LGBTQIA+ employees and their allies.

2. Learn the Language and Use It Thoughtfully

Like other cultural groups, the LGBTQIA+ community has its own language, which includes slang, acronyms, personal identifiers, and more. Learning appropriate terms and using them considerately in your workplace and marketing efforts can build authenticity, loyalty and respect. However, please keep in mind that your brand’s historic and internal use of the language will impact how the public receives your current, public usage of it. 

For example, if you use the term “yasss” on a branded Pride shirt — a phrase that originated in 1980s ball culture among LGBTQIA+ people of color — and your brand has never previously spoken or acted in support of LGBTQIA+ individuals and/or people of color, that would not be a respectful or authentic use of the language. And more importantly, this surface-level celebration could come across as exploitative. When it comes to branded support, walking the walk must come before talking the talk.

So, what does it look like when a brand thoughtfully uses language to support the community? Check out the inclusive work that Sephora has created in recent years, like their “Identify as We” campaign. Not only does it spotlight LGBTQIA+ people, their lives, and their pronouns, but it was also created by and for the community. Allure reported in 2019:

"Both in front of and behind the camera, the campaign is populated with exclusively members of the LGBTQA+, transgender and gender-fluid community. Activists and influencers like Fatima Jamal and Hunter Schafer appear, putting on makeup, showing off beautiful hairstyles, or just plain old making out."

It’s a great campaign on its own, but it’s even more powerful if you take into account Sephora’s continual allyship efforts. For example, they have beauty classes designed specifically for the transgender comunity. Authentically using language is important, but it’s most effective as part of a larger allyship initiative.

With that in mind, here are some great resources for learning basic LGBTQIA+ terminology:

Before we dive into the next section, we want to call out a few additional tips for thoughtfully using LGBTQIA+ language. First, language is fluid. The words we use are constantly changing in connotation, usage, and relevancy. For example, the term “queer” has historically been used as a slur, but many in the community have since reclaimed it. Still, others find the word offensive. Check out this article from them, a next-generation community platform, for a nuanced look at the term.

Second, every member of the LGBTQIA+ community is an individual, and thus has their own unique cultural identifiers, preferences, and opinions. Think about which other cultural groups someone might identify with. This intersectionality may impact the language they use, like how the term “Two-Spirit” is used as a gender/sexuality/role identifier among some Indigenous North American communities.

3. Make Sharing Pronouns as Easy and Comfortable as Possible Across Your Brand Experience

Pronouns can dramatically impact how an LGBTQIA+ person feels about themselves and others. Schuyler Bailar, the first trans D1 NCAA men’s athlete and owner of the popular Instagram account @pinkmantaray, explains the feeling of being misgendered in a 2020 blog post:

When [you] call me the pronouns & name I no longer identify with, it says: You don’t exist. It says: I don’t see you and I value my view of you more than I value your comfort and safety. Misgendering me hurts my feelings a great deal. I know I might look a different way now than I did but I am still me. And I have always been me. And [you] using the name and pronouns that I use now – always, even with old pictures – is a way to validate that. To validate me. To say you see me.

 

Click the links below for resources you can use to better understand pronouns and how to apply them in daily life:

Once you’re more familiar with pronouns, start incorporating them into your company culture and brand strategy. How?

  • Share your pronouns when introducing yourself to new clients, partners, or members of your workplace. Whether or not you’re a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, this can create a safe space for people to share their pronouns, if desired.
  • Add your pronouns to your social media bios, email signature, Zoom title — or anywhere else that might be relevant — as a sign to others that you support the LGBTQIA+ community.
  • When your brand partners with an openly LGBTQIA+ individual, make sure you know their pronouns and how they identify before you post anything that specifically references their pronouns, sexuality, or gender. Be especially cautious when working with transgender and non-binary partners to make sure you don’t misgender or deadname anyone. (Deadnaming is when you refer to a transgender or non-binary person by their birth name or other former name. It’s often harmful and can be traumatic.)
  • If your brand is creating a contact form or hosting a survey, consider adding a section for people to provide their pronouns. If you ask for someone’s gender, provide a variety of options to choose from, as opposed to the historically binary choices of “male” and “female.” Many governmental and medical forms still use this binary structure, which excludes many members of the LGBTQIA+ community.

4. Be Mindful of News, Cultural Events, and Legislation That Might Impact Your LGBTQIA+ Audience

Since American marketing and advertising began, the LGBTQIA+ community has had to deal with exclusion, harassment and discrimination — both inside of and outside of the industry. That’s still true today. 

When we create campaigns targeting or spotlighting this demographic, we should make sure we consider the personal, societal, cultural, and political issues our audience may be dealing with at the time they encounter our marketing. This is a tactful act of strategy as much as it is an act of allyship and empathy, because this insight makes your brand appear more in touch, aware, and authentic.

At AMP, we loved working with Eastern Bank to bring their “Join Us For Good Good Votes” campaign to life. When transgender rights were being debated on a Massachusetts ballot in 2016 and 2018, Eastern Bank provided support to the transgender community through lobbying and rallying support, employee engagement, philanthropic assistance, and community engagement. This wasn’t just a one-time act of allyship, it’s consistent work. And we’re so proud we get to be a part of it.

While Pride Month is an important time for the LGBTQIA+ community, allyship moments can arise at any time of year. Stay in the know, and act when something resonates strongly with your brand’s values and capabilities.

5. Resist “Rainbow Capitalism” and “Rainbow-Washing” When Designing Your Campaigns

Custom Pride collections can be fabulous. Who doesn’t love a rainbow hoodie or “Y’all means all” bumper sticker? But they don’t often help a brand stand out from its competitors, especially not in June. And more significantly, these merchandise-based initiatives can occasionally worsen a brand’s reputation among the LGBTQ+ community, if they’re seen as rainbow capitalism or rainbow-washing.

A recent CNN article defined rainbow capitalism as “the idea that some companies use LGBTQ allyship for their own gain.” In that same article, digital communication expert Chris Stedman is quoted as saying the following about Pride merch:

"It feels like a violation in some ways because these companies are taking our language, our memes and our norms and using them for their own gain without fully understanding them or investing in the community. This language and imagery emerged in spaces that have been a refuge for people who haven't been safe and welcome in other communities. And I think that's why people are so bothered by it."

Similarly, rainbow-washing “allows people, governments, and corporations that don’t do tangible work to support LGBTQ+ communities at any other time during the year to slap a rainbow on top of something in the month of June and call it allyship,” according to Social Media Coordinator Justice Namaste in this 2018 WIRED article.

If your brand is exclusively supporting the LGBTQIA+ community through branded Pride merch, you might want to rethink your strategy. Here are some starter questions to get you headed in the right direction:

  • What has my brand previously done to support the LGBTQIA+ community? How were those efforts received?
  • Do I feel like my brand is genuinely helping with this campaign, or does it feel like we’re checking a box?
  • How can my brand’s unique product or service improve the lives of the LGBTQIA+ community specifically?
  • Is my company inclusive of the LGBTQIA+ community in the work environment it creates, hiring tactics it uses, and resources it provides?
  • Are there any openly LGBTQIA+ individuals on the client team, creative team, strategy team, etc. for this project? If not, might this be an issue?
  • Does this campaign feel authentic?

Authenticity is especially important here — partly because consumers in 2021 crave authenticity, and partly because this value plays a huge role in the LGBTQIA+ community. Embracing one’s LGBTQIA+ identity means letting your real self show up in a world that doesn’t always get you or respect you. That’s incredibly authentic.

This year, Getty Images partnered with the non-profit GLAAD to improve LGBTQIA+ representation in advertising. We love this campaign because it tackles a relevant issue (increasing visibility of an underrepresented group), it’s authentic (campaign links directly to the Getty Images brand), and it’s creative. Another example of authentic marketing is Verizon’s moving “Love Calls Back” campaign. In both of these campaigns, the brands have innovatively used their products and services to make the world a better place for LGBTQIA+ individuals.

 

6. Keep Accessibility in Mind When Creating or Sharing Content

According to the CDC, 1 in 4 adults in the U.S. has a disability. And PRNewswire reported in 2018 that “among lesbian, gay and, bisexual adults, 30 percent of men and 36 percent of women also identify as having a disability.” Creating accessible content is essential to allyship because many members of the LGBTQIA+ community (and their allies) have a disability. And if you want to have the most inclusive, intersectional and visible content possible, you should consider accessibility.

A few starter ideas for making your brand content more accessible:

  • Add alt text to your brand’s Instagram captions. You can either select automatically generated alt text, or customize it to add your brand’s personal flair.
  • Use Instagram’s new automatic caption feature for Instagram Story.
  • Learn how to improve your brand’s digital accessibility with the A11Y Project.
  • Follow ADA-approved design guidelines.

Final Thoughts

Whether you’ve been an LGBTQIA+ ally for decades or are just getting started, we’re excited you’re putting the work in to become an ally year round. Remember that you and your brand aren’t always going to get it right, and that’s OK. All allies make mistakes, whether they’re individuals or Fortune 500 companies. It’s because we’re human. Making mistakes is a part of our growth process. What matters is that you hold your brand accountable in an authentic way and work to do better going forward. For example, if you accidentally misgender someone in a client meeting, apologize, correct yourself, then move on.

Allyship matters all 12 months of the year, not just during Pride. How your brand shows up will be unique and ever-evolving, but it matters that you are showing up. Thank you.

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In our continuing series of examining Google Search Trends to gain insights into the top keywords queried in the USA, we present our findings for February 2023. Every day, we capture the top three keyword phrases in terms of search volume as reported by Google Trends (US Only). Each term has an estimated query volume attached to it, which we also record. The number scale tops out at 10,000,000+ with a lower limit of 200,000+ (sometimes 100,000+). After the conclusion of the month, we look at the phrases we collected along with their volumes to get an understanding of what drove queries for the month. The Shortest Month Although there are only 28 days in February, the month is packed with annual, exciting topics to search. With the holidays of Groundhog Day and Valentine’s Day as two of the month’s anchors, this year the celebration of Mardi Gras occurred in February. Of course the biggest “holiday” is Super Bowl Sunday.  We have some great insights on that spectacle in this report. Other big topics that drove searches were the Chinese balloons, the Grammy Awards, the earthquakes in Turkey, multiple video games releases, the State of the Union address, and a food related query.  Lastly, the NBA had their All Star game and a few major trades had people Googling some player names.  Also, a rival search engine made our list of top queried phrases in February 2023.  Here are all our thoughts of the month that was in Google’s Daily Search Trends. Those February Holidays In the dead of winter, it’s nice to have some things to celebrate.  Let’s see how popular the holidays of February are this year. Groundhog Day 2023 - 2/1/2023 - 5,000,000+ queries Valentine's Day - 2/13/2023 - 10,000,000+ queries Mardi Gras - 2/21/2023 - 200,000+ queries As you can see from this chart, queries for Groundhog Day hit a 5 year high last month.   Interest in the holiday may have been aided by the news story about the death of Fred La Marmotte passed away hours before he was supposed to look for his shadow. Valentine’s Day was aided by a Google Doodle but its popularity has not recovered from the pandemic yet.  The 5 year search interest peak occurred in 2020.  On the flip side, Mardi Gras made the daily top 3 this year and has regained pre-pandemic query volume.   The World of Entertainment February had a good number of movie and TV show releases, a couple of award shows, and a concert tour announcement. Beyonce Renaissance Tour - 2/1/2023 - 1,000,000+ queries Yes, Queen Bey is going on tour this year and the Instagram announcement was made on the 1st.  Later on in the month, other musical artists were celebrated at the Grammys.   Grammys 2023 - 2/4/2023 - 5,000,000+ queries Harry Styles - 2/5/2023 - 1,000,000+ queries Harry Styles performed at the show and won the Album of the Year award.  The Screen Actors Guild Awards show happened on the 26th and people searched to learn more. SAG Awards 2023 - 2/26/2023 - 500,000+ queries A couple of new movies that were released in February made the top 3 of Google’s Daily Trends: Ant-Man Quantumania - 2/16/2023 - 200,000+ queries Cocaine Bear - 2/24/2023 - 500,000+ queries The latest Marvel Cinematic Universe movie was released on the 17th and the Elizabeth Banks directed film was released on the 24th. Finally, there were three TV shows that were interesting enough to drive people to query Google to find more information. Last of Us - 2/19/2023 - 200,000+ queries Outer Banks - 2/22/2023 - 500,000+ queries We Have a Ghost - 2/24/2023 - 200,000+ queries Episode 6 of The Last of Us show was compelling.  No spoilers here.  Season 3 of the Netflix show “Outer Banks” was made available for streaming on the 23rd.  Also on Netflix, the show “We Have a Ghost”  was released on the 24th. Spy Balloons Over the first week of February, there were Chinese spy balloons floating over the USA.  Here’s how the ordeal unfolded on Google’s Daily Trends. China spy balloon - 2/2/2023 - 1,000,000+ queries Chinese balloon - 2/2/2023 - 1,000,000+ queries Chinese spy balloon - 2/2/2023 - 500,000+ queries Chinese spy balloons - 2/3/2023 - 500,000+ queries Chinese balloon - 2/4/2023 - 2,000,000+ queries Alaska - 2/10/2023 - 200,000+ queries The last phrase, “Alaska” was connected to news that a high-altitude object was shot down by the US military.   A Big Month For Video Game Releases From time to time, Gaming topics make our report.  February 2023 was an outlier as we saw three big game launches garner enough search interest to pierce the daily top 3.  Hogwarts Legacy - 2/6/2023 - 1,000,000+ queries Atomic Heart - 2/20/2023 - 200,000+ queries Sons of the Forest - 2/23/2023 - 200,000+ queries The team at AMP wonders if we will see more game titles in our future reports. Earthquake in Turkey The devastating earthquakes in Turkey drove users to Google in search of more details. Turkey earthquake - 2/5/2023 - 2,000,000+ queries Turkey earthquake - 2/21/2023 - 200,000+ queries On February 6th local time, there were two major earthquakes that caused major structure damage and tens of thousands of casualties.  Then, just over 2 weeks later, there was another quake that was thankfully less intense but still made people want to learn more. It Ain’t Too Sweet We usually get excited about food-related queries, but not so much with this one. Erythritol - 2/27/2023 - 200,000+ queries The sugar substitute was reported to be linked to higher heart attack and stroke risks.   State of The Union The State of the Union address was a popular topic that span a couple of days last month. State of the Union - 2/6/2023 - 1,000,000+ queries State of the Union 2023 - 2/6/2023 - 500,000+ queries State of the Union 2023 - 2/7/2023 - 500,000+ queries The next week, Nikki Haley announced her presidential bid. Nikki Haley - 2/14/2023 - 500,000+ queries Sports Queries Not Related To The Super Bowl Sports are quite interesting.  Topics related to sports are always in the Daily Trends.  February has the biggest American sporting event of the year but there were other topics that drove searches that were not Super Bowl related. Tom Brady - 2/1/2023 - 2,000,000+ queries Tom Brady announced his retirement again but it is for real this time, we think. The NBA is halfway through its season so that means it is time for trades and the All Star Game.  Some star players and the teams conducting the trade were searched for last month. Kyrie Irving - 2/3/2023 - 1,000,000+ queries Kyrie Irving trade - 2/4/2023 - 200,000+ queries Kyrie Irving - 2/5/2023 - 2,000,000+ queries Lakers - 2/7/2023 - 2,000,000+ queries Russell Westbrook - 2/7/2023 - 2,000,000+ queries Kevin Durant - 2/8/2023 - 2,000,000+ queries Utah Jazz - 2/8/2023 - 200,000+ queries Kyrie Irving - 2/9/2023 - 200,000+ queries Russell Westbrook - 2/20/2023 - 200,000+ queries Clippers - 2/24/2023 - 500,000+ queries Russell Westbrook was moved from the Lakers to the Jazz and then finally to the Clippers.  The All Star game was popular this year with Mac McClung making a name for himself. Mac McClung - 2/17/2023 - 1,000,000+ queries NBA All-Star Game - 2/17/2023 - 200,000+ queries The young G League player won the 2023 slam dunk contest and became a search sensation. The Big Game The most impressive topic of February 2023 from a search volume perspective is the Super Bowl.  In an era where our consumption of entertainment is scattered and diversified, the NFL’s championship game still draws a mass audience on a yearly basis. Here are the top three most queried phrases from the day before the game. Super Bowl - 2/11/2023 - 10,000,000+ queries Super Bowl 2023 time - 2/11/2023 - 2,000,000+ queries What time is the Super Bowl - 2/11/2023 - 2,000,000+ queries We took a screenshot of the top 4 keyword phrases.  Clearly the time the game starts is an important factor for a lot of people.  The AMP Agency team thinks this insight could be used for a marketing campaign that revolves around the preparation for the game.  Maybe you could build a tool that helps you schedule when chicken wings should go in the oven so they are ready for game time. The queries on Super Bowl Sunday are all about the entertainment. Rihanna - 2/12/2023 - 10,000,000+ queries Chris Stapleton - 2/12/2023 - 2,000,000+ queries Rihanna performed the half-time show and Chris Stapleton sang the National Anthem. Bing To close out, Google’s daily trends registered queries for another search engine last month. Bing - 2/8/2023 - 200,000+ queries On the 8th, Microsoft announced they were rolling out a new version of Bing search. This new version would have a component powered by OpenAI's GTP artificial intelligence. The full service can be found in the Edge browser.  Interesting times lie ahead for search with the introduction of AI.  We shall be here to observe and report as it unfolds. Thanks for reading. If you liked this article, we utilize search trends data for all of our clients and we invite you to learn more about our SEO services.

Consent and Advanced PII in the Context of Conversations with an AI Over 100 million users have signed up to use ChatGPT since OpenAI’s generative AI product launched in November 2022.1 ChatGPT users have prompted the advanced LLM (large language model) with fun and innocuous inquiries, like coming up with the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe. Or using its generative capabilities to create playable table-top role-playing game scenarios. The possibilities seem endless. Many in the digital world recognize generative AI’s potential and contemplate how they can integrate it into their business; however, there’s a catch. The personal data inputted into AI chatbots can be compromised, creating privacy and consent risks. These engines introduce an added layer of complexity to your technology stack, which can impact your business and your user’s experiences.  The first concern is managing consent. When you input a chat prompt and receive an output, you’re feeding information into a collective algorithm.2 According to the makers of ChatGPT, they do not recommend divulging personal, confidential information or secrets.3 Not everyone will read the full terms of service and data privacy statements when interacting with AI chat, potentially forfeiting their confidential information to the collective model. The current implementation also does not overly warn users of the potential risks or provide clear instructions to avoid these risks. As people push the limits of the tech, there may be output prompts that deviate from the topic of focus, are factually untrue, or inappropriate for minors. There’s also the question of consent to communication preferences—as there seems to be few in current iterations of AI chatbots, especially when it comes to topics and subject matter. In traditional marketing channels, users can typically choose which channels they receive communications (SMS, email, etc.), the topics, and the frequency. GDPR, the regulation which protects data and privacy in the EU, dictates several stipulations to define marketing consent, to which current generative AI does not readily adhere. The framework states that marketing consent includes, but is not limited to: Consent must be clear and easily understood  Consent must be given freely with no deception or coercion Consent is a one-time, non-editable event for a specific item or action Consent cannot be posed in an overarching manner (i.e, “I consent to everything”) Consent must be a positive/affirmative action executed by the user Microsoft Bing released an AI chatbot that turned conversations into odd, alarming territories. A New York Times reporter released a transcript of his conversation with the chatbot wherein it claimed that he was not happy in his marriage and that the chatbot loved him.4 Snapchat introduced “My AI” in late February, which uses a modified version of OpenAI’s GPT technology for its Snapchat+ subscribers. The chatbot for Snapchat does possess some limitations—it won’t engage with topics concerning politics, violence, swearing, and academic essay writing (given the typical Snapchat demographic).5  Another issue that will come from implementing these new technologies is the question of monetization and topic promotion. If a user feeds personal identifiable information (PII) or protected health information (PHI) into its algorithm, AI chatbots can absorb that information. Some may argue it will be the user’s responsibility, but it isn’t as cut-and-dry. For example, a lawyer might input some information to generate contract language, unwittingly adding that personal information into the collective.6  As AI technology advances, there will be discussions on how PII is handled or monetized by third-party groups. For instance, would it be ethical for a generalized chatbot to promote a skincare product if prompted to describe an ideal nighttime skincare routine?  Understanding new technologies and their implementation, like the ChatGPT large language model, is how AMPXD stays at the top of our field. We analyze new technology and determine how you can integrate it into your existing platforms. As experts in data privacy regulations (GDPR, HIPPA, CAN-SPAM, COPPA, CCPA), you can feel confident about implementing generative AI into your technology stack in ways that don’t unknowingly compromise customer PII or PHI.  GDS brings together the sharpest minds in the industry to solve tomorrow’s marketing technology challenges. AMP XD has over 25 years of experience and a culture of accountability. We’re excited to be part of the conversation and find a solution to transform your business through generative AI capabilities.  1Engadget, “How AI will change the way we search, for better or worse.” https://www.engadget.com/how-ai-will-change-the-way-we-search-for-better-or-worse-200021092.html 2Forbes, “Generative AI ChatGPT Can Disturbingly Gobble Up Your Private And Confidential Data, Forewarns AI Ethics And AI Law.” https://www.forbes.com/sites/lanceeliot/2023/01/27/generative-ai-chatgpt-can-disturbingly-gobble-up-your-private-and-confidential-data-forewarns-ai-ethics-and-ai-law/?sh=71790ff97fdb 3OpenAI, ChatGPT FAQ. https://help.openai.com/en/articles/6783457-chatgpt-general-faq 4Engadget, “Microsoft limits Bing conversations to prevent disturbing chatbot responses.” https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-limits-bing-conversations-to-prevent-disturbing-chatbot-responses-154142211.html 5ZDNet, “ChatGPT is coming to Snapchat. Just don't tell it your secrets.” https://www.zdnet.com/article/chatgpt-is-coming-to-snapchat-just-dont-tell-it-your-secrets/ 6Forbes, “Generative AI ChatGPT Can Disturbingly Gobble Up Your Private And Confidential Data, Forewarns AI Ethics And AI Law.” https://www.forbes.com/sites/lanceeliot/2023/01/27/generative-ai-chatgpt-can-disturbingly-gobble-up-your-private-and-confidential-data-forewarns-ai-ethics-and-ai-law/?sh=71790ff97fdb

  • 6 min read
  • March 7, 2023

In our continuing series of examining Google Search Trends to gain insights into the top keywords queried in the USA, we present our findings for January 2023. Every day, we capture the top three keyword phrases in terms of search volume as reported by Google Trends (US Only). Each term has an estimated query volume attached to it, which we also record. The number scale tops out at 10,000,000+ with a lower limit of 200,000+ (sometimes 100,000+). After the conclusion of the month, we look at the phrases we collected along with their volumes to get an understanding of what drove queries for the month. The Start of a New Year 2023 began with many of the same topics being searched as we had in 2022. If you don’t know already, the NFL is very popular. It was the most queried subject of the month, and more so this January because of a medical emergency of one of the players. We had a few weather events and tech company layoffs last month. We still can tell what the most popular TV shows and movies are by the volume of search queries. Lastly and sadly, police violence is still a reality and driving search queries. Here’s our analysis of the top trending keywords from January 2023. Two Holidays There were 4 keyword phrases that made the 10 million plus club last month.  Two of them were related to holidays: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Day - 1/15/2023 - 10,000,000+ queries Lunar New Year - 1/21/2023 - 10,000,000+ queries Both of these holidays were celebrated with Google Doodles.  Here’s the updated logo for MLK day 2023:   The other two queries were related to the NFL and will be examined later in this post. Tyre Nichols On January 26th, the Grand Jury of the State of Tennessee indicted the five Memphis Police officers who are accused of charges related to the beating and death of Tyre Nichols. Tyre Nichols - 1/26/2023 - 2,000,000+ queries Memphis police - 1/26/2023 - 500,000+ queries Tyre Nichols body cam - 1/26/2023 - 200,000+ queries Tyre Nichols - 1/27/2023 - 5,000,000+ queries The video footage from the traffic stop drew a lot of interest from people searching on Google.  Queries for this topic spanned across two days last month. Films and Shows The data tells us the most interesting movies and TV shows of January 2023 are as follows: M3GAN - 1/5/2023 - 200,000+ queries The Pale Blue Eye - 1/6/2023 - 200,000+ queries The Last of Us HBO - 1/15/2023 - 1,000,000+ queries That '90s Show - 1/19/2023 - 500,000+ queries The film M3GAN had its wide theatrical release and The Pale Blue Eye was made available for streaming on Netflix on the 6th.  The HBOMax show The Last of US had its debut on the 15th and That ‘90s Show premiered on the 19th.  Movie Awards After a hiatus, the Golden Globes were back this year and people were interested enough to query Google to learn more. Golden Globes 2023 - 1/10/2023 - 2,000,000+ queries Everything Everywhere All at Once - 1/10/2023 - 500,000+ queries A few of the actors (Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan) in the film Everything Everywhere All at Once won awards at the ceremony.  Movie award season continued with the announcement of the Oscar nominations on the 23rd. Oscar Nominations 2023 - 1/23/2023 - 2,000,000+ queries Check back for our March 2023 report where we will analyze the queries related to that award show.  Hopefully, it won’t involve any slapping. Tech Layoffs As we saw towards the end of last year, big tech companies had layoffs in January 2023, which led to search queries of company names. Salesforce - 1/4/2023 - 200,000+ queries Spotify - 1/9/2023 - 500,000+ queries We hope there won’t be more topics related to layoffs in the coming year. Weather Near the beginning of the month, wild weather drove people to query these keywords to learn more. Bomb cyclone - 1/3/2023 - 200,000+ queries California storm - 1/4/2023 - 200,000+ queries In other natural occurrence news, the appearance of a comet also piqued the interest of Google Searchers. Green Comet - 1/31/2023 - 500,000+ queries We hope you were able to see it. Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) isn’t due back for thousands of years.  The Most Popular Sport in the USA Far and away, the US search audience queries about the National Football League more than any other professional sports organization.  Last month, 30 of the 93 phrases we collected were related to the NFL.  In this section, we present only the keywords that were queried over 1 million times in a day - starting with the ones that were queried over 10 million times. Damar Hamlin - 1/2/2023 - 10,000,000+ queries Bengals vs Chiefs - 1/28/2023 - 10,000,000+ queries Damar Hamlin’s on-field medical emergency was a topic that went beyond sports and drove a large number of queries.  The keyword phrase related to the AFC championship game was the other topic that drove the highest reported query volume from Google Trends.  We guess people were not as interested in the NFC championship game. Here’s the rest of the NFL-related keywords:  NFL - 1/7/2023 - 5,000,000+ queries Chiefs - 1/7/2023 - 1,000,000+ queries Jacksonville Jaguars - 1/7/2023 - 1,000,000+ queries Seahawks - 1/8/2023 - 1,000,000+ queries 49ers - 1/13/2023 - 2,000,000+ queries Chargers - 1/14/2023 - 5,000,000+ queries Giants - 1/15/2023 - 2,000,000+ queries Kansas City Chiefs - 1/20/2023 - 2,000,000+ queries Giants vs Eagles - 1/20/2023 - 1,000,000+ queries Cowboys - 1/21/2023 - 5,000,000+ queries Cowboys vs 49ers - 1/21/2023 - 2,000,000+ queries 49ers vs Eagles - 1/27/2023 - 1,000,000+ queries Chiefs vs Bengals - 1/28/2023 - 2,000,000+ queries 49ers vs Eagles - 1/28/2023 - 2,000,000+ queries Next month, we will have the recap on the Superbowl queries.  We wonder if people will be interested in when the game starts. It’s Not The World Cup The other football known as soccer here in the States is still popular.  Check out these 5 queries related to matches held in January 2023. Chelsea vs Man City - 1/5/2023 - 500,000+ queries Man United vs Man City - 1/13/2023 - 500,000+ queries Real Madrid vs Barcelona - 1/14/2023 - 1,000,000+ queries PSG vs Al Nassr - 1/18/2023 - 2,000,000+ queries Man City vs Tottenham - 1/19/2023 - 500,000+ queries It’s not at the level of the World Cup but still enough volume to make the daily top 3. NBA We saw a good number of queries related to the NBA.  Donovan Mitchell - 1/2/2023 - 500,000+ queries Lakers - 1/12/2023 - 500,000+ queries Celtics - 1/12/2023 - 100,000+ queries Celtics - 1/24/2023 - 100,000+ queries Knicks - 1/24/2023 - 100,000+ queries Lakers - 1/25/2023 - 200,000+ queries Warriors - 1/25/2023 - 200,000+ queries Donovan Mitchell scored 71 points on the 2nd.  The other queries were related to teams playing on that day. Did your favorite team make the list?   Wrestling Some may argue the validity of the sport, but Professional Wrestling made the daily top 3 twice last month. Jay Briscoe - 1/17/2023 - 500,000+ queries Royal Rumble 2023 - 1/27/2023 - 500,000+ queries Jay Briscoe was a Ring of Honor wrestler who passed away on the 17th. The other keyword phrase was related to their annual Royal Rumble event. Although the number of phrases related to Wrestling are small, they do pick up when there are big events or news stories related to this form of entertainment.  Looking Towards February The last phrase on our list was a forward-looking keyword. Black History Month - 1/30/2023 - 200,000+ queries As we look back at the first month of the year, it’s good to know that there is more to come in the near future. Thanks for reading. If you liked this article, we utilize search trends data for all of our clients and we invite you to learn more about our SEO services.