Before 2018, our efforts to calculate market-specific brand performance were primarily focused on building databases of creators that were physically located in each of the markets we serviced. For example, if a creator lived in France and created content in French, we assumed that their followers were primarily located in France. 

However, we also knew certain creators were unique, mainly those that:

To account for these cases, we developed a more accurate and nuanced method to better determine where a creator actually has influence, using a combination of home location and Instagram audience data. 

We started by determining a home location for all of the Instagram profiles in our system, looking at the cities or countries noted in their profile bio as well as the geotags available on their content. We also used basic web searches and our third-party partner's designated home location as a cross-reference. Using home location served as both an initial and final check, allowing our models to be accurate while preventing any anomalies in the audience data from affecting our estimates. 

Once we had a set of creators we believed to be based in each market, we reviewed the Instagram audience data for that set. Each creator had a percentage breakdown of their followers and likes from each market, similar to the sample data below:

Using this data, we created a model that determined what the “average creator” looked like in each market, based on locations from which they gained followers and post engagement. With this "average creator" model, we could then evaluate not only the creators that we knew lived in certain markets, but also those with unknown or multiple home locations. 

Our model assigns every profile in our system a score for each market, representing how confident we were that the creator has influence in that region. If a creator's score passes the qualifying threshold, they are added to the pool of profiles available for that market’s Panel. Most profiles only qualify for one market, but a small percentage of global creators can qualify for two markets or more.

Once each market’s pool is identified, we further assess the creators on a set of six separate metrics used to determine a profile’s quality. Find out more about the metrics and methodology here. 

While we apply this methodology as-is for most markets, we allow for certain exceptions on the US Panel, given the unique diversity of the US market and population.

Creators who are not located in the US, but who have more than 100k followers based in the United States on either Instagram or Youtube are automatically included in the evaluation pool, even if the US is not their main market. They are then subject to the same metrics assessment described above.

In addition to increased confidence in each creator's location and relative influence, this technique also allows us to account for cultural and size differences across markets. Now, we can ensure that the thresholds and requirements applied are appropriate, regardless of whether we are evaluating creators in smaller, more insular markets like Japan or larger, English-speaking markets like the UK.