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What Does Twitter Have To Do With Margaritas? Find Out For Yourself.

You’ve heard us proselytize the importance of Twitter since the inception of Black Sheep. Heck, Leader of the Flock Aimee Woodall has already been named 2nd most influential Houston Tweeter and ranked #5 in the advertising Shorty Awards, a Twitter-based contest held nationwide. No big. We’re kind of big nerds about the whole concept because we’ve seen how it can truly affect business and networking.  

As it turns out, we are not the biggest nerds out there. At least as far as Twitter goes.

A Harvard Business Review blog discussing a new wave in Twitter, an ability to study Twitter data, has emerged, and its frickin’ cool. If we didn’t have so much work to do, we could probably play on these awesome programs all night, both for pleasure and for actual insight into trends, opinions and effective word choice.

For example, Twitter Venn takes three different search terms. We used salsa, Houston and restaurant (because we’re hungry), and surprisingly, while many people are using those terms individually, there is very little overlap. Why aren’t restaurants in Houston with great salsa talking about it? This is an important question! We then tried “margarita,” “salsa” and “chips” and got very similar results. In fact, only 3.1 tweets/day contained all three search terms. What? Someone needs to start discussing these topics. Now.

Then there’s Twitter Spectrum. This nifty little program takes two words and lists all the words commonly associated with those terms and also those words commonly associated with both. We chose “cocktail” and “wine,” and, as though it were a message sent from above, the middle terms (showing the most commonality) were “need” and “food.” EXACTLY.

Twitter Stream takes two terms and shows the frequency of two terms and their associated words over time. Again, for whatever reason, we chose “food” and “hungry.” The results showed a remarkable amount of “need” and “LOL” with peaks at about 5:30 pm. At this point, we are still hungry, not laughing about it, but still pretty amazed by these sites.

So beyond the dork factor, what’s in it for you? Well, if you have a business, it’s an interesting way to monitor public opinion. Type your business’ name and find out what pops up along with it – if it’s positive, great… if you have peaks and trends with the word “suck” and “loser,” well, you need to work on improving whatever it is you do. It’s also a nice way to gauge your Twitter presence. Keep in mind this is an international perspective, so you don’t need millions of dots on your Venn diagram. But, you can compare your rates to your competition’s or your Twitter idol’s and see how you match up. Furthermore, you can learn something new about your market. If you sell bananas to monkeys in Hawaii, plug those terms into these programs and notice the other terms that appear. If words like coconuts and chocolate pop up, and you’re NOT selling chocolate and coconut-covered bananas, you may be missing out. *

Explore these Twitter data sites and let us know what you think! Are they helpful to you? What did you learn? Share with us in the comments below!

*We don’t know for certain whether monkeys can eat chocolate, so please take caution!

Black Sheep Identity Revealed [circa 2010, yo]

At Black Sheep, we know storytelling isn’t just about awareness. It’s about disruption, transformation and cultural change. That’s why we loved our Account Director Shauna Garriques’ LinkedIn article, Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Performance Was More Than Music—It Was a Masterclass in Impact Storytelling where she unpacks how Lamar turned the world’s biggest stage into a powerful commentary on racial injustice. His use of symbolism, risk and raw emotion sparked conversations far beyond the 13-minute performance.

We won’t rehash her insights here—and encourage you to read the full article—but we do want to build on them. Because what Kendrick Lamar did wasn’t just an example of impact storytelling. It was a lesson in narrative power—who gets to tell stories, how those stories shape public consciousness and why discomfort is often a sign you’re doing it right.


Owning the Narrative vs. Being Part of the Narrative

For decades, the Super Bowl halftime show has been about spectacle. Big names, bright lights and choreography built for mass appeal. But Kendrick Lamar didn’t just step into that tradition; he bent it to serve a deeper message.

That’s a crucial lesson for social impact leaders. Are you shaping your own story, or are you adjusting it to fit someone else’s expectations? Too often, organizations working in justice spaces are asked to soften their message for broader appeal. 

You write in order to change the world… if you alter, even by a millimeter, the way people look at reality, then you can change it. - James Baldwin

Real impact happens when stories are told with honesty and audacity, not when they’re polished into something more digestible.


Symbolism Isn’t Just an Aesthetic Choice—It’s a Strategy

One of the most striking aspects of Lamar’s performance was his use of visual storytelling. The prison yard set. The red, white and blue draped over Black bodies. The synchronized marching. The video game references. None of it was accidental. Every detail was designed to deepen the emotional impact of his message.

We believe the same is true for social movement storytelling. Symbolism isn’t decoration—it’s a strategic tool. The picture-superiority effect suggests that a well-placed visual cue is far more likely to be remembered than words alone. When we work with social impact organizations fighting challenging battles for issues like reproductive rights, labor justice and trans visibility, we ask: What do people need to feel before they understand what you’re saying? Because facts inform, but emotion moves people to action.

Perhaps the most important takeaway from Lamar’s performance is that discomfort is not the enemy—it’s the point. Social impact work should challenge assumptions, shift perspectives and push audiences to engage with hard truths.

As Shauna said, “Bold storytelling sparks dialogue, and dialogue is where change begins.”  Kendrick’s performance didn’t just make people watch—it made them feel. And for movements that challenge power, creating that kind of discomfort is often the first step toward a cultural shift.

Emotional resonance isn’t just a storytelling tool—it’s what makes messages stick. Research shows that people are far more likely to remember a message when it triggers an emotional response—especially when it highlights injustice. This reinforces a truth that every major movement for change has understood: growth comes from friction. Progress doesn’t happen passively. It requires people to engage with discomfort, challenge the status quo and push conversations forward, even when the path isn’t easy.

If you’re interested in active, powerful storytelling that sparks real impact and are ready to challenge the status quo with your own message, let’s talk. As Kendrick showed us—culture shifts when voices refuse to be silenced.

Kendrick Lamar Didn’t Just Perform—He Provoked. Here’s What We Can Learn About Narrative Power and Cultural Change.

The Power of Disruptive Storytelling

The Black Sheep blog is turning up the volume on community engagement, social media strategy, Houston happenings and what it means to lead a purpose-driven life.

The Black Sheep Agency | Social impact and nonprofit blog

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The Power of Disruptive Storytelling

Digging In: The Greater Purpose Behind the Social Media Shin-Dig

Revolutionary War: Malcolm Gladwell vs. The Twitterverse

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What Does Twitter Have To Do With Margaritas? Find Out For Yourself.

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