Braidr reveals the measurable impact of nepotism for Flicker Productions’ film, ‘Nepo Babies’

Ever wondered how you quantify society’s double standards? Braidr did exactly that, transforming social media’s obsession with ‘nepo babies’ into cold, hard data. 

This challenge was brought to Braidr by Flicker Productions. An award-winning production company renowned for thought-provoking documentaries, Flicker sought to redefine societal debates for a new episode of their UNTOLD series. Tackling nepotism – a polarising cultural flashpoint – they set out to move beyond speculation and uncover deeper truths about privilege, opportunity and the biases that shape public perception.

Braidr turns cultural noise into measurable truths. 

Measuring the impact of the nepo baby art exhibition

One of the documentary’s key experiments was to stage an art exhibition for nepo baby Phoenix Brown (Mel B’s daughter), portraying her as an emerging artist. 

Goal: test the innate power of nepotism by tracking public reaction.

Braidr’s unique approach

Braidr’s data scientists played a pivotal role in turning masses of unstructured social media data into clear cultural insights.

With a sharp eye for detail, Braidr started with Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, analysing social media performance before and after the campaign to uncover the art show’s impact on Phoenix Brown’s online presence. 

Sifting through thousands of snarky, humorous and sometimes biting comments from news articles and social platforms, Braidr’s data scientists pieced together the narratives shaping public opinion.What made our work stand out was the ability to go beyond surface-level analysis – decoding layers of audience reactions, including sentiment, tonality, and even sarcasm. This revealed not just what people said but how they truly felt.

The rise and reach of ‘Kind Nepo Baby’

Next, Braidr turned our focus to Brooklyn Beckham (the ‘King of Nepo Babies’) and his evolving careers – from photography to modelling to cooking. 

Goal: examine how each career shift influenced his public image and how that compares to perceptions of a member of the Royal family.

Braidr’s unique approach

Braidr mapped out Brooklyn’s career timeline, pinpointing key milestones that shaped his public image. Gathering data from Instagram, TikTok and news articles, we explored audience reactions through the lens of comments, posts and recurring themes.

Braidr’s custom sentiment analysis tools got beneath the surface, capturing emotion, tone, sarcasm and even abusive language. 

We compared Brooklyn’s public perception to that of Prince William, exploring how different forms of privilege – in this case, celebrity versus aristocracy – shape public reactions and reveal the societal attitudes fuelling these debates.

Breaking down the numbers

1. Phoenix Brown’s art exhibition

• A staggering 69% of comments about the art gallery were negative. 
• Of these, 14%, were strongly negative, while 4% were abusive.

Here’s how the public responded, in their own words:

• “Nepo at its finest”
• “No talent, just another privileged kid” 
• “A new face but no substance”
• “All about who you know, not what you can do”

These reactions show the intensity of public sentiment when privilege intersects with creativity. This raises the question: does the name on the wall matter more than what is created?

2. Brooklyn Beckham vs. Prince William

• 51% of comments about Brooklyn Beckham were negative compared to 35% of Prince William’s.
• ‘Nepotism’ or ‘Privilege’ was referenced directly in 20%  of comments about Brooklyn Beckham – 20 times more than those about Prince William.

Here’s how the public responded, in their own words:

• “Another nepo baby in the spotlight” 
• “Would he make it without the Beckham name?”
• “An average effort, but is it real talent?” 
• “If he wasn’t a Beckham, this wouldn’t even be a conversation.”

The contrast between Brooklyn Beckham and Prince William reveals society’s sharper criticism of celebrity privilege – rejecting “manufactured celebrity” while valuing authenticity and effort.

Interestingly, the public’s tone softened when Brooklyn pursued a relatable career as a chef, with comments like “A nepo baby, but at least he’s trying something real,” showing a mix of scepticism and appreciation for his effort.

Empirical conclusions

The conversations shaping society today move at the speed of social media. Decoding these discussions with precision allows us to spot opportunities and challenge assumptions.

This is what Braidr do best. Led by our data experts, we boil a huge amount of noise down to the substance.

Our work with Flicker Productions demonstrated this perfectly. By analysing thousands of reactions, Braidr uncovered how names shape creative credibility and the heightened judgement placed on celebrity privilege compared to institutional privilege.

If you want to leverage data and AI to navigate the complexities of today’s cultural conversations, get in touch with Braidr.