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. As an award-winning production company renowned for creating thought-provoking documentaries, Flicker sought to redefine societal debates for a new episode of their UNTOLD series. Tackling nepotism—a polarising cultural phenomenon—they wanted to move past speculation to prove deeper truths about privilege, opportunity, and the biases around 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 the 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 for this project.

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. Braids’s data scientists sifted through thousands of snarky, humorous, and sometimes biting comments from news articles and social platforms, piecing together the narratives shaping public opinion.

What made Braidr’s work stand out was the ability to go beyond surface-level analysis – we decoded 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 impacted his public perception and how he is perceived compared to 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.

Braids’s custom sentiment analysis tools dug into the layers beneath the surface—capturing emotion, tone, sarcasm, and even abusive language. 

Braidr compared Brooklyn’s public perception to that of Prince William, exploring how different forms of privilege—celebrity versus aristocracy—evoke unique reactions, offering a lens into the societal attitudes that drive 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% of them were strongly negative, while 4% of them 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, raising the question: does the name on the wall matter more than what you create?

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 for Prince William’s.

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 skepticism and appreciation for his effort.

Empirical conclusions

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

At Braidr, this is what we do best. With our data experts leading the way, we are able to 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.