The Driver Quadrant is designed to highlight which reputation drivers are shifting most significantly in the most recent two-week period, and what is contributing to those changes.
It helps you quickly identify emerging risks, growing narratives, and areas that may require attention.
Key Principles
Always Based on the Last Two Weeks
The chart always compares the most recent one-week period against the previous week, regardless of the time range selected at the top of the dashboard.
How to Read the Chart
Each circle represents a reputation driver. Its position and size tell you different things:
Vertical Axis (Y-Axis): Level of Negativity
This shows the proportion of coverage about a driver that is negative.
Example: A score of 41% for Business Performance means:
41% of coverage is critical/negative
59% is neutral or positive
The higher the circle, the more negative the conversation.
Horizontal Axis (X-Axis): Change in Impact (or Volume)
This shows how much the driver has shifted between the last two one-week periods.
A position to the right means the driver has recently increased in impact or volume
A position to the left means it has decreased
Example: A +11% shift means the driver’s impact is 11% higher this week than last week
Circle Size: Share of Voice
The size of each circle reflects how much that driver contributes relative to others.
Larger circles = greater share of voice
Smaller circles = less prominence in the overall conversation
Example: If Business Performance accounts for ~34%, it is a dominant driver in the current narrative
Drill Down: Headlines
Click on any circle to view relevant headlines for that driver within the selected time period.
This allows you to quickly understand what is driving the change.
How to Interpret the Quadrant
Top Half = Higher Risk
Drivers in the upper half have a higher proportion of negative coverage and should be treated as areas of concern.
Right Side = Growing Drivers
Drivers on the right-hand side are increasing in impact or volume compared to the previous period.
These represent emerging or accelerating narratives.
Large Circles = Greater Influence
Larger bubbles carry more weight in shaping overall reputation and should be prioritised.
Bottom Right = Early Warning Signals
Drivers in the lower-right quadrant are not yet highly negative but are increasing.
These are important to monitor, as they may escalate into higher-risk areas.
Using the Chart Effectively
Identify What’s Driving Change
Focus on drivers with the largest positive shifts on the X-axis.
These are the topics currently gaining momentum.
Investigate Root Causes
Click into these drivers to review headlines and understand what events, coverage, or narratives are causing the shift.
Compare Across Timeframes
While the quadrant always reflects the last two weeks, you can use the time selector to provide broader context:
Compare share of voice (bubble size) across longer periods
Assess whether negativity (Y-axis position) is increasing or stabilising
This helps answer questions like:
Is this a short-term spike or part of a longer trend?
Is sentiment worsening over time?
Define Meaningful Thresholds
The percentage shift on the X-axis will vary week to week.
It’s important to define what constitutes a meaningful change based on:
Your organisation’s risk appetite
Industry volatility
Historical baselines
Summary
The Driver Quadrant helps you:
Spot which drivers are changing most right now
Understand whether they are becoming more negative
Prioritise high-impact and fast-growing issues
Quickly access the content behind the change
Use it as a starting point to move from signal → insight → action.