Virtue’s Top Social Brands of 2009: iPhone #1
Earlier this week, marketing firm Virtue released its annual list of the top 100 most social brands, where Apple and its many products reigned supreme for the second year in a row. Despite holding less than a quarter of market share in the computing world, Apple has managed to make itself well-known – and very desirable – in many other ways.
Using a unique sentiment-analysis algorithm developed in-house, Virtue narrowed down these brands by determining their popularity across major social media platforms and social interactivity. Beyond just determining who or what was most popular, the Virtue team was able to monitor online conversations across different mediums and dig deep to see what made people talk, and what makes consumers excited about a brand.
A news release from Virtue said, “Marketers are adding social as a foundation into the marketing mix and need the infrastructure to manage their increasingly robust presences. TV spots are now tagged out with Facebook URLs instead of corporate web sites and point-of-sale call to actions now direct you to fan them on Facebook or follow them on Twitter.” The list includes many brands you’d expect to see – Coca Cola, Microsoft, Amazon – as well as some surprises, such as General Motors. All together, the list is made up of just a few key industries, ranging from the expected (technology) to the unexpected (food). The following is a quick breakdown of the industries that stand out the most on this extensive list.
Luxury
Top luxury brands were well represented, with Gucci as the top luxury brand — ranking 27. Gucci has more than half a million fans on Facebook — the largest of any of the other brands on the list. For luxury brands, social media can be hard to balance, because opening it up to the masses lessens its exclusivity. However, Gucci seems to have found the balance. Also making the list were Louis Vuitton at 81, Prada at 88, and Burberry in the number 94 spot. Their place on this list alone showcases the resilience of the industry, especially among these top brands, who are getting people excited and talking about their product. Though it may be harder for people to buy from these brands,it’s clear that they’re connecting with customers – and potential customers – on an entirely new level.
Technology
It’s hard not to miss all of the tech companies and products dominating Virtue’s list. With the iPhone in the top spot, iTunes in 6th place, Apple itself at number 8, it’s clear that the tech innovator knows how to generate buzz. Other big tech brands include Microsoft (18), Verizon (48), Hewlett-Packard (51), Sprint (69), Phillips (84) and Panasonic (89). Interestingly, Google is absent from the list. Virtue reasons: “While Google, Facebook and others are top brands, The Vitrue 100 is measuring companies that are using social technology, not those who are the technology.”
Media
“Media brands make up 8 percent of the list – CNN #3, MTV #4, ESPN #23, CBS #32, ABC #33, Turner #36, Fox News #56, NBC #68 – perhaps illustrating our socialization of their content,” writes Virtue. In September 2009, Sparxoo’s Digital Influencers in News and Politics Report contained many of the same networks. If these are any indication, we can only expect more news and media outlets to develop effective online strategies, and target and engage digital audiences.
Auto
Though it’s no secret that the automotive industry has been struggling, many top brands are still able to get customers buzzing, as evidenced by this list. In the top 25 alone, Mercedes (17), BMW (20), Ford (24) and Honda (25) all make the cut, with Ferrari (26), Nissan (37), Toyota (38), Kia (53), and more following behind – 16 major auto brands in all. Ford has embraced social media through Twitter and YouTube, sharing customer stories and has launched entire campaigns specifically for social media, while Mercedes-Benz has developed their own crowdsourcing social media site for Mercedes owners to connect with each other and share ideas with the carmaker itself. Marketers and advertisers for this industry have definitely found something that works.
Food
Restaurants Subway (50), McDonald’s (62), Krystal (63), and KFC (66) all made the list, while grocery brands like Pringles (86), Nutella (42), Skittles (65), Pepsi (73), and Red Bull (47) helped make the food industry stand out. Some of these brands may not be much of surprise – Skittles...
To read more about Virtue's top social brands, go to Sparxoo, a digital marketing, branding and business development blog.
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