We know that consumer purchases are won on emotion and that certain brands are especially skilled at creating the kind of passion that drives sales and sustains businesses. But who are the real leaders? The recent NetBase Brand Passion Report ranks the most-loved brands based on consumers’ social media interactions; and the results include some surprises.
According to the ranking, Etsy (4) clicks more than Amazon (12), Ford (38) beats Ferrari (43), and Canon (39) is sharper than Nikon (68). But the big winner is no surprise. Apple finishes third on the LoveList and three of its products—the iPhone, iPad, and MacBook Air—rank first, fifth and sixth, respectively. Disney is parked in second on the list while Starbucks, Netflix, Chipotle, and McDonald’s round out the Top 10.
The Most-Loved Brands highlighted in the NetBase Brand Passion Report span 13 industries and originate in 11 different countries. The retail industry dominates the Top 100, with a third of the brands in a sector that includes grocers, restaurants, and fashion retailers. The automotive industry takes second place with 13 brands led by Audi, BMW, Ford, and Mercedes-Benz.
The LoveList is compiled using proprietary social analytics technology that uncovers the connection between consumer emotions and brand preferences as identified through social media data. The report takes into account a full year of brand conversations, from February 2014 to February 2015, in English, across the social Web, and hones in on brand expressions of love, in their varied forms, ranging from “adorable” to “revolutionary.” The brands are ranked based on the volume of love achieved, after removal of spammers and bots.
Among the report’s other findings:
- Sixty-two percent of the brands on the list are based in the United States, while 15 percent are headquartered in Japan and 5 percent in South Korea.
- Audi is not only the top-ranking automotive brand, but also and the highest-ranking German company on the LoveList.
- Only one financial services brand (MasterCard) and one insurance company (State Farm) make the cut.
Understanding consumer preference and emotion is part art and part science. And while measuring the volume or the sentiment of social content alone will not take into account the emotion or passion that a consumer relies on to make a purchase, quantifying brand emotion does give companies new insights into their brand health and helps drive intelligent decision-making. Measuring social passion reveals plenty about brand health, enables the measurement of campaigns against last emotional assets, and informs geographical actions.
We have always known that people talk. Now we can listen.
Originally posted on Electronic Retailing Association April 27, 2015.
