Social media intelligence is a known must-have for all brands and businesses, but how to wrangle social analytics tools for the most useful insights is something many brands are still figuring out. Our Brand Passion Report 2016: Top 100 Global Brand Love List illustrates why consumer love is such a huge part of the social data equation.
We looked at 265 million English language, earned mention posts from May 18, 2015 to May 17, 2016. Applying our patented technology to sources including blogs, forums, microblogs, news review sites, and Twitter and Tumblr feeds in 200 countries, we identified the 100 brands getting the most consumer love on social – across industries including Entertainment, Consumer Goods, Technology, Automotive, and many more.
The results are enlightening. It’s clear consumer passion continues to be the driving force behind social sharing – and ability to engage this passion, especially when it’s positive, is what lands brands at the top. Here are some highlights:
Bigger isn’t necessarily better
Though certain industries had larger representation on the list, this didn’t automatically correlate to volume of mention – which proves intensity of passion matters. When the love is strong enough for an industry or brand it can eclipse even larger competitors.
Case in point: Though social media only represented 1% of the industries ranked, it had 23% volume of mention. That means people are talking a LOT about social media – more than they are food and beverage brands, which represented 24% of industries on the list, but only 6% volume of mention.
If you’re a brand looking for greater volume of mention, it’s smart to research how these brands are engaging consumers and apply similar tactics – or even partner with one of them to get a share of their love. That’s assuming this metric applies in the region you want to reach.
Love changes across locations
Global rankings don’t carry over from country to country – which is an important distinction, and something we saw when we broke down our recent Top 50 European Brand Love List. Though your brand is well-loved in one region, you might need a “love potion” to gain favor in another – perhaps even your home country. (Lists some of the top brands in Europe that are headquartered in Europe)
Google is a perfect example of this. The tech company ranked 17th globally, but is actually the 2nd most-loved brand in Europe, the U.K. and France. In its home country, the U.S., however, it’s 11th on the list.
So what is it that consumers in France, the U.K. and Europe love about Google, and can any of these insights be applied to raising the brand’s rank in the U.S.?
These are questions Google should explore through social media listening and consumer sentiment analysis, by getting to know its U.S. audiences segments better, and offering up whatever they’re looking for at an individual level. They can’t act until they analyze emotions within those segments.
Ditch assumptions and take action
The most important reason to use social media listening tools is to replace assumptions and gut instinct with facts – and to have access to insights in real-time, when applying them makes a difference.
Target is one brand that needs to be watching in real-time. During the report period they had 169K mentions about their bathroom policy – but the sentiment was very negative at -39%, putting them at #60 on the list. Being aware of such changes in brand love as they’re happening gives you options to change the conversation and put the attention back where you want it.
No ranking is secure – no matter the brand. Insights must be met with action for conversions to happen, and for brand health to thrive.
But first you’ve got to follow the love.
Start by downloading our Brand Passion Report 2016: Top 100 Global Brand Love List to see where your brand stands, which competitors to track, and how to apply social insights for maximum impact. Or reach out for a live demo of our social analytics tools.
Image from acid pix
