What Interbrand’s 2012 Best Brands All Have in Common

The world’s top brands are also often the most social brands. Coincidence?

The top 100 Interbrand brands are also most likely to be active (and successful) in social media. Coca-Cola, No.1 on the list, just happens to also be one of the most social brands in digital. According to TrackSocial, Coca-Cola consistently performs well in social media with regards to fan growth, social buzz and spurring engagement. This proves that social media — which might not actually drive purchases of Coke in a direct-response sense — does help the brand with providing value to consumers. Every day, people discuss, debate and embrace Coca-Cola brands in 5,000 online conversations on average. 

All but one of the brands that made Track Social’s top 10 list of the most engaging brands in social media are also on Interbrand’s list. Of course, there is cause for wonder if correlation isn’t really causation. Are they top brands because they’re social? Or are they social because they’re top brands? Either way, the message is that social media is being embraced by the best of the best, and other brands need to take notice.

Pampers, Facebook, Prada, Kia, Ralph Lauren and MasterCard are the newbies on this year’s list, and they’re all very social. Fan count and engagement (actions taken by consumers on their pages) are consistent.

It’s no surprise that the majority of the brands on the list are technology companies. Recent reports have found that tech companies are the largest spenders in social media.

The moral of the story: Social media is necessary for building brand equity, regardless of its lack of ROI.

Here’s the top 10 on the list:

Main image courtesy of Shutterstock

https://digiday.com/?p=23356

More in Marketing

Manchester City uses Fortnite to expand its global audience

As Manchester City rolls out its own Fortnite experience, it will have to contend with the fact that this brand new world does not come with a pre-existing user base. To address this problem, the company plans to leverage its network of players and talent to spread the word across their social feeds.

How Chipotle’s fighting-game-focused esports strategy is paying off at Evo 2024

In 2024, Chipotle’s choice to court the relatively niche fighting game community appears to have paid off. According to a joint study by YouGov and the agency rEvolution, which helped develop Chipotle’s gaming strategy, U.S. esports fans between the ages of 18 and 44 reported a nearly 100% increase in their intent to purchase Chipotle following the brand’s esports campaign last year.

How Revolut’s creator strategy is benefitting from YouTube’s long-form swing

The challenger bank is prioritizing YouTube creators in bid to reach consumers.