Page 24 - BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands 2014

Section 02 | The Global Top 100
The BrandZM Verve Index

Social Media Special Report:

The BrandZM Verve Index

Linking positive social media with brand power

A new tool for productive social media investment

Overall, Verve is best understood in
Because we work from a common Third-party coverage can often be a key to be addressing other Twitter users or the “rewarding” promise of the cards.
the context of Brand Contribution. It
understanding of brand equity across inluence for overall opinions, but these commenting on trends they see on the In particular, American Express led the
is a signal of consumer interest and both brand contribution and social media are frequently driven by the fact that platform; LinkedIn commentators are way here, with #AmexSync and

engagement, and is most closely aligned conversations, we can deine a statistical the brand has demonstrated a point
often sharing content they have seen on #PassionProject. These campaigns
with brand strength and power, where
relationship between the two. In a social of difference.
LinkedIn; and people talking about succeeded because they had not only
it allows us to see the texture and detail context, anyone talking about a brand by Facebook use Twitter as a backchannel a clear consumer incentive but also
of the consumer relationship to a brand, deinition has it at the forefront of their to gossip about other people on demonstrated the brand’s forward-
such as how celebrities can impact mind; therefore brands that are Facebook. Our Verve data indicate that looking approach to changing media

lifestyle brands, or where activism can meaningful and different are most likely while consumers do follow coverage of and technology habits. These brands
Ali Rana
shape perceptions of commodities.
to be entwined in brand conversations “Door to door these platforms at a corporate level, they also have some of the highest brand
on social media.
are primarily interested in the content contribution scores in their category,
Before going into more detail, it is deliveries of the future? and communities housed in social media.
suggesting that their performance
SVP and Head Scientist, Emerging important to highlight a few caveats:
PART TWO:
Amazon testing drones in social media and their overall
Media Lab, Millward Brown Digital BRAND HEALTH IN SOCIAL MEDIA
Technology brands are also divided by brand strength may have a
Ali.Rana@millwardbrown.com
for deliveries”
— Scores vary by category. Certain those that have strong consumer-facing symbiotic relationship.
With contributions from Anne brands may be very strong relative to Meaningful Experiences
brands and businesses versus those that
Czernek, Senior Research Analyst, their competitors, but that category The Impact of Marketing on Social do not: Google, Apple, and Samsung all Retail & Apparel
Armineh Nourbakhsh, Software may not be much talked-about. Brand When gathering brand equity data, Media Conversation
generate a lot of attention, far
Developer, Maarten Peschier, Senior strength and marketing can help dial Millward Brown can require someone to overshadowing brands like Cisco or These categories are highly
answer a series of questions related to It is important to note that marketing experientially driven, as the spur for
Technology Scientist, Emerging this up (such as American Express and meaning and difference. However, in causes variations over and above the Siemens. The successful brands are most conversation is an in-store
Media Lab, Millard Brown Digital
Visa), but ultimately many people are social, we can only infer from what is base level of social conversations, rather characterized by a large proportion of experience or a coveted item. Because
less interested in tweeting about their third-party communications, primarily
PART ONE:
inancial services than they are about, stated – no follow-up questions allowed. than forming it. Almost universally driven by new product launches and to many people who talk about these
OVERVIEW OF BRANDZM VERVE
say, fast food or fast fashion.
Meaning is the easiest to ascertain from among the 2014 BrandZM Top 100 a lesser extent, corporate observations brands have irst-hand knowledge, this
straightforward statements about the brands, consumer experience or third- familiarity can augment the brands’
consumer’s favorability toward the brand party communications, ampliied by (including investments and litigation). proile with other items of interest:
As part of our ongoing efforts to or whether it meets needs.
brand strength, provides the foundation However, for some brands with a variety mentioning The Home Depot in a joke
enhance and improve the BrandZM of popular consumer products,
rankings report, we have included a for social vitality.
consumer experience plays a role
about Miley Cyrus gives it extra comic
new data source – our proprietary People really do tweet Brand meaning is brought to the as well: people register their use of zing; or one might feel closer to
Verve Score methodology, which forefront in social media conversations. Three types of marketing tend to break Google’s large portfolio of products Beyoncé through her H&M
about their lunches. Its expression is most elevated among through most strongly: (1) sponsorships endorsements. However, irst-hand
measures social media data. Using this brands whose baseline consumer of sports ields and event spaces, like around the globe (including maps, familiarity can turn into a negative
Verve score, Millward Brown Digital People like to talk about commentary is experience-driven. Within Citi Field; (2) buzzworthy TV translation, voice services, and more). when the news is bad, for example
has evaluated the social vitality of the Brands such as Apple and Samsung
BrandZM Top 100 brands.
what they’re interested
the BrandZM Top 100, Starbucks, Red commercials, such as Budweiser’s also attract commentary on their when social media picked up the horse
in or what’s in front of Bull, Nike and eBay are all such brands: Clydesdale Super Bowl spot; and (3) desirable mainstream products,
meat contamination story, seriously
accessible, crave-able and consistent, catchy social campaigns connecting compromising otherwise buoyant brand
The core data is taken from the tens of them, whether that’s food they can provide a satisfaction so sweet branding to experience, like KFC’s fun as well as their more experimental images amongst consumers.
millions of global Twitter conversations it must be shared spontaneously.
#iatethebones campaign.
efforts like wearables.
about these brands. In essence, the Verve –“Casually ate a ten piece
score is a measure of the number of Financial Services
Oil & Gas
mentions for a brand combined with the of KFC in ten minutes” – Brand Difference
PART THREE:
From a social media perspective, oil and
CATEGORY COMMENTARY
Financial services are primarily driven by
favorability of those mentions. So, the or fashion – “Shopping!! When we look at the brands with the third-party communications – consumer- gas companies are an example of where
higher the score, the more that brand has Literally cleaning out highest Verve scores among the BrandZM Technology
facing experiential commentary is brands have to work extra hard to make
been elevated within a social context.
Top 100, we also see that third party social into a beneicial inluence on their
Zara.”
commentary can have a signiicant Within technology, social platforms are minimal. However, silence does not brands. Consumer interest in “pumping
Verve represents the accumulation of impact. For example, technology, the clear leaders of brand performance in necessarily mean indifference and gas” tends to be relatively low, whilst
social. Unsurprisingly, their users comments can hinder as well as help.
positive brand experiences among the — Verve relects social audiences. Verve automotive and luxury all feature heavily frequently reference their activity and criticism can be swift when there are
engaged audience on Twitter. It covers is an accurate relection of what is because consumer experience is communities on the platforms – these Distinct from the rest of the category, environmental concerns. Nevertheless,
brand users, peers and inluencers, those happening in social media, but activists supplemented by coverage from third- brands are heavily experience-driven. credit card brands American Express because energy is a potentially emotive
exposed to brand communications,
party sources (news articles, blogs, etc.). topic, it can be used to enhance brands
and those responding to news or blog may over-amplify certain topics, while Notably, these categories are also That said, each platform has a distinctive and Visa both had success with in this sector where there is a positive
sites. Verve classiies Twitter data both people having positive but ordinary higher-consideration and more pattern of its own: Twitter users tend
consumer campaigns that reiterated
story to be told.
experiences with a brand may not feel
topically and attitudinally and relects compelled to speak up at all. This is aspirational, characterized by more
outcomes over time in brand equity, why we place social data in the larger complex features, longer purchase cycles
sales, and TV impact.
and lower purchase frequency.
context of the BrandZM rankings.

46 BrandZM Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands 2014
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