NetBase Brand Passion Report:Top 100 Brand LoveList 2015

The most loved brands according to consumers in social media

Why does love matter to brands and marketers?

The magic of a Disney experience shared with your children. The taste of a Starbucks hot chocolate to kick off the day. The technology and aspiration of a Porsche. The affordability and simplicity of IKEA furniture. The intelligent design of Apple products. How do you capture the essence and value of love for a brand?

Today we can understand the minds of consumers like never before. Social media provides a constant revelation about how they feel towards brands like these. For businesses, it’s a gold mine for building and protecting consumer love—if you can make sense of it all. Here at NetBase, our mission is to provide actionable social analytics so you can make major decisions throughout your business—and keep the love for your brand going strong.

Measuring love: The art and science“NetBase Brand Passion Report: Top 100 Brand LoveList” is a close look at the brands consumers express the most love for in social media. Using patented technology, we surfaced the strongest, most positive consumer emotions towards brands, then identified which 100 brands get the most love. Understanding consumer preference is one part art, and one part science. It’s about more than measuring the volume of social content or sentiment. It’s also about the intensity of passion and feeling. And that’s information that can drive intelligent brand decision-making.

Now, social passion offers new insights into brand health, allows measurement of campaigns against lasting emotional assets, and informs geographical action—such as where a love potion may be in order before getting to business as usual. And return on investments has been tied to return on love.

Convert millions of social comments about brand love into social testimonial advertising, influencer marketing, and future programs that will help grow your brand with new audiences.

3

Are your customers headover heels?

Request a consultation and see whatNetBase can do for your brand.

How do we express love for brands?

We can’t measure brand love by simply counting mentions or impressions, because as we all know, brands are talked about for a variety of emotional reasons. And not all of them are good.

There is a big difference between ‘like’ and ‘love’—not to mention sarcastic love or hate. And gentle mocking is nowhere near as alarming as contempt.

That’s why we put our advanced social technology to the test to measure the strongest emotions shared about brands. Love—and every single version of it.

How strongly do your customers really feel about your brand? Have you managed to create consumer passion your competitors envy? Have you cultivated strong customer relationships to set a foundation for future brand growth?

Most consumer purchases are won on emotion. The more passion for the brand, the less the consumer relies on price as the deciding factor.

We wanted consumers to lead us to the brands they love most. NetBase analyzed English-language posts across the public social web, looking for brands most often associated with, but not limited to, the following forms of love:

adore, amaze, awesome, beautiful, best, brilliant, cool, crave, delight, excellent, exceptional, exciting, fabulous, fan, fantastic, favorite, first rate, gorgeous, great, ideal, impressive, incredible, long for, love, magnificent, outstanding, perfect, priceless, revolutionary, sexy, stun, super, terrific, thrill, top notch, vital, wonderful, world class

For our work, we only included the mentions where love is an insight for the brand, not just a keyword. That means we know that ‘Man toyota trd trucks are beautiful’, shows love for Toyota, but ‘a beautiful bird just landed on my Toyota’ - does not.

4

How strong is the love foryour brand in social?

How do we find love?

In our search for love, the language was set to English but we did not restrict it to any region, making this a global study of English-speaking consumers.

Majority of posts analyzed came from: USA, UK, Australia, Canada, India and Brazil. But global coverage included: Germany, France, South Africa, Ireland, Netherlands, Malaysia, Philippines, Italy, Singapore, Spain, New Zealand, Indonesia, Belgium, Argentina, Mexico, Denmark, Japan, Portugal, Sweden, United Arab Emirates, Poland, Colombia , Nigeria, Israel, Switzerland, China, Panama, Chile, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, South Korea, Pakistan, Hong Kong, Egypt, Jamaica, Venezuela, Greece, Austria, Turkey, Hungary, Ecuador, Kenya, Norway, Peru, Ghana, Puerto Rico, Czech Republic, Romania, Jordan, Lebanon, Finland, Bulgaria, Vietnam, Taiwan, Vanuatu, Paraguay, Latvia, Morocco, Dominican, Republic, Guatemala, Serbia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Nepal, Malta, Oman, Luxembourg, Croatia, Trinidad and Tobago, Costa Rica, Estonia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Azerbaijan, Albania, and Swaziland.

We ran a full year of data analysis from February 14, 2014 to February 15, 2015 and found more than 150,000 brands, things, places and people that consumers had shared love for in social.

This list leaves out a number of categories, including: religion (like the Bible), institutions (like the White House), locations (like Hawaii), celebrities (like Justin Bieber), TV shows (like The Walking Dead, or Doctor Who), entertainment (like One Direction), media outlets (like BBC, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc.)

We took extra steps to remove fake posts generated by bots and spam engines. Finally, we ranked our list of brands based on highest number of strong emotions associated with love, which we identified earlier.

7

8

23.7 Millionmentions of love surfaced

in total

Across 84 countries

We congratulate the brands that have secured strong consumer

love through their product, their actions, and their people!

“

“

Which industries are represented?

Our top 100 most loved brands span 13 different industries, based on brand HQ country from the global source InsideView®.

Two industries dominate the picture with 46% of consumer love. In first place is Retail (grocery, restaurants, and fashion), followed by Automotive in second place. Clearly, we love where we shop and eat, and what we drive or aspire to drive.

The next 26% of love is fairly evenly split between brands from Food & Beverage, Media, and Leisure/Sports industries.

11

Computer Hardware

Telecommunications

Media

Retail

Corporate Services

Automotive

Computer Software

Leisure Sports

Food & Bev

Consumer Products

Electronics

Financial Services

Insurance

33%

13%

10%

8%

8%

7%

7%

6%

3%

2%

1%

1%

1%

Where are they from?

Our top 100 most loved brands originate from 11 different countries.

82% of the winning loved brands originate from 3 countries: United States which accounts for 62% of the brands, Japan with 15% and South Korea with 5%.

12 13

Rank Brand Mentions(Thousands)

iPhone

Disney

Apple

Etsy

iPad

MacBook Air

Starbucks

Netflix

Chipotle

McDonald’s

1 1830

1092

1380

847

648

1580

878

1110

701

566

5

3

7

2

6

4

8

9

10

Most Loved Brands #1 - 10

The Headlines:The top 10 loved brands account for 44.8% or over 10 million “love” mentions.

All of the top 10 most loved brands are from the United States.

Most top 10 brands are in the Computer Hardware or Media categories, reflecting our dependency and love for technology and entertainment.

The consumer has voted – they love the sleek iPhone, which is #1 on the LoveList.

The top 10 brands in the LoveList are heavily influenced by consumer love for Apple products.

In second place, Disney is the top ranking Media brand, proving the strength of magical experiences for consumers.

Boutique online retailer Etsy takes fourth place, with it’s strong consumer eco-system and focus on personalization.

Coffee magnate Starbucks places seventh, making it the highest ranking retail brand on the list.

It’s the truth… I really LOVE Disneyland. Since I was a child, Disneyland has always been a

special place for me.

– Allie Kowallis, kowallisfam.blogspot.com

“

15

Rank Brand Mentions(Thousands)

Nike

Amazon

Taco Bell

Pokemon

Audi

PlayStation

Coca-Cola

LEGO

eBay

Oreo

11 555

422

449

377

348

462

396

439

371

317

15

13

17

12

16

14

18

19

20

The Headlines: These brands account for just under 17.4% or over 4 million “love” mentions.

The Top 11 - 20 most loved brands include one brand each from Denmark and Germany, two from Japan, and six from the United States.

Nike, in 11th place, is the top Leisure/Sports company on the LoveList.

In 12th place, Amazon takes a strong place in our hearts, with eBay in 19th place.

Japan’s highest ranking brand and video game is Pokémon, in 14th place.

The top ranking car—and first German brand on the LoveList—is Audi in 15th place.

The highest ranking gaming system is PlayStation in 16th place.

The top beverage brand is Coke in 17th place.

The only Danish brand to make the LoveList is LEGO, in 18th, proving consumers love to play as well.

Nike Huarache cleats are awesome. I’m a catcher and have those, they’re amazing.

- Paul, ca.answers.yahoo.com

Most Loved Brands #11 - 20

“

17

Rank Brand Mentions(Thousands)

Pandora

Samsung

Sony

Subway

Chick-fil-A

XFINITY

Walmart

Cheetos

LG

BMW

21 302

240

282

230

209

298

240

242

214

193

25

23

27

22

26

24

28

29

30

The Headlines:These brands received more than 1.7 million “love” mentions, or 7.2% share of consumer voice.

The Top 21 - 30 most loved brands include two South Korean brands, one brand each from Germany and Japan, and six brands from the United States, with a large proportion of Media and Retail brands.

The highest ranking South Korean company, Samsung, places in 22nd.

Sony takes 23rd place—the parent brand closely following its PlayStation product brand.

XFINITY is the only cable/internet media company on the list, in 26th place.

Snack brand Cheetos from Frito-Lay comes in at 28th.

Amazing screen resolution and excellent productivity. Love Samsung Products.

- LittleBocce, reviews.bestbuy.com

I love pandora radio. I have a wide range of variety when it comes to my taste in music,

and this app lets me express that.

- Dgordon334, itunes.apple.com

Most Loved Brands #21 - 30

19

“

Rank Brand Mentions(Thousands)

Nutella

Kindle

In-N-Out

Nintendo

Microsoft

Victoria’s Secret

Chanel

Ford

Canon

HTC

31 190

176

180

162

159

190

166

176

160

158

35

33

37

32

36

34

38

39

40

The Headlines:The Top 31 - 40 most loved brands include a wide variety of brands from the United States, Italy, France, and Japan.

Topping this section is the highest ranking Italian brand, Nutella. Consumers sure spread the love!

Japanese video game maker Nintendo takes the 34th place, followed by Microsoft in 35th.

Fashion retailer Victoria’s Secret gets enough love to secure 36th, followed by French luxury brand Chanel in 37th.

The highest ranking American auto company is Ford in 38th place

Nutella is a perfect food.

– John Heerema, facebook.com

Ford is the best. More options for less $$

- amrshortstuff, community.babycenter.com

Most Loved Brands #31 - 40

21

“

“

Rank Brand Mentions(Thousands)

KFC

Mercedes

Ferrari

Honda

Adidas

IKEA

Target

Hewlett-Packard

Mustang

IHOP

41 150

129

139

125

123

140

125

130

124

120

45

43

47

42

46

44

48

49

50

The Headlines:The Top 41 - 50 group continues with a strong focus on automotive, featuring brands from Sweden, Germany, Italy, South Korea and the United States.

This section kicks off with restaurant retailer KFC, in 41st place. This is a second win for the Yum! Brands parent company--Taco Bell ranks 13th on the list.

Automotive brands Mercedes and Ferrari take 42nd and 43rd places, with Honda in 44th and Mustang in 49th.

The only Swedish brand to make the LoveList is IKEA, in 46th place.

Finally, restaurant retailer IHOP proves our love of pancakes in 50th place for this section.

I love my IKEA chair! It is so comfy!

- Meg McIlvaine, www.riversandroads.me

These are all great products. I love shopping at Target. They have everything and it is such a

clean store.

- Linda Manns Linneman, babycostcutters.com

Most Loved Brands #41 - 50

23

“

“

Rank Brand Mentions(Thousands)

State Farm

Sprite

Gatorade

Pizza Hut

Wendy’s

Chevrolet

Whataburger

Nokia

Doritos

Gucci

51 118

111

114

110

107

115

110

113

108

101

55

53

57

52

56

54

58

59

60

The Headlines:The Top 51 - 60 is 80% US-based brands and one brand each from Japan and Italy. There are many food brands in this section.

This section kicks off with the only insurance brand on the list—State Farm—in 51st place.

Restaurant retailer Pizza Hut secures 54th place. All three restaurant brands from the Yum! Brands parent company made this year’s list--Taco Bell ranks 13th and KFC ranks 41st.

American automotive brand Chevrolet takes 56th place.

Japanese media company Nokia is in 58th place.

60th place goes to Italian fashion brand Gucci.

Because chances are, if things are that tight, paying for a repair or new car out of pocket won’t be feasible. State Farm is an awesome

company.

– AllTheRage, community.babycenter.com

Gatorade is the best drink ever created.

– Chase Chrisley, @ChrisleyChase, twitter.com

Most Loved Brands #51 - 60

25

“

Rank Brand Mentions(Thousands)

Olive Garden

Hello Kitty

Dove

Applebee’s

Toyota

Best Buy

Costco

Nikon

Pepsi

Dior

61 95

89

90

83

81

93

85

90

81

80

65

63

67

62

66

64

68

69

70

The Headlines:60% of the Top 61 - 70 is made of retail-based brands, and features the first brand from the United Kingdom.

Restaurant retailer Olive Garden starts the group in 61st place, followed by Applebee’s in 64th.

Japanese brand Hello Kitty is in 62nd place.

The highest-ranking UK brand on the LoveList—Dove—comes in at 63rd.

Yea I love the new offerings from Toyota. I’m a huge Sequoia/4-Runner fan.”

– Usdm420, Honda-tech.com

Most Loved Brands #61 - 70

27

“

Want to know where you stand in social? Schedule a demo now.

Rank Brand Mentions(Thousands)

Louis Vuitton

MasterCard

Porsche

Waffle House

Red Bull

Samsung Galaxy

Assassin’s Creed

Topshop

Nissan

Crocs

71 78

71

75

66

63

76

66

75

63

61

75

73

77

72

76

74

78

79

80

The Headlines:The Top 71 - 80 is the most geographically diverse group of the LoveList.

French fashion house, Louis Vuitton ranks 71st place.

In 72nd place, MasterCard is the highest rated financial service brand.

German auto brand Porsche is in 73rd place, and Japanese auto brand Nissan has the 79th spot.

Australian brand Red Bull has enough wings to land 75th place.

South Korean brand Samsung Galaxy is at 76th place.

Assassin’s Creed is the second highest rated video game, at 77th place.

British clothing retailer Topshop is 78th.

“I love these Red Bull ads.”

– Faps_McTickle, reddit.com

Most Loved Brands #71 - 80

29

“

Rank Brand Mentions(Thousands)

Sprint

Verizon

Budweiser

Burger King

Panasonic

Tesco

Marriott

Lexus

T-Mobile

IBM

81 57

55

56

53

51

57

54

56

52

49

85

83

87

82

86

84

88

89

90

The Headlines:The Top 81 – 90 group surfaces mostly brands from the United States.

Telecom companies Sprint and Verizon lead with 81st and 82nd places, followed by T-Mobile in 89th.

Budweiser is the highest ranking beer at 83rd place.

British grocery retailer Tesco emerges at 86th place.

Marriott is the top ranked hotel in 87th place.

Absolutely adore clothes from Tesco! If I get the chance I always go there as it’s cheap and

normally great quality stuff!

– lollalong, theellenextdoor.blogspot.com

Verizon cloud is a beautiful thing…

– Jessica Rehm McCarty, facebook.com

Most Loved Brands #81 - 90

31

“

“

Rank Brand Mentions(Thousands)

Lenovo

Sephora

Subaru

Sears

Motorola

Dragon Age

Forever 21

Whole Foods

Trader Joe’s

Nordstrom

91 43

36

40

34

33

42

35

39

33

32

95

93

97

92

96

94

98

99

100

The Headlines:At #91, Computer Hardware company Lenovo is the only brand from China to make the LoveList.

French beauty retailer Sephora is #92.

Sears is the highest ranking Department Store at #94, with Nordstrom in second place at #100.

I love brushes from Sephora! They are quite an investment but I’ve had some of mine for 5

years, and they still look brand new.

– livstudios.blogspot.com

Whole Foods pizza is AMAZING! I might need to pick up a pie for football watching.

– Sabrina Alexandra, hungrymeetshealty.com

Most Loved Brands #91 - 100

33

“

“

adorable, adore, amaze, awesome, beautiful, best, brilliant, cool, crave, delight, excellent, exceptional, excite, exciting, fabulous, fan, fantastic, fave, favorite, first-rate, gorgeous, great, ideal, impress, impressive, incredible, long for, love, luv, magnificent, outstanding, perfect, priceless, revolutionary, sexy, stun, super, superb, superior, terrific, thrill, top notch,

vital, wonderful, world class

35

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

- Elizabeth Barrett Browning, 1806 - 1861

How Do I Love Thee?

Lego classics are awesome! I am somewhat partial, I loved Legos as a child and these classics remind me of my Lego buckets.

- morganbaby, amazon.com

Forever craving in n out burger.

- Aliza Schorr@AlizaSchorr, twitter.com

“

“

Who says you can’t measure brand love?

About NetBaseNetBase is the award-winning real-time social business platform that global companies use to run brands, build businesses, and connect with consumers every second. Billions of social media posts are processed daily for actionable business insights for leaders across marketing, research, customer service, sales, public relations, and product innovation. NetBase is a trusted partner to esteemed brands including Ralph Lauren, Guess, Target, Bose, Sony, Condé Nast, Live Nation, and Ogilvy as well as some of the most sought-after advertising agencies. In a recent external comparison, the NetBase social business platform tested 50% more accurate and nine times faster than competing solution providers.

Our patented technologyNetBase Brand Passion Reports are based on the analysis of millions of data sources, spanning the globe and the social web. Our superior patented language processing engine parses the nuances of language, analyzing the relevance and “connective tissue” of every sentence to extract true meaning. This engine understands 42 languages as well as slang, abbreviations, misspellings, and more. NetBase continually refines the standards based on its computational linguist experts, crowd-sourced testing, and customer feedback.

36

See NetBase in action.

Now live in 99 countries.

One platform. Endless business advantages.NetBase

2087 Landings Drive Mountain View, CA 94043

650.810.2100netbase.com

New York, Chicago, London, Heidelberg, Taipei