YSL sees greater love on social media. Image credit: YSL
Toyota Corp.’s Lexus has wielded social media this past year to elicit favorable impressions from users, rising 31 spots in NetBase’s Top 100 Global Brand Love List. The report shows that the most loved brands are those that dive into what it is about the marketer that consumers adore so much. Social media channels themselves have been able to wield this notion more so than others, taking up four spots among the top 10 most loved brands. “Consumers articulate their love of brands and products in a wide variety of ways,” said Elvis Lieban, product marketing manager at NetBase. “Also, consumers love brands for lots of different reasons, whether it’s a love for McDonald’s French fries, or a love for Ikea hacks, or how they love posting pictures taken on their Nikon camera. “Brands should not assume they know why consumers love their brand, or the love is for the reason they think,” he said. “They need to listen, analyze and engage. “The best performing brands focus their social efforts around what their customers love and show they love on social to form stronger connections with their fan base.” NetBase looked at brand conversations across social channels, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr and millions of other sources from May 2017 to May 2018 for the report. Social rankings Prada was also listed as one of NetBase’s rookie of the year brands, alongside Yves Saint Laurent and Land Rover. While Land Rover made it to the top 10 of its sector for the first time and Lexus saw the steepest jump, BMW and Mercedes are the most loved brands in the automotive category. BMW saw the most favorability, with consumers mentioning “friendly sales staff,” while Mercedes saw “great,” “purchase price” and “lease special” as the top phrases used.
Louis Vuitton was the second most loved brand in consumer goods, at 33 percent. Most of the top loved brands in NetBase’s rankings hail from the United States with a significant 53 percent, followed by Japan and the United Kingdom, both at 9 percent. Food and beverage saw the greatest number of brands on the most loved list, with 15 percent of the total being from the category. Automotive followed closely behind at 14 percent, with Ferrari being the highest luxury auto brand in the overall most loved list at spot 31. American Express is also rising in the ranks, earning its spot as the most loved banking and finance brand thanks to its focus on luxury travel. The financial institution has been focusing on its #AmexAmbassador campaign on social media, which works with influencers on Instagram who specialize in engaging travel images.
Social sentiment Brands often look to social media to forge a connection with consumers and monitor their business’ sentiment, but it is not always love that these brands receive. NetBase's 2018 Luxury Brands Report found that while auto brands made up 45 percent of the volume of discussion from consumers on social media, beauty marketers are increasingly the most loved with L’Oreal, Estée Lauder and Dior seeing the highest sentiment. Meanwhile, one hotel marketer saw the negative impacts of viral posts (see story). Other rankings from NetBase assessed Gucci as the most-discussed luxury brand on social media. However, Tiffany & Co. and Louis Vuitton elicit stronger feelings and Chanel sees greater passion. NetBase’s Retail Brands Industry Report reveals that passion and sentiment for luxury brands are mostly driven by the search for authenticity. However, as a whole, the luxury retail sector only drove a 10 percent share of mention volume (see story). “The biggest surprise was how well loved Facebook remained by its users despite the incidents over the past year and many news stories about the company and the incidents,” Mr. Lieban said. “While the brand dropped two spots, it is still in the top three.”