Starbucks is among the leaders in getting their brand noticed on social media. Who do you love? On social media, the answer seems to be Starbucks. The ubiquitous coffee house chain is the “most loved” of 3,400 food and restaurant brands, according to an analysis of social media sentiment in the first half of 2012 conducted by Digital CoCo, a marketing agency. Despite being satirized by everyone from Mike Myers as Austin Powers to your cousin’s blog, Starbucks routinely scores at the top of the list among all consumer brands, not just food and beverage brands.
One reason is its success in appealing to “super influencers,” – mainly men and women in the 18-49 age range, DigitalCoco said. But how do you measure ‘love?’ Social media has enabled marketers to track millions of postings and ‘likes,’ said Paul Barron the founder of DigitalCoCo. Facebook is one of 16 social media sites his company uses to feed its database made up of millions of consumers. Their comments are used to rate the food, service and experience at thousands of locations. “Some consumers really do stand up and tell the world ‘I love it,’” Barron said.
“We can measure it.” To these decision makers the success of Starbucks is not necessarily about the richness of the coffee, says brand expert Debbie Millman, president of design at Sterling Brands and author of “Brand Thinking, and Other Noble Pursuits” who was not involved in the survey. “We are pack animals, and we feel safer and more secure in groups,” she said. “There are a few brands that have been elevated by their loyal advocates to actual tribes–the most exalted of groups – Apple, Nike for example – and more recently – Starbucks.” ( By Richard Satran from www.NBCNews.com )