Engagement Labs, Author at engagementlabs.com

Trader Joe’s, Lego, Bath & Body Works among American’s ‘most loved’ brands

Posted on March 17, 2023 by Engagement Labs

by Marianne Wilson, Editor-in-Chief A regional grocery powerhouse is the brand most positively talked about in offline conversations — ahead of more than 650 brands across all consumer categories. Trader Joe’s and Lego took the top two spots in the offline ranking of data and analytics firm Engagement Labs’ sixth annual “TotalSocial Most Loved Brands” study. The analysis ranks the most loved brands based on positive conversations about the brand happening offline (via face-to-face conversations, phone, emailing, texting — or any channel other than posting on social media). The study also ranks the most loved brands in online (social media) talk, with American Family Insurance and beauty retailer Lush coming out on top. “Consumers are passionate about brands, and this generates brand talk,” said Steven M Brown, president of Engagement Labs. Our TotalSocial data reveals the importance of earning positive talk and recommendations from consumers goes beyond connecting with them and delivering great experiences – brands that deliver become beloved.”

Trader Joe’s is a consistent winner on the TotalSocial Most Loved Brand awards with a sentiment score of 91 and the retailer enjoys a significant competitive advantage. Other supermarkets lag behind at quite a distance earning scores well below Trader Joe’s, including H-E-B (77), Aldi (68), Food Lion (63) and Publix (61).

Read the full Chain Store Age article, here.

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Trader Joe’s, American Family Insurance Most-Loved Brands

Posted on March 16, 2023March 17, 2023 by Engagement Labs

by Tanya Gazdik Trader Joe’s and American Family Insurance are the most-talked-about brands in offline and online conversations, respectively.

That’s according to Engagement Labs, which released its sixth annual ranking of America’s “most loved” brands.

Lego and Lush take the number two spots in offline and online. Charles Schwab’s improvement in offline brand love grew the most last year than any other top brands with a rank change of 126. Sam’s Club rank change increased by 65 spots, moving up to the fourth position for online most loved brands, according to the study, which looks at more than 650 brands across all consumer categories.

The analysis ranks the most-loved brands based on net positive conversations happening online (via social media) and offline (via face-to-face conversations as well as phone and video chat.)

This year’s top finishers show the strong emotional bond between consumers and the brands they love, says Steven M Brown, president of Engagement Labs. Consumers are passionate about brands, and this generates brand talk, he adds.

Read the full MediaPost article, here.

Both online and offline conversations drive brand success: Here are the leaders in each category

Posted on March 16, 2023March 17, 2023 by Engagement Labs

by Richard Carufel | Mar 16, 2023 How comprehensive is your brand’s “talkability”? If your focus is overly digital—as many brands now embrace in the post-pandemic age—you may be missing the opportunity to engage an entire sector of conversation starters. New research from data and analytics firm Engagement Labs shows how online and offline conversations are distinct from one another and usually have no correlation. Despite both types of conversations having an impact that leads to sales and business outcomes, they do so in different ways—necessitating different marketing strategies. The firm’s sixth annual ranking of America’s “most loved” brands reveals this distinction. Trader Joe’s, the American grocery store, ranks first while LEGO, the iconic toy manufacturer, moved up to the second top spot of the list of brands most positively talked about in offline conversations, ahead of more than 650 brands across all consumer categories. Meanwhile, American Family Insurance holds the top position for the most loved brands in online talk, while Lush moved to the number two spot. “The TotalSocial Most Loved Brands this year showcase the enduring, strong emotional bond between consumers and the brands they love. Consumers are passionate about brands, and this generates brand talk,” said Steven M Brown, president of Engagement Labs, in a news release. “Our data reveals the importance of earning positive talk and recommendations from consumers goes beyond connecting with them and delivering great experiences—brands that deliver become beloved. Our work with Fortune 500 brands has consistently emphasized the importance of cultivating brand love to maximize marketing ROI, and this focus will continue throughout 2023.” Read the full Bulldog Reporter article, here.

America’s Most Loved Brands Topped by Beauty and Personal Care Brands, According to Consumer Study by Engagement Labs

Posted on March 14, 2023 by Engagement Labs

Trader Joe’s and LEGO Come Out on Top for Offline Sentiment, While American Family Insurance and Lush Rank Highest for Online Positivity

Charles Schwab and Sam’s Club Show Most Significant Increase in Brand Love

NEW YORK, NY (March 14, 2023) – Engagement Labs released its sixth annual ranking of America’s “most loved” brands. Trader Joe’s, the American grocery store, ranks first while LEGO, the iconic toy manufacturer, moved up to the second top spot of the list of brands most positively talked about in offline conversations, ahead of more than 650 brands across all consumer categories. Meanwhile, American Family Insurance holds the top position for the most loved brands in online talk, while Lush moved to the number two spot. “The TotalSocial Most Loved Brands this year showcase the enduring, strong emotional bond between consumers and the brands they love. Consumers are passionate about brands, and this generates brand talk. Our TotalSocial data reveals the importance of earning positive talk and recommendations from consumers goes beyond connecting with them and delivering great experiences – brands that deliver become beloved,” said Steven M Brown, president of Engagement Labs. “Our work with Fortune 500 brands has consistently emphasized the importance of cultivating brand love to maximize marketing ROI, and this focus will continue throughout 2023.”

Trader Joe’s is a consistent winner on the TotalSocial Most Loved Brand awards with a sentiment score of 91 and the retailer enjoys a significant competitive advantage. Other supermarkets lag behind at quite a distance earning scores well below Trader Joe’s, including H-E-B (77), Aldi (68), Food Lion (63) and Publix (61).
American Family Insurance does a great job engaging with consumers online. The company itself, employees and agents share helpful tips to protect your home and in the company’s words “protect your dreams.”
Charles Schwab’s improvement in offline brand love grew the most last year than any other top brands with 126 rank change. While Sam’s Club rank change increased by 65 moving up to the fourth position for online most loved brands.

Net sentiment of consumer conversations continues to be positive for everyday categories such as beauty and personal care, children’s products, food and home. Consumers tend to place a significant emphasis on these categories as they directly relate to their daily lives and well-being that generate consumer conversations. Brands that can successfully generate positive conversations and engagement with consumers in these categories are likely to see increased sales and brand loyalty. This analysis ranks the most loved brands based on net positive conversations happening online (via social media) and offline (via face-to-face conversations as well as phone, emailing, texting, IM’ing, video chat – in other words, via any channel other than posting on social media) to determine its annual TotalSocial Brand Awards winners.

The Impact of Online and Offline Conversations on Business Outcomes

Engagement Labs research has demonstrated that online and offline conversations are distinct from one another and usually have no correlation. Despite both types of conversations having an impact that leads to sales and business outcomes, they do so in different ways, necessitating different marketing strategies. According to Engagement Labs’ data and analytics, these consumer conversations drive 19% of all purchases. This has been evidenced in Engagement Labs articles published in the Journal of Advertising Research and the MIT Sloan Management Review. “The adjusted lifestyles and return to normalcy in 2022 are reflected in the brands that appear on our ‘most loved’ list, and in the brand landscape of those that have earned the most positive recommendations and talk from consumers,” said Brown. “In the offline space, Olay, Lysol, Doritos, Charles Schwab, and Bath & Body Works have seen the biggest surge in popularity, while Sam’s Club, OshKosh B’Gosh, and Urban Decay have gained the most significant positive attention online. And let’s celebrate and recognize Trader Joe’s, Lego, Dawn, Dove, Dove Men+Care, American Family, Lush, Express, Clean & Clear, TripAdvisor and Clinique who continue to demonstrate what consumers have engaged with and spoken about with great sentiment over the past year and the prior year.” Marketers aim to achieve more positive conversations, both online and offline, to become “Conversation Commanders,” which are the most successful brands in both conversation arenas. To accomplish this, marketers require two distinct measurement and marketing strategies to ensure that these separate, yet equally important conversations are optimized. By utilizing data and social intelligence, marketers can gain insights into consumer behavior and preferences, which can help drive business goals, such as increased sales and brand loyalty. To learn more about Engagement Labs and how to increase your brand’s consumer conversations in real life and online, reach out at: totalsocial@engagementlabs.com.

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About Engagement Labs Engagement Labs is an industry-leading data and analytics firm that provides social intelligence for Fortune 500 brands and companies. The Company’s patented TotalSocial® platform focuses on the entire social ecosystem by combining powerful online (social media) and offline (word of mouth) data with predictive analytics. Engagement Labs has a proprietary ten-year database of unique brand, industry and competitive intelligence, matched with its cutting-edge predictive analytics that use machine learning and artificial intelligence to reveal the social metrics that increase marketing ROI and top line revenue for its diverse group of clients. To learn more visit www.engagementlabs.com / www.totalsocial.com. About TotalSocial Brand Awards – Most Loved Brands The awards are based on the Company’s proprietary TotalSocial® data and analytics platform, which continuously measures the online and offline social metrics that are proven drivers of business performance. These metrics, including both online and offline conversations against the following major conversation dimensions: net sentiment (the difference in the percent positive conversations minus negative), brand sharing (the extent to which people are sharing or talking about a brand’s marketing or advertising), volume (a measure of how many conversations mention a brand) and influence (the extent to which an influential audience is talking about a brand). The Most Loved Award is given to brands with the highest net sentiment scores online and offline in 2022. For media inquiries please contact: Vanessa Lontoc, VP of Marketing and Sales Operations Engagement Labs

Maximizing Positive Brand Sentiment: 4 Data-Driven Tips for Marketers

Posted on March 1, 2023March 22, 2023 by Engagement Labs

In today’s fast-paced and highly competitive business environment, making data-driven decisions is essential for marketers and business leaders. The current economy is highly dynamic, with rapid technological advancements and changes in consumer behavior, making it increasingly challenging to predict market trends accurately. With data-driven insights, marketers and leaders can make informed decisions that drive growth, increase profitability, and stay ahead of the competition. Engagement Labs research and data have debunked a common myth that a brand’s online popularity among fans correlates with positive real-life conversations. Across a list of nearly 600 brands we measure continuously in the US, we find that net sentiment—positive conversations minus negative ones—are barely correlated to each other on a week-to-week basis. The trend correlation is about zero, on average, as we have reported in the MIT Sloan Management Review. At the same time, these two data streams both matter, because together they drive 19% of consumer purchases, on average. With this in mind, brands need to invest in data and strategies that drive positive sentiment in both spheres. Data-driven decision-making is not only important for managing risk and staying ahead of the competition but also for driving positive sentiment towards a brand. Here are four tips for using data-driven insights to drive positive sentiment:

Think TotalSocial®

Brands need to focus on both real-life and social media conversations to capture the whole marketing picture. Real-life conversations or offline WOM drives 10% of sales while online social media drives 9% – ignoring either one is a missed opportunity. Listening to both spheres helps identify brewing issues and signals that indicate a shift in strategies.

Aim High

Brands need to deliver an exceptional brand experience to motivate consumers to talk positively. Upwards of 25% of all offline conversations now include people talking about what they see in digital media, and a brand’s website is the number one digital driver of conversation. Just as consumers move seamlessly between their offline and online worlds, brands must do so as well.

Pay attention to key audiences

Brands should focus on their two most important audiences: customers and employees. Hiring employees who embody the brand’s values and engage with them leads to dedicated and committed employees, who, in turn, provide exceptional service. “Brands need to understand the value that connecting with consumers have. It’s not just a one-off conversation. When building a relationship with people and consumers, you want to hear what they have to say, because what they have to say will impact how they feel about your brand, which will impact whether they’re engaging and sing your brand,” PepsiCo’s Kevin Moeller has said it best in Kantar’s Future Proof podcast.

Learn from competitors’ crises

Brands can learn from their competitors’ mistakes and take steps to avoid similar outcomes. Take steps to avoid negative outcomes and conversations. As a marketer and business leader, avoid over-relying on popular social media listening tools for verdicts on marketing campaigns and public relations crises. While these tools can enable important two-way dialogs between brands and consumers, they don’t necessarily reflect mainstream opinion. Track and check your online and offline sentiment and holistically other key metrics and performance indicators such as volume, brand sharing and influence that can indicate the need for investing in strategies that generate positive consumer conversations in both spheres. Marketers have a significant influence over consumer sentiment by listening to both real-life and social media conversations and developing strategies that spark positive talk about their brands. Engagement Labs’ TotalSocial platform combines four types of metrics to calculate brand success in both online and offline conversations. Those metrics are the volume of conversation, the net sentiment (positive versus negative direction), the extent to which the brand is being talked about by the most socially connected people, and whether the brand’s advertising, marketing and social content is being shared and discussed. That’s why we recommend a holistic measurement approach that is available in TotalSocial. In closing, data-driven decision-making is critical for driving positive sentiment towards a brand. By thinking TotalSocial®, aiming high, paying attention to key audiences, and learning from competitors’ crises, brands can use data-driven insights to create positive consumer conversations and build a sustainable business for the future.

Post-Game Evaluation: Few Brands Scored Super Bowl Touchdowns

Posted on February 23, 2023March 6, 2023 by Engagement Labs

With spots costing $7 million for 30-seconds of airtime, the only way to get a significant return on a Super Bowl spot investment is to generate enough buzz that the commercials dominate consumers’ conversations well after the game has ended. According to Engagement Labs, only a few brands managed to generate significant online buzz and offline conversation with their Super Bowl ads. The company’s research indicates both metrics together drive about 19% of purchases, while those that only generate online buzz drive less than half of purchases. By those measurements, E-Trade was the game’s biggest winner. The brand’s commercial featuring talking babies at a wedding resulted in a 350% lift in both in-person conversations and through social media. Pepsi Zero Sugar’s commercials featuring Ben Stiller and Steve Martin also scored well, particularly online, where online conversation increased 3,000% and offline conversation jumped 300%. Heineken had the third-highest combined lift with an Ant-Man tie-in commercial for its 0.0 non-alcoholic product increase 300% online and offline. Other brands that scored well on both metrics were Avocados from Mexico, Coors Light, Intuit’s Turbo Tax, Michelob Ultra, the NFL, Planters and Tubi. “There are levers marketers can pull to improve performance across both channels,” noted a blog post on the finding on Engagement Labs’ website. “These include ensuring the advertising is strongly branded and includes a ‘buzzworthy’ message that is easy to remember and talk about and has a call to action.” Read the full Brand Innovators article, here.

MarketingCharts – Super Bowl 2023 Data [Updated]

Posted on February 22, 2023March 6, 2023 by Engagement Labs

More than 70,000 fans were in attendance to watch the Kansas City Chiefs top the Philadelphia Eagles to become the winners of Super Bowl LVII. Not only did more people watch the game in person this year, but more people also watched at home. Some 113 million people reportedly tuned in to the game, marking a 1% rise from last year and the highest figure in 6 years. In fact, it was the third-most viewed TV program of all time, trailing only the 2015 Super Bowl (114.4 million) and the 2017 Super Bowl (113.7 million). Peak viewing figures were recorded during Rihanna’s half-time show, at 118.7 million, making it the second-most watched after Katy Perry’s 2015 performance. Here’s a look at some of the winners and losers of the commercials, mostly from research examining the digital impact of the commercials (as always, it’ll take some time to see what type of broader impact the commercials will have for advertising brands). …

Top brand by W-O-M lift: E-Trade. E-Trade was one of the big winners of the Super Bowl, according to Engagement Labs, which measured lift in both offline and online conversations compared to the pre-game period. E-Trade enjoyed a more than +350% lift in both types of word-of-mouth, while Heineken generated a roughly 300% lift in both. Other brands fared better in generating online buzz than offline conversations: Pepsi Zero Sugar scored an impressive +3,000% lift in online social buzz, and while that far outpaced its offline W-O-M lift, the latter was still high at 300%. By contrast, Crown Royal generated a more than 3,000% lift in online buzz, but had a neutral change in offline conversations. Source: Engagement Labs.

Read the full MarketingCharts article, here.

Top Super Bowl 2023 advertisers that dominated the buzz: Who made the cut?

Posted on February 22, 2023March 6, 2023 by Engagement Labs

Super Bowl LVII was the third most watched television program in history with 113 million viewers, according to Nielsen. Advertisers all want to score a touchdown, but many will just settle for field goals. In other words, these advertisers may enjoy a surge in buzz on social media or a bump in YouTube views, but they will not be able to reach a level of performance that outweighs the cost of their investment. So, the question is: How do advertisers score a touchdown? In marketing, brands must drive multiple metrics to be successful. Research shows that online and offline conversation, together, drive about 19 percent of purchases. Online conversations alone drive less than half of those purchases, essentially a field goal. This means that offline conversations are key to scoring a touchdown. Which brands enjoyed not only a surge in online buzz, but also a lift in offline conversation? One of the biggest winners in 2023 was E-Trade with +350 percent lift in both offline and online conversations. E-Trade’s advertisement featured the return of the iconic talking babies as adult investors, which drove discussion of this humorous content both in person and on social media. Read the full Bulldog Reporter article, here.

Top Super Bowl 2023 Advertisers That Dominated the Buzz: Who Made the Cut?

Posted on February 21, 2023March 22, 2023 by Engagement Labs

Super Bowl LVII was the third most watched television program in history with 113 million viewers, according to Nielsen. Advertisers all want to score a touchdown, but many will just settle for field goals. In other words, these advertisers may enjoy a surge in buzz on social media or a bump in YouTube views, but they will not be able to reach a level of performance that outweighs the cost of their investment. So, the question is: How do advertisers score a touchdown? In marketing, brands must drive multiple metrics to be successful. Research shows that online and offline conversation, together, drive about 19% of purchases. Online conversations alone drive less than half of those purchases, essentially a field goal. This means that offline conversations are key to scoring a touchdown. Which brands enjoyed not only a surge in online buzz, but also a lift in offline conversation? One of the biggest winners in 2023 was E-Trade with +350% lift in both offline and online conversations. E-Trade’s advertisement featured the return of the iconic talking babies as adult investors, which drove discussion of this humorous content both in person and on social media.

WHICH SUPER BOWL ADVERTISERS SCORED A TOUCHDOWN - ENGAGEMENT LABS

Pepsi Zero Sugar had huge success generating conversation, especially online. Pepsi Zero Sugar’s advertisements featured Steve Martin and Ben Stiller and asked consumers to engage with Pepsi and determine if the actors were “real or acting.” This clear call to action led to Pepsi Zero Sugar’s online social buzz lifting +3,000%, coupled with an equally impressive offline lift of 300%. Another big winner was Heineken with around a 300% lift both offline and online conversation. The importance of this win is two-fold — Heineken made its mark airing the first national commercial in the Super Bowl for a non alcoholic beer, plus 2023 marks the first time in decades that Anheuser-Busch competitors could advertise nationally during the Super Bowl. Avocados From Mexico, Coors Light, Intuit’s TurboTax, Michelob Ultra, NFL, Planters and Tubi round out the top 10 list of brands making their mark in offline and online conversation. While we just explored brands winning in both the offline and online sense, there are other brands that were highly successful at driving online buzz through their Super Bowl ad, with a lower level of performance offline. These advertisers include Crown Royal, Bud Light, Doritos, Rakuten, T-Mobile, Dunkin’ and WeatherTech. For these Super Bowl advertisers who excelled at creating buzz online, there is an opportunity to evaluate marketing to give the brand a better chance at earning additional offline conversation. Our research shows that there are levers marketers can pull to improve performance across both channels. These include ensuring the advertising is strongly branded and includes a ‘buzzworthy’ message that is easy to remember and talk about and has a call to action.

WHICH SUPER BOWL ADVERTISERS SCORED A FIELD GOAL - ENGAGEMENT LABS

Contact us to learn more on how other Super Bowl advertisers performed and about Engagement Labs’ TotalSocial data, insights and how it can help you evaluate the full value of your sports sponsorship and marketing ROI. SIGN ME UP Super Bowl Report & Briefing

Sports fans spotlight: FIFA Men’s World Cup viewers talk far more about advertisers and sponsors

Posted on December 22, 2022 by Engagement Labs

With the FIFA Men’s World Cup finals winding up last weekend, MediaPost recently reported that “through the quarterfinals round of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, an estimated $213.6 million in national TV advertising was placed on the Fox TV networks and NBCUniversal’s Telemundo channels” that resulted in a collective 8.4 billion impressions. As we’ve seen and evidenced, leveraging advertising and marketing to drive talkability is important because conversations among consumers drive about 19 percent of purchases, including conversations that are triggered by paid advertising—we find that one-quarter of the impact of advertising on sales occurs by causing consumers to talk about the brand. Engagement Labs data are shedding light on the importance of a special group of consumers: World Cup viewers. Around one-third of American consumers ages 13 to 69 reported watching any of the FIFA World Cup games through Sunday, December 4th. While over half of viewers report following the USA closely, around one-in-five Americans are closely following Argentina and Brazil, while just shy of 15% are behind England and Mexico. As seen in our analysis prior to the World Cup, soccer fans are a lucrative group of consumers for brand marketers. So, it isn’t surprising that World Cup viewers:

Engage in 95 category conversations each week (33% more than non-viewers), with the biggest gaps seen in travel, sports, children’s products, technology, household products and personal care and beauty
Are 2.7x more likely to be everyday consumer influencers versus non-viewers

During the past couple weeks, these more prolific viewers have been exposed to World Cup advertisers and sponsors. In turn, we are seeing 40% of World Cup viewers engaging in conversation about at least one advertiser—a big +36% lift from non-viewers. World Cup sponsors also get a boost with 26% of viewers talking about a sponsor which is 25% higher than non-viewers. Read the full Bulldog Reporter article, here.