Positive and negative comments in groups on social network sites, such as Facebook, Flickr and MySpace reveal Disney, Nintendo and Google are the most popular brands. This comes from our latest research, Brands in Social Media.

Social networking groups are proving very popular in the UK. They are a very public demonstration of the connections between people and brands. Popular groups can quickly swell in numbers and influence large numbers of consumers online.

Understanding the sentiment of brand conversations is crucial. Frequency and popularity in the conversation is meaningless without a clear picture of whether the discussion is positive or negative.

We assessed groups set-up on three of the most popular social network sites: Flickr, Facebook and MySpace. We compared groups against the Interbrand Top 100 Global Brands. Groups that mention the top 100 brands were examined and brand sentiment (positive, negative or neutral in tone) recorded.

Automotive brands had the most loyal fan-based groups, Microsoft the most negative groups and Google hardly any negative comments at all! In fact, most Google groups were either advocating the search engine or explaining ways of using the technology.

The full report will be on our website on Thursday – for those that want the detail.

Technorati Tags: Facebook, Flickr, MySpace, Disney, Nintendo, Google, Brands in Social Media, Social networking, Microsoft

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We are launching research exclusively at the Online Marketing show this week. The study looks at the Interbrand top 100 global brands, to reveal which brands have the largest share of voice and the most positive conversations.

The report measures brand mentions across blogs, social networks, video and photo sharing sites, social bookmarking and news sites, to provide a snapshot of brand share of voice. It also details sentiment (positive and negative conversation) in social network groups. A section of social media that is increasingly being adopted by consumers in order to discuss brands.

Come and visit us on stand V6 at the business design centre (26^th and 27^th June) and you can get your free report, along with a whole range of guides and tips (a social media toolbox).

I am speaking at the workshop too, at 1pm on the 27^th – worth a visit if you prefer an explanation along with case studies on how to engage with social media.

Drop me an email if you want to meet up during the show.

Now off to frantically look for a four-gang adapter so I can power up my laptop at the show.

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Trevor Cook and Lee Hopkins at the Corporate Engagement blog have just published their free (second edition) Social Media white paper. Updates on Second Life, Twitter and wikis and some new case study examples of Australian brands experimenting with social media.Great snapshot of the current social media space – a definite read.

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I am speaking with the fantastic Ruth Speakman from Sony Europe (declare: client) at the IAB conference on the 26^th July. Together we are going to take a look at how Sony BRAVIA fuelled the conversation online by engaging with influencers.

Often when I speak with marketers and PRs, they understand that they should be active in social media. The problem occurs when thinking how to engage with their audiences in this space. Particularly for big global brands knowing how to be part of a conversation, or inspire positive comments is difficult.

For many companies understanding how to trigger conversations is complex. What if your brand isn’t ‘exciting’. What if the brand isn’t tied to an emotion or desire. People blog, comment and chatter about interests and passions. What do you do if your brand doesn’t communicate at this level. It is hard to start a conversation about toothpaste, bottled water or cream crackers – and then keep it going!

Having read Douglas Rushkoff’s book, Think Inside the Box,   I was very taken with his explanation of social currency. The idea that we need to offer something of value in order to gain the conversation and facilitate advocacy. People want an simple excuse to interact. It is my belief that brands too can help with this interaction. By giving people the ammunition they need to have conversations.

Rushkoff says: “In an age of interactive media, customers don’t want to communicate with brands or their spokespeople, anymore. They want to communicate through them. Brands for this era can become a form of social currency, offering opportunities for affiliation and, at best, even authorship”.

I shall be talking at the IAB conference about how we have evolved this theory of social currency into a workable model. One that helps brands to engage with social media and become the vehicle for conversation.

Technorati Tags: Sony Europe, IAB conference, social media, Rushkoff

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We’re exhibiting at the Online Marketing Show this week.

The event will be good. We went last year and found ourselves constantly in the throng of online marketers – discussing Online PR till we were hoarse. Last year, visitors wanted to know what online PR was and how it integrated with online marketing and traditional PR activity.

This year, it is already clear that they want to know how they can get involved with social media. I am quite ebullient at the prospect of talking to companies that are ready to take the plunge into the online conversation

We are managing the press office for the show, and also have our own stand (V6). We will be running an online PR clinic for anyone with social media questions they need answering so do come and say hello.

We are giving away a social media toolbox full of case studies, tips and our social media research (launching at the event). Do visit and pick up one up.

Technorati Tags: Online Marketing Show, social media, online PR

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The Telegraph has launched a little bundle of blogs aimed at Entrepreneurs. By far the most interesting is launchpad, which allows businesses less than three months old to promote their company and include a web address.

As Richard Tyler says, “And don’t forget to include your website. Creating a link with The Daily Telegraph will help raise your own profile among the internet search engines”.

The Dragon’s Den idea seems a bit tacky, but the return of Martin Webb will be most welcome.

It creates a great opportunity for small business PR. Tapping into new businesses just when they are looking for promotion, but don’t have a budget for PR services.

I guess for The Telegraph, the idea is to catch new readers as they turn into a different kind of business consumer – one that will form the backbone of tomorrow’s small businesses. Clever idea!

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Launching with four new categories, AOP publishing awards opens its doors for this year’s entrants. The new categories acknowledge that social media, is making a significant impact on the media business model. They include, use of video, best podcast, digital creativity and online community of the year.

Last year we saw a terrific increase in publishers using community platforms and blogs to add a new dimension to reader engagement.   

Back in May, Martin Belam published a couple of really insightful articles looking at how web 2.0 British newspapers are becoming. Coupled with his review of RSS subscribers it seems that the Guardian comes out top with a strong RSS based readerships as well as a wide adoption of new media tools and techniques. Nice analysis Martin J

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 I am speaking this week at the IAB’s seminar, demystifying online PR. It is interesting that in their blurb on the seminar they say…

Demystifying Online PR - Online PR has changed the roles of creative and PR agencies in a client’s communication strategies. This seminar is aimed at both – showing how you can combine an understanding of online as a powerful marketing channel as well as an appreciation of traditional public relations best practice.  With experts from the industry this event will provide a thorough introduction to the subject, share key case studies and illustrate how you can use online communities to spread your marketing message, monitor online commentary on a brand and distribute press materials online for the best results. 

The idea that online PR is another marketing channel is a common mistake. And completely forgivable. We all want to fit online PR in a box: to understand how it integrates with our other marketing and PR efforts. So it is easy to see why it has been billed this way.

But online PR and social media relations is unique. Why? Because it is the only medium in which your brand can be ‘marketed’ without you!

OK, maybe not marketed. But it is the only space where your advocates will shout and your detractors will shout louder! To approach the discipline with the intention of spreading a marketing message is to misunderstand the huge shift in brand ownership online.

It requires marketers to change their mindset completely. I often get asked to justify budgets against recognised online marketing ROI. Online agencies and brands want to push all online activity together and create metrics that work across the board. They want to compare online PR campaigns with ad campaigns, affiliate marketing, SEM.

But it doesn’t work that way. There are no comparisons for reputation in the blogosphere. No way to benchmark the feedback and loyalty you engender by being active in communities.  

Yes, online PR will drive traffic to your site, it will increase your visibility, done right it can also generate advocacy and positive sentiment. But it is a much more complex discourse. It requires greater integration with a company’s ethos, transparency, adaptability, and basically a change in marketing mindset, from pushing messages to starting dialogue.  

Technorati Tags: Online PR, social media, online marketing, blogosphere

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6.58pm – Broadcasting now on the goggle box is the BBC’s money programme – all about second life. But wait, if you are at a computer, you can see it in second life and if you miss that, you can see it again in second life at 8pm and 9pm.

I am the lady with no hair and purple eyes (can’t be bothered to fix it!). In real life I have hair and brown eyes (most dull)

Will blog later on whether it was any good….

Update: well the programme turned out to be pretty basic, but then I guess I should not be surprised. All that excitement for nothing.

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A rather clever idea by our friends over at Picture Production Company has just launched: a wiki for Fox’s Fantastic Four film release.

The idea is simple, viewers can change, edit and submit to the website in Wikipedia style. The base level content is everything you expect to find on a film site – background, trailers and more about the Marvel comics.

Without the need for registration, no one is accredited for adding to the site. And I wonder if this makes a difference. Do fans want to have their names associated with the film content? My gut feel is that they would love their names in lights – an ego thing!

It is also rather difficult to see what has been recently added. So looking through, it is impossible to asses whether fans have made a contribution yet. It seems the site has only just gone live so may take some time to develop. May really take off when the film launches in each country and the trailers and PR machines start up proper.

A quick check on Google shows that it already has 19 links from niche sites and bloggers. Technorati uncovers 30 sites linking to the URL and a good positive sentiment. One would hope that this increases as the film rolls out.

I have to say, I love the idea. It is participation, and relinquishing control of a brand, at its best. Created in multiple languages it allows for regional variations too. There is also a sister site that lets you download and grab games for your blog and website. A very cute way of ensuring the spread of information and branding across the web.

The bit that appears to be missing, and in all fairness might be in the pipeline, is alerting the blogosphere. A bit of relationship building with influencers would help spread the word. The conversation activity so far seems to be a bit organic and random. A general thumbs up from me though: great to see companies experimenting with wikis.

Technorati Tags: wiki, Wikipedia, participation, blogosphere

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