GLOBAL, NOVEMBER 16, 2011: World class social brands are deeply entrenched in social media. This according to a consumer insights report released by international public relations firm Weber Shandwick and Forbes Insights. The research also showed that 8-in-10 use social networks, three-quarters use blogs, Twitter and YouTube, and at least 6-in-10 use mobile apps and crowd-sourcing.
In a published excerpt, the firm also stated that world class companies don’t just experiment with social media tools, they also apply their social media tools in more ways for their brands than the average global company. For example, they are much more likely than the average global company to host branded podcasts, brand-specific YouTube channels, video blogs, viral videos, proximity marketing, brand-related mobile content and geo-location tools.
Weber Shandwick and Forbes also revealed that social activities of world class brands are not static. Instead, brand integrations are always in constant motion, never settling for mere space on social networks but are instead activated for dynamic interaction with their communities of interest.
Weber Shandwick and Forbes Insights’ research also found that world class social brands are pioneers—leading their respective industries in the use of emerging social media tactics. Interestingly, these pioneers are so rapidly refining their “toolbox” that nearly half of them (48%) have already closed a corporate blog. Of course, they were probably more likely to have a corporate blog than other companies to begin with. World class brands also realize that it is essential to test tactics and iterate or eliminate as necessary. “Failing better” is a key to success for any endeavor.
These companies may also realize that they cannot afford to rest on their laurels in the social space. As new platforms and streams of attention-getting content are created at a rate faster than anyone can comprehend, it is not enough to try to freeze today’s success for tomorrow. Bringing value — in the form of solutions, personality, context and other social commodities — is the only way to stay on top.
The study also concluded that the current focus of world class brands––by a 2-to-1 margin over the average global brand––is on mobile. In particular, world class brands are currently more likely to do proximity marketing (38% vs. 27%), offer brand-related mobile content (36% vs. 25%) and participate in Foursquare or other check-in apps (33% vs. 23%), as compared to their average global counterparts.
