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Social Year In Review 2018Trends, Opportunities, Benchmarks, Market Leaders, and More
Social Year in Review – What We Can Learn from 2018
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of
foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light,
it was the season of Darkness…”
Such was social media in 2018. The past year brought some of the biggest changes we’ve ever
seen in social–from algorithm updates to GDPR, APIs launching and deprecating at a moment’s
notice, bot purges, IGTV, Google+ saying goodbye, and everything in between. From brands and
media publishers to platforms and data providers, everyone had to contend with a new normal,
one that is still evolving and probably will for some time.
The good news? Social is still growing. Instagram Stories was a breakout success. Facebook’s
News Feed leveled out the playing field. Twitter led by example. Facebook Branded Content is
still a thing and gaining momentum. Sneakers strode into first place. And, Nike had a runaway hit.
In 2018, Facebook traded breadth for depth, letting brands build more meaningful relationships
with consumers. Instagram introduced new features that let brands and consumers get more
playful with one another. And, conversation on Twitter only grew stronger. This report
documents social trends in the past year, and explores the opportunities that exist for brands as
they navigate 2019.
About ListenFirst
ListenFirst is the social analytics solution trusted by the largest companies in the world. With a
breadth of analytics and domain expertise unmatched in the market, we provide a streamlined
solution for leading brands seeking to unlock the power of social insights in an increasingly
fragmented world. Founded in 2012, ListenFirst has been honored with multiple accolades
including 2018 and 2019 Stevie Awards for exceptional client service, a 2019 High Performer
recognition from G2 Crowd, named one of Inc. 500’s fastest growing companies, and is
regularly featured in Variety, Ad Age, The New York Times, and more. For additional information,
visit www.listenfirstmedia.com.
Our clients include:
Social Year in Review – What We Can Learn from 2018
I. State of Social
I. Platform growth
II. Social Video Trends
II. Impact of Facebook Algorithm Change
I. Impact on Media Publishers
II. Insights on Paid Campaigns
III. Spotlight on Video
III. Trends in Facebook Branded Content
I. Volume of Branded Content
II. Engagement with Branded Content
IV. Instagram in Renaissance
I. The story behind Instagram Stories
II. Switching to an Instagram Business Account
III. Growth of Instagram – A Tale of Two Platforms
V. Stars of Social
I. The Twitter bot purge
II. Social Campaign of the Year
III. Social Rankings for Media, Retail, and Consumer Goods
State of Social
Social Saw Modest Growth in 2018
While social engagement (likes, reactions, comments, shares, fan growth, conversation volume)
grew in 2018, much of the growth was hampered by the change in the Facebook News Feed in
Q1 causing reach and engagement to decline for all brands. While Facebook declined, Twitter and
Instagram were the driving forces behind the uptick in consumer engagement.
50,000
55,000
60,000
65,000
70,000
75,000
17 Q1 17 Q2 17 Q3 17 Q4 18 Q1 18 Q2 18 Q3 18 Q4
Mill
ion
s
Social Engagement Score (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)
+21%
66.1B
54.7B
Social Engagement Score is the sum of fan growth and content responses (likes, reactions, comments, shares) across Facebook, Twitter,Instagram, Tumblr, Google+, and conversation volume on Twitter for 75K+ brands
State of Social 5
Instagram Widened the Gap Significantly
As brands and audiences continue to flock to Instagram, and as brands perfect their Instagram
strategy, we’re seeing a massive gain in likes and comments on brand content on the platform.
Meanwhile, Twitter is closing in on Facebook’s organic engagement, possibly nearing, if not
surpassing, Facebook in total content responses by the end of 2019.
0
5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
25,000
30,000
35,000
16 Q1 16 Q2 16 Q3 16 Q4 17 Q1 17 Q2 17 Q3 17 Q4 18 Q1 18 Q2 18 Q3 18 Q4
Mill
ion
s
Total Content Response Score
+27%
+92%+98%
-18%
+3%
-50%
+20%+99% +109%
Total content responses score is the sum of likes, reactions, comments, shares on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for 75K+ brands
State of Social 6
Video Continues to Rise
Volume of video content continues to grow across platforms, with the ratio of video content
compared to all other content trending upwards with no sign of slowing down.
23.87%
27.13%
25.28%
23.14%
25.76%
11.09%11.93%
20.76% 20.85%
22.59%
5.96% 5.80% 5.35%5.97%
8.67%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
17 Q4 18 Q1 18 Q2 18 Q3 18 Q4
Ratio of Video Content
Ratio of video content against all other content types (photos, links, status, events) on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram for 75K+ brands
State of Social 7
YouTube Continues to Grow Steadily
Volume of video on YouTube has also grown, rising 20% from Q1 2017 to Q4 2018. Fan growth
for the platform has also increased significantly during the same time period, spiking by 168%.
489
579 584
440
460
480
500
520
540
560
580
600
17 Q1 17 Q2 17 Q3 17 Q4 18 Q1 18 Q2 18 Q3 18 Q4
Th
ou
san
ds
YouTube Volume of Video Content
+20%
Total volume of video content on YouTube for 50K+ brands
State of Social 8
Impact of theFacebookAlgorithmChange
Media Publishers and a New News Feed
On January 11, 2018, Facebook announced it was overhauling its News Feed to prioritize posts
from friends and family. In particular, the platform would deprioritize posts from media and
businesses to make sure that “time spent on Facebook was time well spent.” As many media
publishers had either adjusted or created their editorial strategies to publish content that the
Facebook algorithm favored, this news sparked outcry in the industry. While reach for media
companies had been in decline since January 2017, media brands got hit even harder in Q1 with
average reach hovering just north of 4% by the end of 2018. However, engaged users climbed,
which means media publishers are reaching audiences most likely to engage.
0%
2%
4%
6%
8%
10%
12%
2017 Jan
2017 Feb
2017 Mar
2017 Apr
2017 May
2017 Jun
2017 Jul
2017 Aug
2017 Sep
2017 Oct
2017 Nov
2017 Dec
2018 Jan
2018 Feb
2018 Mar
2018 Apr
2018 May
2018 Jun
2018 Jul
2018 Aug
2018 Sep
2018 Oct
2018 Nov
2018 Dec
Facebook Organic Reach and Engagement for Media Companies (Media Publishing + TV)
4.15%
10.58%
4.35%5.16% 4.89%
Jan 2018: Facebook announced it would deprioritize posts from brands, including media
7.07%
7.99%
6.21%5.51% 5.96%
6.47%
3.73%
% Facebook Organic Reach % Facebook Engaged Users
% Facebook Organic Reach (reach/fans) for 2K media brands; % Engaged Users [(engaged users/reach) % of people engaging with posts or page] for 2K media brands
Facebook Algorithm Change 10
Media Publishers Have Stronger Engagement Than Consumer Brands
An increase in the rate of engaged users on Facebook isn’t the only good news for media. The
rate of engaged users for media brands on Facebook is 105% more than that of consumer brands
with the gap widening in 2018. This underscores the strength of media’s ability to target, scale,
and create content that is not only aligned with the interests of its community, but also activates
desired audiences.
0%
1%
2%
3%
4%
5%
6%
7%
8%
9%
2018 Jan 2018 Feb 2018 Mar 2018 Apr 2018 May 2018 Jun 2018 Jul 2018 Aug 2018 Sep 2018 Oct 2018 Nov 2018 Dec
Facebook: % Engaged Users for Media (Media Publishing + TV) and Consumer Brands
3.15%
7.99%
6.47%6.30%
Media Consumer Brands
Facebook % Engaged Users [(engaged users/reach) % of people engaging with posts or page] for 2K media brands and 20+ consumer brands
Facebook Algorithm Change 11
Paid Posts Have Increased, but Budgets Are Flat
Due to the Facebook News Feed change, brands have had to increase advertising to reach more
of their audience. However, while brands have increased the volume of paid posts on Facebook,
budgets for boosted posts on the platform did not grow, which resulted in impressions per
campaign decreasing by an average of 36%.
16
25
-
5
10
15
20
25
30
Average Campaign Count
12,697
8,156
-
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
14,000
Average Impressions per Campaign
Th
ou
san
ds
2017 2018
Facebook Paid Posts, Average per Campaign
31,307
24,748
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
25000
30000
35000
Average Spend per Campaign
Average Facebook boosted posts per campaign; Average spend on boosted posts per campaign; Average impressions on boostedposts per campaign for 500 brands
Ave
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Ave
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Ave
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Facebook Algorithm Change 12
Facebook Videos Have Declined in Engagement
Facebook video had been exploding on the platform, with video posts increasing exponentially
since 2015. Along with the change in the Facebook algorithm came a hit to video content posted
by brands, which Facebook noted was “crowding out” posts from friends and family. Indeed,
organic reach for Facebook videos decreased to 2.61% in Q4 from 6.5% just one year before,
seeing the largest drop in organic reach among all post types.
0%
2%
4%
6%
8%
10%
17 Q1 17 Q2 17 Q3 17 Q4 18 Q1 18 Q2 18 Q3 18 Q4
Facebook Videos Organic Reach
Video Photo Link Status
7.83%
6.50%
2.61%3.01%
5.43%
4.03%
3.95%
4.53%
1.74%
3.40%
4.28%
1.32%
% Facebook Organic Reach (reach/fans) for videos, photos, links, status posts, for 3K brands
Facebook Algorithm Change 13
The Good News: The People You’re Reaching Are
More Likely to Engage With Your Video Content
While organic reach dipped, video content posted by brands on Facebook has garnered more
meaningful engagement. Shares and comments on videos on the platform have increased, which
means that while Facebook organic reach has taken a hit, the audience your brand is reaching is
more likely to engage deeply with your content.
0.00%
0.02%
0.04%
0.06%
0.08%
0.10%
0.12%
17 Q1 17 Q2 17 Q3 17 Q4 18 Q1 18 Q2 18 Q3 18 Q4
Facebook Video Shares
Shares of Video Content Shares of Other Content
0.00%
0.01%
0.02%
0.03%
0.04%
0.05%
0.06%
0.07%
17 Q1 17 Q2 17 Q3 17 Q4 18 Q1 18 Q2 18 Q3 18 Q4
Facebook Video Comments
Comments on Video Content Comments on Other Content
+128%
+49%
+120%
+51%
% Shares and comments on video compared to all other content types (photos, links, status posts) on Facebook – 5-day post publish –based on 3K brands
Facebook Algorithm Change 14
And, Videos Have a Longer Lifespan
Whereas, video content on Facebook used to receive majority of its ”likes” within 5 days after
the video was published, the chart below shows that beginning Q2, video posts had a greater
ability to gain “likes” up to nearly 25 days after a video was posted.
0.98
1.00
1.02
1.04
1.06
1.08
17 Q4 18 Q1 18 Q2 18 Q3 18 Q4
Facebook Videos Age of Engagement
Video Photo Link Status
Organic reach (reach/fans) on videos, photos, links, status posts, on Facebook – 5-day post publish compared to 25-day post publish – on 3K brands
25 d
ays
po
st e
xpo
sure
/5 d
ays
po
st-e
xpo
sure
Facebook Algorithm Change 15
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
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6000
7000
0
2000
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10000
12000
16 Q1 16 Q2 16 Q3 16 Q4 17 Q1 17 Q2 17 Q3 17 Q4 18 Q1 18 Q2 18 Q3 18 Q4
Th
ou
san
ds
Mill
ion
s
Facebook Total Content Responses & Total New Posts
Total New Posts Total Content Responses
Overall, Post Volume Is Still Growing
Despite the decline in Facebok organic reach and total content responses (likes, reactions,
comments, shares), the volume of content brands are posting on Facebook is increasing. Going
into 2019, refining content strategies to ensure a brand’s posts are creating meaningful
engagement and driving loyalty should be a critical part of a brand’s organic content mix.
-50%
+97%
Total posts and total content responses (likes, reactions, comments, shares) on posts for 35K+ brands on Facebook
To
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on
ten
t R
esp
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ses
-
To
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ew
Po
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-
Facebook Algorithm Change 16
Facebook BrandedContent
Branded Content is Gaining Momentum
Branded Content of Facebook came on the scene in Q1 2017 and the volume of content has
more than doubled in the course of two years. While the momentum has picked up, branded
content still only represents less than one percent of content published by media companies
today. This represents an interesting opportunity for both media brands and advertisers.
3,495
3,992 3,850
5,929
6,561
7,196 6,794
8,292
-
1,000
2,000
3,000
4,000
5,000
6,000
7,000
8,000
9,000
17 Q1 17 Q2 17 Q3 17 Q4 18 Q1 18 Q2 18 Q3 18 Q4
Facebook Branded Content Post Volume (Media Publishing + TV)
+137%
Total volume of Facebook branded posts (sponsored posts) published by 28K+ TV and media publishing pages
Facebook Branded Content 18
And, Outpacing All Other Content in Engagement
Despite the Facebook News Feed change, media companies are bullish on social branded
content, and for good reason. Average responses on branded content on Facebook has remained
steady in 2018 at an average 2,580 responses per post. By Q4 2018, the average response on
branded content published on Facebook was nearly twice greater than that of all other content
published by media companies on the platform likely due to more advertising budgets placed
behind branded content.
3,936
2,984
2,668 2,394
1,6741,508
1,259 1,185
3,745
4,086
3,146 2,937
2,752 2,820
2,526
2,220
-
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
3,000
3,500
4,000
4,500
Q1 '17 Q2 '17 Q3 '17 Q4 '17 Q1 '18 Q2 '18 Q3 '18 Q4 '18
Facebook Branded Content Average Response per Post (Media Publishing + TV)
Average Responses - Other Posts Average Responses - Branded Content
Average content responses (likes, reactions, comments, shares) on Facebook branded posts (sponsored posts) published by 28K+ TV and media publishing pages compared to average content responses on non-branded (non-sponsored) posts published by 28K+ TV and media pages
Facebook Branded Content 19
Instagram inRenaissance
Instagram Stories Has Grown Exponentially
GIFs, music, emoji sliders! Shoppable stickers, question stickers and new fonts and type mode!
Who doesn’t love a great story? Instagram was all about making stories more interactive in 2018
and it worked. The number of brands posting Instagram Stories increased by 18x in Q4 compared
to the previous year. And, there were 69x more Stories posted by brands during the same time.
1
24x
55x57x
69x
1
7x
16x
17x
18x
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
17 Q4 18 Q1 18 Q2 18 Q3 18 Q4
Instagram Stories
Story Count Brands Posting Stories
Total volume of Instagram stories published by brands and total number of brands posting Instagram stories (791 brands and 102K stories)
Gro
wth
of
Bra
nd
s P
ost
ing
Sto
ries
Gro
wth
of
Sto
ry V
olu
me
Instagram in Renaissance 21
Stories are Reaching More Fans
While the volume of Instagram Stories is growing, Instagram users are also increasingly open to
interacting with Stories. Both the average rate of impressions and reach (normalized by followers)
have grown year over year, but both metrics dipped slightly in Q4 2018. It’s still too early to tell
whether this dip is seasonal or due to other factors.
4.36%
6.23%6.48%
6.96%
6.11%
3.80%
5.47% 5.60%5.94%
5.45%
0.00%
1.00%
2.00%
3.00%
4.00%
5.00%
6.00%
7.00%
8.00%
17 Q4 18 Q1 18 Q2 18 Q3 18 Q4
Instagram Stories Impressions & Reach
Avg Impression Rate Avg Reach Rate
Average impressions (impressions/fans) and average organic reach (reach/fans) on Instagram for 791 brands and 102K stories
Instagram in Renaissance 22
Tapping Forward
While Instagram Stories is growing, it’s still too early to tell whether consumers are increasing
their engagement with Instagram Stories after taking into account taps forward, taps back, and
replies. At the very least, we know a significant majority of consumers are tapping forward, with
an average 4% of consumers tapping back.
86%Average Tap Forward Rate
2018
4.3%Average Tap
Back Rate 2018
4.8%Average Exit Rate 2018
<1%Average
Reply Rate 2018
Average rate of (action/users reached) tap forwards, tap backs, replies, exits, for 791 brands and 102K stories on Instagram
Instagram in Renaissance 23
Meanwhile, Responses on Instagram Posts are Growing
While Story volume has increased significantly, the volume of Instagram posts published by
brands has declined by -1% in Q4 2018 compared to Q1 2016. This may be explained by the
increase in Stories–many brands may be spending more time posting ephemeral videos and
photos on Stories than evergreen Instagram posts. The good news is that content responses
(likes, comments) on Instagram posts has increased by 98% since Q1 2016, meaning consumers
are discovering and interacting with content posted by brands on the platform.
1,480
1,500
1,520
1,540
1,560
1,580
1,600
1,620
1,640
0
5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
25,000
30,000
35,000
16 Q1 16 Q2 16 Q3 16 Q4 17 Q1 17 Q2 17 Q3 17 Q4 18 Q1 18 Q2 18 Q3 18 Q4
Th
ou
san
ds
Mill
ion
s
Instagram Content Response Score & Total Post Volume
Total New Posts Total Content Responses
-1%
+98%
Total posts and total content responses (likes, comments) on posts for 65K+ brands on Instagram
To
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on
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t R
esp
on
ses
-
To
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Po
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-
Instagram in Renaissance 24
Switching to an Instagram Business Profile
In April 2018, Instagram migrated to a new API as part of a larger initiative to ensure compliance
with GDPR. This meant, for brands and influencers, switching to an Instagram business profile
would be the only way to get insights on performance, data on competitors, get noticed,
generate value, and stay compliant. While many brands and influencers were concerned the
switch might negatively impact impressions, our research on nearly 700 Instagram accounts that
made the switch in April showed there was no change across multiple metrics in August, four
months after the change.
9,467
10,328
10,155
10,368
9,000
9,200
9,400
9,600
9,800
10,000
10,200
10,400
10,600
Likes Engaged Users
108,069
140,214
106,187
141,320
-
20,000
40,000
60,000
80,000
100,000
120,000
140,000
160,000
Users Reached Impressions
Before April After April
Instagram, Average per Brand, Apr-Aug 2018
Average content likes per brand and average engaged users, users reached and impressions per brand for 673 brands on Instagram pre-April 4, 2018 compared to post- April 4 – August 2018
Like
s, E
ng
aged
Use
rs
Use
rs R
eac
hed
, Im
pre
ssio
ns
Instagram in Renaissance 25
Growth: A Tale of Two Platforms
In the past couple of years, we’ve seen more brands flock to Instagram and build Instagram
specific strategies in a bid to be discovered by new audiences and build loyalty with existing
customers. That makes sense, especially as Instagram has introduced new features that allow for
more playful and engaging relationships. But, just as Instagram has exploded in growth, so too did
Facebook for several years before the algorithm starting changing, first in 2015, and again in 2017,
and more dramatically in 2018. As brands continue to up their Instagram game, it may be worth
noting that the platform has so far had a similar trajectory to Facebook in its early days.
1,171
28,783
4,248
5,222
-
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
-
5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
25,000
30,000
35,000
13 Q1
13 Q2
13 Q3
13 Q4
14 Q1
14 Q2
14 Q3
14 Q4
15 Q1
15 Q2
15 Q3
15 Q4
16 Q1
16 Q2
16 Q3
16 Q4
17 Q1
17 Q2
17 Q3
17 Q4
18 Q1
18 Q2
18 Q3
18 Q4
Mill
ion
s
Mill
ion
s
Total Content Response Score
Mill
ion
s -
Inst
agra
m
Mill
ion
s -
Faceb
oo
k
Total content responses (likes, reactions, comments, shares) on Instagram (65K+ brands) and Facebook (35K+ brands)
Instagram in Renaissance 26
Stars ofSocial
Twitter Cleans Up
On July 11, 2018, Twitter announced a full social clean up, purging its platform of suspected
artificial accounts in an effort to restore trust in the platform. The purge would strip tens of millions
of fake accounts from users, a move that would reduce the total follower count significantly.
November 2018 saw a second purge in followers, albeit less dramatic than the one that took place
in July. Overall, average fan count per brand fell dramatically in 2018, with a negative drop in Q3.
However, the clean up was a welcome news as marketers have long since moved away from
vanity metrics like fan footprint towards metrics, like engagement, that matter more.
41,357
58,620
38,783
26,480
30,252
25,228
30,013
39,190
14,038
9,372
(4,815)
8,413
-10,000
0
10,000
20,000
30,000
40,000
50,000
60,000
16 Q1 16 Q2 16 Q3 16 Q4 17 Q1 17 Q2 17 Q3 17 Q4 18 Q1 18 Q2 18 Q3 18 Q4
Average Fan Growth per Brand
Average fan growth per brand on Twitter for 64K+ brands
Stars of Social 28
Twitter Leads by Example
The follower purge in July 2018 saw the average brand lose 10.7K followers, about 5.5x more
than the second, smaller purge in November. Which Twitter accounts had the biggest drop in fake
followers in July? Twitter leads by example, but others platforms and celebrities also took an
immediate hit.
Rank Account July 11, 2018 July 13, 2018 Followers Lost
1 Twitter 62,850,818 55,100,195 (7,750,623)
2 Katy Perry 109,611,661 106,799,091 (2,812,570)
3 Justin Bieber 106,704,258 104,019,891 (2,684,367)
4 Lady Gaga 78,966,118 76,456,693 (2,509,425)
5 Barack Obama 103,621,286 101,277,773 (2,343,513)
6 Taylor Swift 85,567,542 83,243,012 (2,324,530)
7 Rihanna 89,003,825 86,761,688 (2,242,137)
8 Britney Spears 58,260,902 56,172,687 (2,088,215)
9 The Ellen Show 78,084,611 76,063,947 (2,020,664)
10 YouTube 72,381,050 70,373,477 (2,007,573)
11 Justin Timberlake 66,056,427 64,254,924 (1,801,503)
12 Kim Kardashian 60,238,052 58,496,094 (1,741,958)
13 Instagram 38,782,607 37,341,397 (1,441,210)
14 Oprah 42,730,090 41,295,647 (1,434,443)
15 Tyga 6,916,490 5,483,850 (1,432,640)
16 Kat Graham 3,290,794 1,987,111 (1,303,683)
17 Selena Gomez 57,133,234 55,850,281 (1,282,953)
18 Pink 33,124,513 31,855,441 (1,269,072)
19 Shakira 52,053,373 50,798,404 (1,254,969)
20 Jennifer Lopez 45,235,404 44,001,392 (1,234,012)
Top Twitter handles ranked by follower loss on July 13, 2018 compared to July 11, 2018 across 64K+ brands
Stars of Social 29
Campaign of the Year: Nike’s 30th Anniversary
On September 5, 2018, Nike released its controversial 30th anniversary “Just Do It” campaign
featuring Colin Kaepernick. Fans reacted to the ad on social media the following day, drawing
support from some and calling for a boycott from others. Press was quick to cover the news,
which in many ways focused on the vocal critics. The reality, however, was very different.
Stars of Social 30
Nike’s Brand Reputation Takes a Hit, but It’s Short-Lived
The ListenFirst Brand Reputation Index™ subtracts negative, click-based activity surrounding a
brand from positive, click-based responses across social platforms. Think NPS®, but Social with a
bigger sample size using vast amounts of social signals, gathered and analyzed in real-time,
everyday to determine brand health & predict performance. Using the ListenFirst Brand
Reputation Index™ we saw Nike’s reputation dip by 1% post campaign launch. However, the
campaign resonated with consumers so much that Nike rebounded quickly and 13 days later its
BRI™ had jumped above pre-campaign levels.
70
70.5
71
71.5
72
72.5
73
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Colin Kaepernick announcesNike partnership on Instagram
Brand Reputation Index™ drops 1% 1 day post official campaign launch
Nike Official Launch
Nike rebounds higher than pre-campaign levels 13 days post-campaign
2 months later, Nike Brand Reputation Index™ surpasses pre-campaign levels
ListenFirst Brand Reputation Index™
Brand Reputation Index™ measures total positive click-based activity (e.g., love) on organic content published by official brand pages minus negative click-based activity (e.g., sad, dislikes) across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, normalized by followers and weighted
Stars of Social 31
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Nike Beats the Critics and Brand Reputation Index™ Soars
Two months post-campaign, ListenFirst’s Brand Reputation Index™ for Nike was at its highest
generating praise from consumers and investors, causing sales in Q4 to jump by 10%. In fact, Nike
is so far above its competitors on the Brand Reputation Index™, generally speaking, that even a
slight dip in reputation would not have been enough for competitors to close the gap.
Nike Adidas Puma Under Armour
Colin Kaepernick announcesNike partnership on Instagram
Nike Official Launch
2 months later, Nike Brand Reputation Index™ surpasses pre-campaign levels
ListenFirst Brand Reputation Index™
Brand Reputation Index™ measures total positive click-based activity (e.g., love) on organic content published by official brand pages minus negative click-based activity (e.g., sad, dislikes) across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, normalized by followers and weighted
Stars of Social 32
Rankings: Top Media Brands
While the Facebook News Feed change in the beginning of 2018 sparked outcry from media
publishers, the good news is it leveled the playing field. Some overnight digital publishers whose
sole existence relied on gaming the Facebook algorithm completely fell off the map, while many
had to readjust strategies to contend with a new normal. In 2018, we see the convergence of
sports, music, fashion (especially sneaker fashion) becoming stronger and dominating social.
Rank Media Brand (Roll-up) Parent CompanySocial Engagement
Score
1 Worldstar, LLC Worldstar, LLC 3,822,314,222
2 Turner Digital WarnerMedia 3,502,705,948
3 ESPN The Walt Disney Company 1,971,525,854
4 TBS WarnerMedia 1,557,420,021
5 National Geographic 21st Century Fox 1,370,213,444
6 BuzzFeed Inc. BuzzFeed Inc. 1,191,315,636
7 Group Nine Media Group Discovery, Inc. 1,017,073,230
8 NBC NBCUniversal 746,485,613
9 Barstool Sports Barstool Sports 738,857,105
10 ABC The Walt Disney Company 735,052,256
11 E! Network NBCUniversal 729,756,953
12 FOX News Fox Corporation 718,528,898
13 Advance Publications, Inc. Advance Publications, Inc. 625,014,584
14 Time Inc. Meredith Corporation 550,590,077
15 Hearst Hearst Corporation 536,441,842
16 Complex Media Verizon Hearst Media Partners 516,956,242
17 Telemundo NBCUniversal 484,357,351
18 The CW The CW, LLC 469,164,361
19 Netflix Netflix, Inc. 465,554,709
20 CNN WarnerMedia 369,028,833
Top Media Brand Roll-ups ranked by Social Engagement Score, the sum of fan growth and content responses (likes, reactions, comments, shares) across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Google+, and conversation volume on Twitter
Stars of Social 33
Rankings: Top U.S. Retailers
While media publishers were largely focused on Facebook and Twitter, retailers were perfecting
their Instagram strategies. Beauty and interiors have always been Instagram favorites, which is why
it’s no surprise to see Sephora, Ulta Beauty, and Williams-Sonoma in the Top 10. However, in
2018, sneakers dethroned beauty, leading Foot Locker to take the #1 spot in the retail ranking.
Rank Brand Parent Company Social Engagement Score
1 Foot Locker Foot Locker 92,411,404
2 Sephora LVMH 87,985,566
3 Amazon Amazon 20,501,657
4 Ulta Beauty Ulta Beauty, Inc. 19,669,704
5 Target Target Corporation 10,833,179
6 Williams-Sonoma Williams-Sonoma Inc. 8,418,557
7 Hobby Lobby Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. 7,649,990
8 Walmart Walmart Inc. 7,141,823
9 Nordstrom Nordstrom Inc. 6,275,328
10 MichaelsThe Blackstone Group,Michaels Companies
6,148,264
11 iTunes Apple Inc. 5,076,404
12 GameStop GameStop Corp. 4,964,887
13 IKEA IKEA 4,438,251
14 Dick's Sporting Goods Dick’s Sporting Goods, Inc. 4,425,771
15 Neiman Marcus Neiman Marcus Group 3,363,609
16 PetcoCVC Capital Partners, CPP Investment Board, Petco
Holdings, Inc.2,963,467
17 Gap The Gap, Inc. 2,927,147
18 Macy's Macy’s Inc. 2,750,261
19 AT&T AT&T Inc. 2,609,639
20 Academy Sports + Outdoors Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. 2,400,363
Top U.S. retailers (by gross revenue in 2018) ranked by Social Engagement Score, the sum of fan growth and content responses (likes,reactions, comments, shares) across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Google+, and conversation volume on Twitter
Stars of Social 34
Rankings: Consumer Goods
Consumer electronics, energy drinks, beauty products and collectibles capture the Top 20
consumer goods brands by social engagement score in 2018. Clean lines, beauty tutorials,
extreme videos, and UGC grab the attention of consumers and give rise to brands who can
capture their imagination.
Rank Brand Parent Company Social Engagement Score
1 Samsung Samsung 136,467,337
2 GoPro GoPro, Inc. 111,122,271
3 RedBull Red Bull GmbH 109,931,767
4 Funko Funko Inc. 75,890,969
5 Maybelline L’Oréal 60,155,549
6 Apple Apple Inc. 56,458,335
7 Nintendo Nintendo Co., Ltd. 28,037,376
8 LEGO KIRKBI A/S 26,775,993
9 L'Oreal Paris L’Oréal 22,064,234
10 Canon Canon Inc. 20,939,496
11 Monster Beverage The Coca-Cola Company 19,578,370
12 Sony Sony Corporation 14,437,420
13 CoverGirl Coty 8,724,173
14 Huawei Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd. 8,190,863
15 Lenovo Lenovo Group Ltd. 7,588,538
16 Beats by Dre Apple Inc. 7,326,450
17 Barbie Mattel 6,089,210
18 Nikon Nikon 5,770,582
19 Pepsi PepsiCo 4,498,865
20 Hot Wheels Mattel 4,439,503
Top consumer brands (by top 500 consumer brand advertisers) ranked by Social Engagement Score, the sum of fan growth and content responses (likes, reactions, comments, shares) across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Google+, and conversation volume on Twitter
Stars of Social 35
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