DigitasLBi & NYT/WSJ Best-Selling Author Jonah Berger Unveil New Metric To Measure Brand Social Content: "Contagious Index"

BOSTON, Oct. 26, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- DigitasLBi, a global marketing and technology agency, and Jonah Berger, author of New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller Contagious: Why Things Catch On, have unveiled the "Contagious Index," a proprietary social-media competitive monitoring tool to identify brands with the most contagious social content on Facebook and Twitter based solely on consumer-to-consumer data. The tool differentiates itself from others in the industry by not only measuring a brand's ability to produce contagious content but also its ability to consistently create and distribute shared and engaging social content, compared to competitors.

The Contagious Index delivers a "Contagious Score," an all-in-one metric that evaluates how well a brand's social media content has resulted in consumer-to-consumer sharing compared to its peer group — a key indicator of overall success of a brand's social content. Data provider Shareablee, powers the Contagious Index with public, content-level data points from both Facebook and Twitter.

"Sharing content is personal and a uniquely 'social' action that is a powerful indicator of what's resonated with an individual in a meaningful way. Sharing is markedly different from other social media actions such as commenting, liking, or subscribing, not just in the way it impacts perceptions among personal networks, but in the way it impacts algorithms," said Jill Sherman, SVP, social strategy, DigitasLBi. "We now have the ability to assess the value and velocity around consumer-to-consumer sharing and gauge how well content is performing to predict future outcomes."

The Contagious Index combines DigitasLBi's in-depth understanding of content and social-media analytics, with Jonah Berger's expertise on what drives word of mouth, into a propriety metric that redefines what it means to "perform well" in the social space.

"The Contagious Index helps companies understand how to win in social. Why do some brands get more shares than others and what types of content are more effective? Rather than hoping or guessing about what's working, companies can engineer success," said Berger. "Comparing content on a granular level enables marketers and brands to analyze social content with unprecedented detail."

The depth of the Contagious Index's analytical process allows marketers and brands to map and compare brands in social media across many different features, including the consistency of content, brand virality, comparison to industry average, and insights into the "why" behind the performance.

In his book Contagious: Why Things Catch On, Berger revealed the secret science behind word-of-mouth and social transmission, and how six basic principles drive all sorts of things to become contagious, from consumer products and policy initiatives to workplace rumors and YouTube videos.

The Most Contagious Brands on Facebook and Twitter: The Contagious Index measured the social content of brands from January 2015–September 2015, across 10 industry markets, and identified the number-one-ranking brands by their Contagious Score.

Most Contagious Brands on Facebook

#1 Airline Brand: Qatar Airways (Contagious Score: 95)
#1 Arts/Humanities Brand: Humans of New York (Contagious Score: 100)
#1 Auto Brand: BMW (Contagious Score: 98)
#1 Electronics Brand: LG USA Mobile (Contagious Score: 91)
#1 Food/Beverage Brand: Simply Orange Juice (Contagious Score: 99)
#1 Gaming Brand: Fallout (Contagious Score: 96)
#1 Health/Beauty Brand: MARY KAY (Contagious Score: 100)
#1 Fashion Design Brand: Kardashian Kollection (Contagious Score: 93)
#1 Sports Team Brand: The Kansas City Chiefs (Contagious Score: 97)
#1 Quick-Serve Restaurant: Starbucks (Contagious Score: 98)

Most Contagious Brands on Twitter

#1 Airline Brand: Delta/@Delta (Contagious Score: 98)
#1 Arts/Humanities Brand: The Metropolitan Museum of Art/@metmuseum (Contagious Score: 98)
#1 Auto Brand: Jaguar/@Jaguar (Contagious Score: 99)
#1 Electronics Brand: Microsoft/@Microsoft (Contagious Score: 93)
#1 Food/Beverage Brand: Oreo Cookie/@Oreo (Contagious Score: 99)
#1 Gaming Brand: Pokemon/@pokemon (Contagious Score: 99)
#1 Health/Beauty Brand: Urban Decay/@UrbanDecay (Contagious Score: 97)
#1 Fashion Design Brand: Ralph Lauren/@RalphLauren (Contagious Score: 99)
#1 Sports Team Brand: Detroit Tigers/@tigers (Contagious Score: 99)
#1 Quick-Service Restaurant: Taco Bell/@tacobell (Contagious Score: 97) 

ABOUT DIGITASLBI

DigitasLBi is a global marketing and technology agency that transforms businesses for the digital age.  We help companies of all shapes and sizes decide What's Next… and then we take them there. Also a top ten global agency, DigitasLBi is comprised of 6,000 digital and technology experts across 40 offices in 25 countries worldwide.  DigitasLBi is a member of Publicis Groupe [listed on the Euronext Paris Exchange – FR0000130577 – and part of the CAC 40 index] is the world's third largest communications group. With approximately 60,000 professionals spanning 108 countries on five continents, Publicis Groupe offers local and international clients a complete range of communications services.

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SOURCE DigitasLBi