Which UK brands are making the most of Twitter?

Analysis of leading UK brands shows media and communication companies have been the quickest to start utilising Twitter, with the BBC topping the table with over 320,000 followers, with Sky in second place with 9,000. 

British Airways has built up a relationship with over 2,000 consumers on the micro-blogging platform, but arch rival Virgin Atlantic is one of a series of iconic consumer brands including Marks & Spencer, John Lewis and the AA without an official Twitter presence.   

The popularity of Twitter is sky-rocketing in the UK with the number of users growing by 1,689% to 1.78 million in February 2009 compared to just 100,000 users 12-months earlier, according to Nielsen Online.  

As part of a larger study of brand advocacy on Twitter, Tamar has examined how well the Top 100 UK Superbrands  are using the social network to educate, engage and entertain existing and potential customers. 

Tamar’s Twitter Brand Advocacy Score examines how many Twitter profiles a brand has created, the number of followers a brand has attracted and their frequency of updates or ‘tweeting’.

The top ten UK Superbrands with the best Advocacy Scores on Twitter all come from Technology and Media sectors. 

Microsoft is one of the most prolific users of Twitter, with five official feeds providing software tips, bug fixes and updates.  Sony Playstation also has a very active feed and a large follower base of over 14,000 users. 

Twitter is being used by the brand primarily as a channel to promote their games and new Blu-Ray releases. 

National Geographic has also developed a number of Twitter feeds designed to promote their TV shows, new web site features and as part of their National Geographical society feed, showcase exclusive videos and images from their vast archives.  

Henry Elliss, Head of Social Media at Tamar, commented: “Twitter is growing at a phenomenal rate and has now become a mainstream consumer communication tool. It is therefore surprising that so many of the most popular and respected brands in the UK have been so slow to experiment with Twitter and incorporate the service into their marketing strategy. “  

Elliss continued, “Twitter can just be used as an additional low-cost channel to disseminate information to fans of your brand, but its real power comes from its ability to give a brand a real voice. Twitter enables companies to really engage in two-way real-time conversations with customers and influencers. Those brands that are using Twitter best are using this capability to gather valuable customer feedback, improve understanding and reach out to new audiences for their products and services.”

Largest UK Superbrands on Twitter Feb 2009

Source: Tamar, based on UK Superbrands 2008/09 list produced by Centre for Brand Analysis) 

www.tamar.com