The reports are in. And it turns out people love talking about Oreo and M&M’S— at least online.
NetBase, an enterprise-scale social media analytics company, has released its 2015 Brand Passion Report on chocolate and candy bars.
The report is an in-depth study of social mentions of chocolate, compiled based on more than 150 million social conversations that took place between February 2014 and January 2015. These conversations occurred on social networks, review sites, blogs, forums and news sites around the world.
For the second year in a row, Oreo topped the list of top 10 chocolate brands worldwide by mentions, with Nutella not far behind. The social buzz generated by these two brands alone almost equaled that of the other eight brands on the list combined.
And then M&M’S and KitKat topped the list of candy bar brand mentions in the United States.
“In today’s social-driven marketplace, maintaining a strong emotional connection with consumers is vital for success,” says Pernille Bruun-Jensen, chief marketing officer of NetBase. “Understanding the way that consumers interact with a brand or product is key for maintaining that emotional connection. Social data offers a wealth of insight that can help brands understand their target market and what influences them.”
Analysis of conversations about chocolate over the two-year period revealed an 82 percent positive sentiment. Three retailers and 12 global chocolate and candy bar brands made the list of the top 15 most buzzed-about brands. Unsurprisingly, the conversation about chocolate peaked around Valentine's Day.
Meanwhile, Nutella and Oreo continued to generate buzz. Nutella topped the list of mentions when it came to conversations about cooking with chocolate, followed by Oreo.
The report also found that Washington D.C. was the most "chocoholic" state, with three times the mentions of chocolate of runner-up states New York and Nevada.
And, fittingly, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory dominated as the most-mentioned literary character in the chocolate world.
Top 10 brands worldwide – by total mentions (Feb 1, 2014 – Jan 31, 2015)
1. Oreo - 1,369,850
2. Nutella - 730,175
3. M&M’S - 528,150
4. Starbucks - 298,650
5. Cadbury - 288,150
6. Hershey’s - 229,125
7. Godiva - 162,500
8. eBay (Chocolate Gifts) - 142,475
9. Dove - 114,000
10. Nestle - 112,150
Top 10 candy bars in the United States – by total mentions (Feb 1, 2014 – Jan 31, 2015)
1. M&M’S – 3,172,476
2. KitKat – 2,688,135
3. Snickers – 2,345,425
4. Reese’s – 1,699,403
5. Cadbury – 906,464
6. Twix – 611,421
7. Butterfinger – 412,890
8. Toblerone – 259,614
9. Hershey’s Bar – 239,331
10. Milky Way – 219,407
