Maruti Suzuki and Samsung lead social media space, Nielsen McKinsey report

 Maruti Suzuki has been ranked the top most Indian brand in the social media space, according to NM Incite—a joint venture between Nielsen and McKinsey & Company.

The auto brand has taken the lead because of its strong performance across social media platforms replacing Samsung Mobile at the top spot, said theNielsen-McKinsey report.

Maruti Suzuki enjoys strong sentiments and high volumes of conversations on auto forums that include blogs, boards and social media sites Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, the report said.
Nokia, brand IPL and Cafe Coffee Day make up the rest of the top five. While brand IPL is at the fourth spot, individual IPL teams such as Mumbai Indians have been ranked seventh and Shah Rukh Khan's Kolkata Knight Riders is at 16th position.

IPL is a new entry this time, its inclusion in the top 20 is driven by its performance on video sharing site YouTube. This led to high engagement levels on social media in the run-up to the IPL for the year, the report said.

"It is important to note the synergy between the offline and online reputation of Maruti Suzuki. Strong offline brand equity helps boost online conversations and sentiment. There is a strong brand advocacy online, with users engaging across social channels about brand initiatives like price changes and product launches," said Prashant Singh, MD, Media, Nielsen India.

The telecom sector continues to register a strong presence with nine brands in the top 20 but not addressing customer complaints has increased their negative sentiment. FMCG and food companies are new entrants on the list.

"Social media continues to be an integral part of our overall brand strategy. We have and continue to run innovative social media campaigns for our products like mobiles, smart televisions and other products which are giving us a strong presence in social media," said Asim Warsi , VP, Samsung India. The Korean company's spends on social media have doubled in the past one year.

The other auto brands in the top 20 include Mahindra & Mahindra at the eighth spot and Ford India which is ranked tenth. Both brands have dropped from their positions of sixth and second, respectively , from the last quarter.