Dive Brief:

• System1 Research asked U.S. consumers about “companies that connect the world” and found Facebook led the way by a wide margin as it was mentioned by consumers at 2x the rate of Google, almost 3x as much as Apple and more than 10x the rate of Twitter, per MediaPost.
• The research also found 81% of consumers reported using Facebook on a regular basis. Seventy nine percent reported the same for Google, but only 43% cited Apple and Twitter.
• Even though Facebook led the way in mentions and usage, Google topped the list for “inspiring happiness” at 55%, followed by Facebook at 50%, 40% for Apple, 32% for Twitter, 30% for Instagram and 25% for Snapchat. On the other side of emotional impact, Twitter created the most negative emotions with 9% of consumers connecting the social media platform to feelings of contempt and 5% associating it with disgust.

Dive Insight:

Facebook running away with mentions as a company that connects the world indicates how successful the social media giant has been in building its brand image around helping people stay in touch online as well as its sheer reach in regular users. 

The System1 Research was specifically focused on tech and social media brands, but the recent “2017 BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands” report from WPP and Kantar Millward found that tech companies dominated the list with the five top spots going to Google, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon and Facebook.

Taken together, the two different research projects highlight the importance of tech companies in the global economy as well as the lives of consumers. The System1 Research study was based on feedback from 850 U.S. adults.

Google taking the top spot for emotional appeal is an interesting result, although the MediaPost report didn’t go into detail about what made the respondents happy with regards to Google. This could be a warning sign for Facebook that it needs to do a better job of making people happy or it could simply reflect the negativity that permeates much of social media interactions. For Twitter, which has been struggling to remain relevant as user growth slows, the findings suggest it still has some work to do in terms of enhancing the user experience.