
What's somewhat surprising is the few number of branded web properties overall that are utilizing live chat as a customer support or sales enhancement tool, given it's positive business ROI and low implementation costs.
Only a few companies have employed live chat on their web properties. For example, LivePerson, the top live chat vendor in the world, is being used on only 1% of all websites.
This is a shame because live chat can help boost a brand's:
Live chat can helps transform an ordinary website into one that is more actionable for the user. An actionable website is one that makes it easier for visitors to respond, communicate, and transact.
A lot has been written about the importance of providing your website visitors with the best possible customer experience. The better the experience, the mantra goes, the more satisfied your visitors will be. And happy visitors behave differently. Visitor delight can translate into increased sales, more frequent and more positive word of mouth, higher ratings and reviews, as well as greater brand loyalty.

Your Tube is in the #2 slot with 3,099,973 followers and 3,394,044 Plus Ones, with FC Barcelona Barcelona in 3rd, Conan O'Brien in 4th and Hello Kitty in 5th.
Click here to see the live, real-time list of the Top 100 brands on Google+.
Save 20% Off Any Heardable Report for the Month of October 2012
Heardable's brand health benchmark reports are utilized by hundreds of busy marketing executives, strategy planners and social analytic professionals to better understand the relative performance of brands in all industries.
Now you can save 20% off any Heardable report by utilizing this special discount code at checkout:
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To redeem this limited time offer, go to the Heardable Store and select from our full list of reports, including:
The Top 25 Mortgage Lenders in America
The World's 10 Best Hotel Chains
The Top Auto Brands In America
The Top Insurance Carriers vs. Insurance Aggregators
The Top 25 Restaurant Chains in America
The Top 50 Leading Brands In Venture Capital
The Top 10 Leading Discount Brokerage Brands Online
The Top 15 Online Store Brands for Pet Supplies
Feel free to share this offer with your friends and colleagues.
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We're not sure if Stuart got his facts twisted around or if he obtained his questionable statistics from Interbrand...but there are, in fact, two corporate brands that have more Facebook likes than Coca-Cola:
1. Facebook with 72,646,298 likes
2. YouTube with 62,957,369 likes
And there are five celebrity brands with more Facebook likes than Coca-Cola:
3. Eminem - 61,184,449
4. Rihanna - 60,427,146
5. The Simpsons - 54,825,238
6. Shakira - 54,714,348
7. Lady Gaga - 53,305,473
Coca-Cola comes in 8th place.
Article source: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/list-global-brands-keeps-coke-102603087.html
Facebook stats courtesy of Heardable: http://tinyurl.com/aswprsh

For example, the Heardable platform shows that Quicken Loans has 25% more Facebook likes than Nationwide Home Loans with 52,058 likes for Quicken Loans and 38,857 likes for Nationwide. But Quicken Loans has 317% fewer daily mentions than Nationwide -- why is that?
The Heardable platform reveals that Quicken Loans has strong brand equity but weaker brand advocacy than Nationwide, which is somewhat surprising.
Comparing a single data point (likes) reveals that Quicken Loans is doing 'better' on Facebook. But by adding a second data point (# of people talking about this brand), information is put into context to reveal an entirely new dimension -- buzz. In this instance, Nationwide has a more passionate fan base -- more people are talking about their brand online than Quicken Loans.
Is this a temporary blip in the data or an emerging trend? If a trend, what are the key drivers? Is this trajectory sustainable? For this particular industry, daily chatter about a brand may be a critical metric to monitor.
"The core challenge facing brand marketers: how do I contextualize all the data that's available online and make it actionable?," says Jon Samsel, co-founder of Heardable.
Successful brands utilize real-time data and cutting- edge analytics to glean business intelligence to help them make better informed business decisions -- faster and cheaper than their competitors.
Twitter shout outs for Heardable report, "The Top 25 Mortgage Lenders in America," include:
@FremontBank @UnionBank @GreenlightLoans @asksuntrust @suntrust @HomeLoanInvBank @EverBank @EverBankHelp @EverBankJobs @chasesupport @CitizensBank @PNCBank_Help @PNCNews @cashcallinc @amerisave @citi @askciti @Nationwide @AskNationwide @Ask_WellsFargo @WellsFargo @WellsFargo_Jobs @statefarm @pennymacnews @usbank @askusbank @USBankConnect @hsbc_uk_press @CapitalOne @AskCapitalOne @Discover @BofA_Help @BofA_News @BofA_Careers @BofA_Community @BofA_Tips @quickenloans @QLnews.
Quicken Loans Earns The Title Of Top Mortgage Brand Online With 99% Higher Valuation According to Heardable
Quicken Loans dominates the home loans sector with a #1 ranking, followed by Bank of America Home Loans at #2, Discover Home Loans at #3, Capital One Home Loans at #4 and HSBC Mortgages at #5.
September 24, 2012 - Today Heardable, Inc., (http://heardable.com), the standard for measuring online brand performance, answers the question: Does building a better digital experience result in a better brand?
Heardable examined 25 brands for our latest online brand health benchmark report, "The Top 25 Mortgage Lenders in America." Quicken Loans's brand health score of 688 out of 1,000 possible points beat its nearest competitor, Bank of America, by 128 points, or 18.60%, and surpassed third place Discover Home Loans by 135 points, or 19.62%. The gap between Quicken Loans and lowest-ranked Fremont Bank Mortgages was 538 points, or 78.20%.
Quicken's brand health score of 688 out of 1,000 possible points was a staggering 99% higher than the average combined score of the 24 other mortgage lenders evaluated in the report.
So how did Quicken Loans rise to the position of category leader? Three areas of competence caught our attention:
1) website optimization (tech, mobile, user experience)
2) breadth of social media participation
3) search engine best practices & optimization
"Quicken Loans completely dominates the online mortgage sector," said John Sharp, co-founder of Heardable. "Their smart use of technology has fundamentally changed consumer expectations for online lender engagement. Home loan competitors take heed."
"Technology has become so critically important to our business," said Quicken Loans CEO Bill Emerson in a recent company blog post. "I think it should become more important to the industry. But it’s not just technology alone – it’s technology and process. What we’ve been able to do is take our technology, which has been built internally, and leverage it tremendously in how we handle the mortgage transaction from end-to-end."
The Top 25 Mortgage Lender Brands Online
1. Quicken Loans
2. Bank Of America Home Loans
3. Discover Home Loans
4. Capital One Home Loans
5. HSBC Mortgages
6. U.S. Bank Home Mortgage
7. PennyMac
8. State Farm Bank
9. Wells Fargo Home Mortgage
10. Nationwide Bank Mortgage
11. CitiMortgage
12. AmeriSave
13. CashCall Mortgage
14. PNC Mortgage
15. Citizens Bank Mortgages
16. GMAC Mortgage
17. Chase Mortgage
18. EverBank Mortgages
19. Home Loan Investment Bank
20. SunTrust Mortgage
21. Greenlight Financial
22. Union Bank Home Loans
23. Crestline Funding
24. Provident Funding
25. Fremont Bank Mortgages
The full 267 page research report is available at:
http://heardable-reports.myshopify.com/products/the-top-25-mortgage-lenders-in-america
To learn more about the report, Heardable's methodology or get insights into other brands, contact marketing(at)heardable(dot)com or call 1-888-520-0034.
About Heardable
Heardable is the world's first and only real-time contextual brand analytics platform that measures the online health of brands across hundreds of business categories. With its Growth and Accelerator platform-as-a-service offerings, Heardable helps organizations make smarter, faster business decisions to impact tomorrow's quarterly results. With over 15 million brands profiled and 800 unique online variables capture per brand at various points in time, Heardable's Magic Firehose™ API can be utilized by any business looking for ways to optimize their online performance, boost brand awareness and increase revenue. Heardable, Inc. is a privately held company based in Southern California with an office in Singapore.
Good Hands Branding: New Heardable Research Shows Insurance Carriers Winning the Digital Turf War Against Aggregators
LAKE MARY, Fla., Aug. 30, 2012 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- Heardable, Inc., the leader in measuring online brand performance, recently released a report which ranked Storage Masters #5 in "The Top 10 Self Storage Brands in America." The report measured the effectiveness and visibility of storage brands…

Here are a few brands that are on Twitter we took a look at to see what their 'true' Twitter follower numbers were, using the Status People Fake Follower Check tool.
@BarackObama = 31% fake, 39% inactive, 30% good. This takes Barack's Twitter follower count from 18.8 mil to 5.6 mil followers.
@MittRomney = 16% fake, 31% inactive, 53% good. This drops Mitt's Twitter follower count from 902,178 to 478,154 followers.
@Toyota = 8% fake, 32% inactive, 60% good. This takes Toyota's Twitter follower count from 99,158 to 59,495 followers.
@Cristiano = 42% fake, 32% inactive, 21% good. This drops Cristiano's Twitter follower count from 12.5 mil to 2.6 mil followers.
@RicohTweets = 9% fake, 21% inactive, 70% good. This takes Ricoh's Twitter follower count from 3,168 to 2,218 followers.
Surprised by the results? What does this tell us about socila media data and the importance of having access to accurate Twitter stats? How much do folloers really matter in a world full of of fake fan bases and unused social meda accounts?

Today I read an article written by Clare Harrison titled, "Google+ tops YouTube and LinkedIn." The article talks about how Google+ has become a popular word-of-mouth utility for online marketers, surpassing other top social networks in usage.
Clare quotes statistics provided by SEOmoz in her post, stating, "Google+ is the third most popular social networking site for marketers, after Facebook and Twitter, according to a recent poll of marketers conducted by software provider SEOmoz."
Social Media Tools Being Used by Brands (SEOmoz survey)
83% - Twitter
55% - Google+
49% - YouTube
47% - LinkedIn
47% - Blogging
21% - Pinterest
9% - StumbleUpon
5% - Tumblr
5% - Flickr
Heardable decided to fire up its platform of 15 million worldwide brands to do a fact check of sorts on the SEOmoz numbers. Heardable monitors 130 social networks and social media sites, including specialist and industry-specific social communities.
According to Heardable's Social Media Utilization Index, here are the social networks and social media sites utilized most often by socially-aware brands.
Social Media Tools Being Used by Brands (Heardable quant)
Facebook - 59%
Twitter - 59%
YouTube - 32%
Google Plus - 16%
LinkedIn - 15%
Pinterest - 11%
Instgram - 3%
Flickr - 3%
Foursquare - 2%
MySpace - 1%
The stats above indicate the percentage of all brands in our platform that have a verified or official brand presence on the social network, based on a sample size of 100,000 brand profiles.
3 Reasons Heardable Stats Are Different From the SEOmoz Survey #'s
1. Heardable's data was not derived from a survey, which tends to measure opinion or intent. Heardable data is quantifiable data (using objective properties) as opposed to qualitative information.
2. Just like differences in political polls, the source of the data is critical. A polls of likely voters in an election will likely see different results that a poll of all adults. Likewise, SEOmoz survey participant were internet saavy marketing professionals. Heardable data was collected from any brand, large or small, saavy or not, with a digital presence.
3. Heardable's sample size was 100,000 random brands from our database of 15 million brands. SEOmoz survey sample size was 6,479.
3 Reasons Why Google+ May Not Be Attracting Much Brand Usage
Most small to medium sized businesses don't have official pages on Google Plus. Why is that? We've identified 3 primary reasons:
1. Lack of awareness - Many companies still don't participate in 'the big 3' social networks, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter -- so it's no wonder that tmany still have not joined Google+.
2. Lack of clear business benefit - Sure, there are millions of people using Google+, but most companies will probably tell you that millions of their target customers are not yet using Google+. So it' no wonder then that many businesses are in no hurry to join G+.
Quick Tips On Planning Your Social Strategy
The best and most progressive companies of today use social media to literally become social enterprises. These firms use social media channels in a coordinated manner to tie their business interests with their outreach, such that information is shared in real-time and marketing efforts are empowered, regardless of whether they are reaching out to partners or consumers.
Which social networks are "right" for your brand to participate in? Answer: Go where your customers are. But before you jump right in, it's important that you first determine how participating in social media will satisfy a customer need while benefitting your organization.
Social consumer archetypes can be roughly broken down into fans (people who like or admire brands, products and/or services), followers (people who regularly consume information involving a brand), advocates (people who share information on behalf of that brand), and influencers (people who incite others to make purchases or ignore products).
The key is to understand these archetypes as personalities and discover how to best leverage them as customers or potential customers - and the key to that is enabling conversations.
At Heardable, we advocate the '5 x 20%' rule. When we're "being social", we spend 20% in casual conversation; 20% doing product promotion; 20% conducting surveys and getting feedback; 20% for PR and status updates, and 20% handling customer services issues.
When companies take this kind of multi-faceted approach across social media, they win big, because the relationships they develop are empowered, authentic and transparent...and, almost always, they lead to greater sales.

CubeSmart = 24 new likes per month
Public Storage = 26 new likes per month
Uncle Bob's = 30 new likes per month
While that number may seem adequate by normal business standards, consider this. Industry-leading Extra Space Storage averaged 1,164 new Facebook likes per month, a staggering 4,211% higher monthly growth rate than it's top competitors.
Heardable's report, The Top 10 Self Storage Brands in America, delves into the details.
The Top 100 Restaurant Chains in America Unveiled by Heardable in New Brand Research
Chili's ranked #1 full service restaurant brand online, followed by Denny's at #2, Olive Garden at #3, Applebee's at #4 and Souplantation at #5.
Today Heardable, Inc., (http://heardable.com), the standard for measuring online brand performance, released the findings of its latest research report that benchmarks the online performance of the top full service restaurant chains in America. Chili's earned the #1 position in a field of strong competitors.
According to the research, Chili's's brand health score of 636 out of 1,000 possible points beat its nearest competitor, Denny's, by 6 points, or 0.94%, and surpassed third place Olive Garden by 10 points, or 1.57%. The gap between Chili's and lowest-ranked Macaroni Grill was 151 points, or 23.74%.
Heardable research does not rely on aggregate cookie data, customer opinions or satisfaction with particular brands. Instead, the Heardable brand monitoring platform studies how effective each brand performs according to 800+ online marketing metrics and best practices. Brands are examined and benchmarked based on measurable performance data, rather than estimates or opinions.
So how did Chili's rise to the position of category leader? Three areas of competence caught our attention:
1) search engine optimization
2) social media participation and fan base
3) mobile optimization
In addition to chilis.com, Chili's maintains a strong social media presence in Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, along with testing location-based channels such as FourSquare and mobile (mobile coupons, mobile advertising to boost ordering via smartphones, and charity awareness via mobile bar codes printed on menus).
"Chili's has utilized the essential online branding tools of community management, customer service and content outreach to emerge as a leader in the full service restaurant category," said Gunther Sonnenfeld, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Heardable, Inc. "Chili's understands that the value of its service product extends far beyond calorie counts, specialty food items and discounts -- it sees its business value in the direct relationships it builds with its customer base, and it shows. Congrats to the restaurant chain and its franchise owners."
The Top 100 Restaurant Chains
1. Chili's
2. Denny's
3. Olive Garden
4. Applebee's
5. Souplantation
6. Yard House
7. Texas Roadhouse
8. Red Robin
9. BJ's Restaurant
10. California Pizza Kitchen
11. Bob Evans
12. Red Lobster
13. Outback Steakhouse
14. Benihana
15. Carrabba's Italian Grill
16. Morton's
17. Joe's Crab Shack
18. The Cheesecake Factory
19. Capital Grille
20. McCormick & Schmicks
21. Bennigan's
22. Logans Roadhouse
23. Smokey Bones
24. Fazolies
25. Macaroni Grill
26. Houlihan's
27. FATZ
28. Sizzler
29. IHOP
30. Buffalo Wild Wings
31. Ruth's Chris Steak House
32. Steak N Shake
33 T.G.I. Friday's
34. Hooters
35. Brick House Tavern + Tap
36. Friendly's
37. Bertuccis
38. Earls
39. Buca Di Beppo
40. Maggiano's Little Italy
41. Ruby Tuesday
42. Bonefish Grill
43. Waffle House
44. P.F. Chang's
45. Fleming's Prime Steakhouse
46. Golden Corral
47. Fuddruckers
48. Cracker Barrel
49. Elephant Bar
50. Carrows Restaurant
51. Swensen's
52. The Melting Pot
53. First Watch
54. Roy's
55. Bubba Gump Shrimp Co
56. Elmer's Restaurants
57. Famous Dave's BBQ
58. Lone Star Steakhouse
59. Coco's Bakery
60. Acapulco
61. Marie Callender's
62. Village Inn
63. Perkins Family Restaurant
64. Rainforest Cafe
65. Tony Romas
66. O-Charley's
67. Mimi's Cafe
68. Chart House Restaurant
69. Bravo Cucina Italiana
70. Huddle House
71. Redstone American Grill
72. Quaker Steak & Lube
73. Max & Ermas
74. Claim Jumper
75. Ra Sushi
76. Big Boy
77. East Side Mario's
78. Biaggi’s Ristorante Italiano
79. Black Angus
80. Saltgrass Steak House
81. Le Peep
82. Shanes Rib Shack
83. Rock Bottom
84. El Torito
85. McGrath's Fish House
86. Don Pablos
87. Country Kitchen
88. Bakers Square
89. Cheddars
90. Copelands
91. Mitchell's Fish Market
92. Vic & Anthony's
93. Ponderosa Steakhouse
94. Shari's Restaurant
95. J. Alexander’s
96. Black-eyed Pea
97. Johnny Rockets
98. Ground Round
99. Shoney's
100. Rusty Pelican
A free 264 page research report profiling the Top 25 Restaurant Chains is available at:
http://heardable-reports.myshopify.com/products/the-top-25-restaurant-chains-in-america
To learn more about the report, Heardable's methodology or get insights into other brands, contact marketing(at)heardable(dot)com or call 1-888-520-0034.
About Heardable
Heardable is the world's first and only real-time contextual brand analytics platform that measures the online health of brands across hundreds of business categories. With its Growth and Accelerator platform-as-a-service offerings, Heardable helps organizations make smarter, faster business decisions to impact tomorrow's quarterly results. With over 15 million brands profiled and 800 unique online variables capture per brand at various points in time, Heardable's "big brand data" repository can be utilized by any business looking for ways to optimize their online performance, boost brand awareness and increase revenue. Heardable, Inc. is a privately held company based in Southern California with an office in Singapore.
Heardable CEO, Jon Samsel, was recently quoted in Forbes. Contributor, Patrick Hanlon's article, 'How Apple, Dominos, Delta Airlines Rise Despite Slumpy Economy,' discusses how certain brands are making more money in the face of a stumbling economy by taking innovative approaches to marketing and rewarding employees.
Here is a brief excerpt:
Another company creating smiles these days is Delta Airlines. Having survived plucking Northwest Airlines out of bankruptcy, Delta today is flying high.
Delta spends hundreds of millions each year across the board to promote online services, decrease the number of lost bags, revitalize its JFK terminal, and stay relevant for today’s traveler.
This week Heardable, the analytics standard for measuring online brand performance, released its Top 10 Airlines in North America report, to announce that Delta beat out rivals United and American for the second year in a row.
"Not only have they finished #1 in two consecutive reports profiling the effectiveness of the airline industry,” says Jon Samsel, co-founder and CEO of Heardable, Inc., “but they’ve managed to make their brand synonymous with a quality online experience—which requires a spirit of listening and a knack for delivering."
Read the full article here.

Well done, team Enzoani!
Watch the Weddingbells magazine video promotion at http://bcove.me/1n9sia06
Heardable Helps Boosts the Enzoani Brand
One of Heardable's clients, Enzoani, just had one of their a wedding gowns featured in Martha Stewart Real Weddings special issue.
Recently, Enzoani dresses were featured in Brides magazine and in O, The Oprah Magazine.
Enzoani Goes Hollywood
In releated news, actress Kristen Stewart wore an Enzoani gown in Twilight.
Coming up: Enzoani dresses will be worn by hopeful brides to be in The Bachelor UK television series.
Way to go, Enzoani! Heardable is glad to play a supporting role in your continued success.

New 129 page benchmark report reveals a 36% improvement in the online brand health scores of the major airlines over the past 18 months -- jumps in social media, search & mobile performance
Today Heardable, Inc., (http://heardable.com), the standard for measuring online brand performance, released an all new benchmark report titled, "Top 10 Airlines in North America," that assesses the online performance of the top 10 airlines in North America. Delta earned the top spot in a field of strong competitors.
Delta's brand health score of 739 out of 1,000 possible points beat its nearest competitor, United Airlines, by 17 points, or 2.30%, and surpassed third place American Airlines by 66 points, or 8.93%. The gap between Delta and lowest-ranked Aeromexico was 195 points, or 26.39%.
It's been 18 months since Heardable published it's first report on the top performing airlines in North America and this time around, Delta was the top performing online brand once again. Delta is a clearly a bright and shining star for online branding done right.
In looking at the airline industry as a whole, there's been a 36% improvement in the overall brand health scores of the top 10 brands since Heardable's last report on the airline industry, which is an encouraging step forward.
So how did Delta Air Lines rise to the position of category leader? Three areas of competence caught our attention:
1) sharing and syndicating content
2) social media participation
3) search optimization
In addition to delta.com, Delta maintains a strong social media presence on sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. It also publishes a blog, offers a version of its site that's optimized for mobile smartphone browzing, and publishes a text-only version of its website.
"Delta has accomplished what few brands have been able to do in the digital era," said Jon Samsel, co-founder and CEO of Heardable, Inc. "Not only have they finished #1 in two consecutive Heardable research reports profiling the effectiveness of the airline industry, but they've manage to make their brand synonymous with a quality online experience -- which in an of itself requires a spirit of listening and a knack for delivering. Hats off to Delta's management and marketing teams for leading the pack yet again."
Top 10 Airlines in North America, Ranked by Heardable Score (1000 points possible)
1. Delta - 739
2. United Airlines - 722
3. American Airlines - 673
4. US Airways - 666
5. Southwest - 657
6. JetBlue - 639
7. WestJet - 629
8. Hawaiian Airlines - 580
9. Air Canada - 555
10. Aeromexico - 544
Heardable's brand health scores are like credit scores for brands. Scores range from 0 to 1,000. Basically, the higher your score, the better you're doing. Each brand health score is comprised of six subscore categories, each focusing on a unique element of a brand's online effectiveness: Portable, Searchable, Sociable, Measurable, Actionable, and Shareable.
The full report is available at:
http://heardable-reports.myshopify.com/products/top-10-airlines-in-north-america
To learn more about the report, Heardable's methodology or get insights into other brands, contact marketing(at)heardable(dot)com or call 1-888-520-0034.
About Heardable
Heardable is a Heardable's Platform-As-A-Service company that fuses math, measurement and marketing best practices into the world's only real-time contextual brand analytics platform that monitors the hundreds of tiny levers through which online brand value is created. With its Growth and Accelerator platform-as-a-service offerings, Heardable helps organizations make smarter, faster business decisions to impact tomorrow's quarterly results. With over 15 million brands profiled and 800 unique online variables capture per brand at various points in time, Heardable's "big brand data" repository can be utilized by any business looking for ways to optimize their online performance, boost brand awareness and increase revenue. Heardable, Inc. is a privately held company based in Temecula, CA with an office in Singapore.

1. Establish goals & timeline
2. Decide which social networks to participate in and why
3. Ready your social accounts (universal login info, latest logo, etc)
4. Get up to speed on each network (subscribe, like, pin, retweet, etc)
5. Assess content needs, set up a creative library
6. Create a content publishing calendar
7. Write & create content (ongoing)
8. Content syndication, biz dev, advertising & commenting (ongoing)
9. Compile & report on results (ongoing)
10. Quarterly review meetings, share learnings, revise & improve

Today Heardable, Inc., (http://heardable.com), the standard for measuring online brand performance, released an all new research report titled, The World's 10 Best Hotel Chains, that benchmarks the online performance of the top 10 hotel chains in the world. Marriott earned the top spot in a field of strong competitors.
According to the research, Marriott's brand health score of 706 out of 1,000 possible points beat its nearest competitor, Best Western, by 4 points, or 0.57%, and surpassed third place Hyatt Hotels and Resorts by 27 points, or 3.82%. The gap between Marriott and lowest-ranked Jumeirah was 105 points, or 14.87%.
Sponsored by The International School of Hospitality based out of Las Vegas, Nevada, the research report delves into everything from mobile readiness to social network participation to a brand's adeptness at SEO. To make it into the top 10, over 7,000 individual hotels were examined. Notable brands such as Westin Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, Inter-Continental Hotels, Radisson, Starwood Hotels and The Four Seasons did not make it into the top 10.
"At TISOH, our top hospitality industry faculty takes brand management very seriously, says Timothy M Lam, Executive Director of The International School of Hospitality. "Many of our students are would-be entrepreneurs so we teach the importance of building a robust online strategy to help manage their overall brand vitality. We help them navigate through all the social media networks and show them how to maximize their marketing dollars. After all, no matter how well we prepare our students to become world-class event planners, wedding coordinators, concierge, or hotel operators, if their brand is not at optimal health, then they cannot realize their success potential. It is in this vein that we proudly sponsor this detailed report by Heardable."
So how did Marriott rise to the position of category leader?
Three areas of competence caught our attention:
1) sharing and syndicating content
2) social media participation
3) search optimization
Marriott has succeeded where other hotel brands have failed by making their brand synonymous with quiet luxury. As Bill Marriott puts it, "Marriott's personality is a first class experience that lacks pretense, but strives to enhance the guest experience with art, nutrition, culture and overall well-being."
The company has also associated itself with some of the world’s leading luxury brands such as Christie’s auction house, Treasury Wine Estates and Aromatherapy Associates, and wellness experts Keri Glassman and Dr. Pamela Peeke – all in an effort to give its guests a luxury experience that speaks to their passions and interests.
The Top 10 Hotel Chain Brands Online, Ranked by Brand Health Score (1000 points possible)
1. Marriott - 706
2. Best Western - 702
3. Hyatt - 679
4. Iberostar - 679
5. Hilton - 653
6. Relais & Châteaux - 632
7. Ramada - 630
8. Holiday Inn - 627
9. The Ritz-Carlton - 608
10. Jumeirah - 601
Heardable is a platform-as-a-service company that fuses math, measurement and marketing best practices into the world's only real-time contextual brand analytics platform that monitors the hundreds of tiny levers through which online brand value is created.
Heardable's brand health scores are like credit scores for brands. Scores range from 0 to 1,000. Basically, the higher your score, the better you're doing. Each brand health score is comprised of six subscore categories, each focusing on a unique element of a brand's online effectiveness: Portable, Searchable, Sociable, Measurable, Actionable, and Shareable.
The full report is available at:
http://heardable-reports.myshopify.com/products/the-worlds-10-best-hotel-chains
To learn more about the report, Heardable's methodology or get insights into other brands, contact marketing(at)heardable(dot)com or call 1-888-520-0034.
About Heardable:
Heardable is the world's first and only real-time contextual brand analytics platform that measures the online health of brands across hundreds of business categories. With its Growth and Accelerator platform-as-a-service offerings, Heardable helps organizations make smarter, faster business decisions to impact tomorrow's quarterly results. With over 15 million brands profiled and 800 unique online variables capture per brand at various points in time, Heardable's "big brand data" repository can be utilized by any business looking for ways to optimize their online performance, boost brand awareness and increase revenue. Heardable, Inc. is a privately held company based in Temecula, CA with an office in Singapore.
About TISOH
The International School of Hospitality is dedicated to helping students enter the industry as well as assisting current employees advance in their careers. Founded in 2004 by professors from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), TISOH offers practical training programs taught by industry professionals and university professors. Courses integrate theory, practice and on-site learning. The school features small classes with personalized guidance; short, intensified programs; and online learning options. Internships, networking opportunities and career counseling are integral components. TISOH is recognized by most leading professional hospitality organizations such as the National Association of Catering Executives (NACE) , the Educational Institute at the American Hotel & Lodging Association and Les Clefs d’Or USA.

Temecula, CA (PRWEB) June 05, 2012
Today Heardable, Inc. (http://heardable.com) released all new research that benchmarks the online performance of the top 10 automotive brands in America and Ford Motor Company of Dearborn, Michigan finished in first place.
The 129 page report looks at the US operations & digital assets of automotive brands and provides online performance diagnostics on everything from mobile readiness to social network participation to adeptness at SEO. To get to the top 10, over 40 auto brands were examined. Notable brands such as Cadillac, BMW USA, Jeep and Tesla Motors did not make it into the top 10.
According to the research, Ford's brand health score of 763 out of 1,000 beat its nearest competitor, Dodge, by 66 points, or 8.65%, and surpassed third place Mercedes-Benz USA by 72 points, or 9.44%. The gap between Ford and lowest-ranked Toyota was 124 points, or 16.25%.
So how did Ford rise to the position of category leader? Three areas of competence caught our attention:
1) sharing and syndicating content
2) social media participation
3) search optimization
Ford has succeeded where other auto manufacturers have failed and made social media a core component of its marketing strategy. For example, Ford Social is its online community that uses badges, crowdsourcing and other engagement methods to forge closer bonds with its customers.
"Ford has been a smart online marketer for many years now and their effort has been rewarded with a number one ranking in our latest benchmark report," said Jon Samsel, co-founder and CEO of Heardable, Inc. "We expect Ford to continue to raise the bar in 2012. They're the preeminent auto brand to beat."
The Top 10 US Automotive Brands Online, Ranked by Heardable Score (1000 points possible)
1. Ford - 763
2. Dodge - 697
3. Mercedes-Benz USA - 691
4. VW USA - 686
5. Chevrolet - 663
6. Scion - 658
7. Buick - 657
8. GMC - 647
9. Jaguar USA - 643
10. Toyota - 639
Heardable is a platform-as-a-service company that fuses math, measurement and marketing best practices into the world's only real-time contextual brand analytics platform that monitors the hundreds of tiny levers through which online brand value is created.
Heardable's brand health scores are like credit scores for brands. Scores range from 0 to 1,000. Basically, the higher your score, the better you're doing. Each brand health score is comprised of six subscore categories, each focusing on a unique element of a brand's online effectiveness: Portable, Searchable, Sociable, Measurable, Actionable, and Shareable.
The full report is available at: http://heardable-reports.myshopify.com/products/the-top-auto-brands-in-america
To learn more about the report, Heardable's methodology or get insights into other brands, contact marketing(at)heardable(dot)com or call 1-888-520-0034.
About Heardable:
Heardable is the world's first and only real-time contextual brand analytics platform that measures the online health of brands across hundreds of business categories. With its Growth and Accelerator platform-as-a-service offerings, Heardable helps organizations make smarter, faster business decisions to impact tomorrow's quarterly results. With over 15 million brands profiled and 800 unique online variables capture per brand at various points in time, Heardable's "big brand data" repository can be utilized by any business looking for ways to optimize their online performance, boost brand awareness and increase revenue. Heardable, Inc. is a privately held company based in Temecula, CA with an office in Singapore.
Being Heardable, the Heardable Blog, is curated by Heardable co-founder and digital marketing veteran, Jon Samsel. Jon is based in Los Angeles, and Singapore.