Nike Is #1 Brand Addressing Consumer Social Behavior

When it comes to understanding consumers’ social habits, Nike leads all other brands, according to a study from Vivaldi. Levi’s and Under Armour also made the top 10 list in the apparel segment; and other top brands hail from food service, travel and automotive industries.

The 2016 Social Currency study was designed to measure the ability of brands within retail, fashion, automotive, food and beer to adapt to the ways consumers manage their social lives in today’s digital age. The report asserted that brands seeking to complete a successful digital transformation often struggle to keep up with changing consumer preferences.

The top 10 brands (across categories) succeeding in social currency include:

1. Nike;

2. Subway;

3. Olive Garden;

4. Southwest;

5. Honda;

6. Levi’s;

7. Wendy’s;

8. Under Armour;

9. Chili’s; and

10. Toyota.

The study revealed that Nike had a Social Currency composite score of 120, which comes from the brand’s average score across seven different categories: personal identity, social identity, expression, conversation, affiliation, information and utility.

Nike’s social currency score was the highest among the 90 brands assessed in the report, and 20% higher than the brand average. Under Armour was not far behind, with a 112 Social Currency score.

To succeed in social currency, brands focus on initiatives that help consumers manage their lives more effectively and efficiently.

The modern social consumer is defined by a number of different characteristics, including the fact that they:

• Manage their lives and achieve their goals using technology across context and culture:

• Make decisions with limited attention, time and effort;

• Use social media, content, and other sources for information and entertainment; and

• Shop for alternative products if cheaper or more convenient.

“Today consumers don’t serve brands; they serve themselves,” the study noted. “They use their social connections to create their reality, to manage their lives, to get the job done whether it is searching, evaluating, or buying or using a product or service or brand, and proactively talk about brands only in so far as it helps them establish themselves.