Recently, social media consultancy Sociagility published an infographic showing the top brand leaders and laggards in the social media space based on a study conducted in November 2011. The infographic ranks brands based on their proprietary PRINT index, which is based on popularity, receptiveness, interaction, network reach, and trust. The top brands include Google, Disney, Starbucks, Apple, and BlackBerry. I visited these brands on Facebook and found some similarities: They each have millions of fans, they have fun and interactive brand posts, and most are wishing their fans a happy Valentine’s Day. They’re also inundated with positive comments from fans.

I am working on some new research that models the impact that Facebook “fandom” has on brand interactions like making a purchase and recommending a brand. I modeled four brands and found that their Facebook fans are much more likely to purchase from, consider, and recommend the brand. Looking at this infographic, I can’t help but notice that three of the four brands in my study — BlackBerry, Coca-Cola, and Walmart — are on Sociagility’s list of top 20 brand leaders. I must say I’m not surprised that these top social media performers are seeing strong loyalty among their Facebook fan base.