Snapchat remains #1 in the category, followed by Apple Music and Instagram

The apps & social platforms industry ranks 10th out of the 10 industries featured in MBLM’s Brand Intimacy COVID Study, a study of brands based on emotional connections during the pandemic. MBLM (pronounced Emblem) uses emotional science to build and manage more intimate brands. However, social media user numbers have jumped by more than 13 percent globally since July last year, with an increase of more than half a billion users in just 12 months.

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Spotify ranks as the #1 category, followed by Apple Music and Instagram, respectively. The remaining brands in the top 10 for the industry are Snapchat, TikTok, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Uber. Brand Intimacy is the emotional science behind the bonds we form with the brands we use and love. Since the pandemic, more than 48 percent of consumers have a stronger positive emotional connection with apps & social platform brands. The industry also increased 52 percent in the can’t live without measure compared to MBLM’s previous COVID study, further highlighting consumer reliance on this category.

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“In the second year of the pandemic, apps & social brands continue to be integral to our lives and contribute more significantly to how we connect and engage,” said Mario Natarelli, managing partner, MBLM. “However, they continue to fall under a cloud of suspicion related to misinformation and scandal. This industry must find ways to establish trust and try to establish strong emotional connections before brands in this space will be able to build deeper bonds.”

Additional significant apps & social industry findings include:

• The industry ranks in last place, tenth out of ten industries, with an average Brand Intimacy Quotient of 25.5, which is below the cross-industry average of 38.3.
• The industry continues to perform better with men than with women and with younger consumers versus older ones.
• Consumer preference for Instagram and Snapchat increased, while preference for Pinterest and Twitter declined.
• Daily usage has increased 5 percent.

MBLM also analyzed the industry in an article entitled “Connecting to What Matters”. The piece looks at the role of apps & social platform brands during the pandemic. Category communications centered around providing safety advice and debunking misinformation.

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