Apple, Facebook receive positive "buzz" in US - Warc News

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March 19, 2010

Apple, Facebook receive positive "buzz" in US

SAN MATEO: Apple, Facebook and Amazon are among the companies that generate the most positive word-of-mouth between shoppers in the US, a new study has found.

Satmetrix, the consultancy, surveyed 19,500 Americans, asking them to rate the goods and services they had purchased from a variety of organisations over the last 12 months.

Its analysis employed the Net Promoter Score, which assesses the likelihood that a consumer will recommend a firm or product, based on measures such as service, value and features.

More specifically, it utilised a ten-point scale, and subtracted the number of "Detractors", or people awarding a brand six points or less, from the number of "Promoters", who gave it nine or ten points.

Apple registered a figure of 78% on this measure, making it the top performer in the technology category, having also recently been named as one of the "most admired companies in the world".

Facebook, the social network, received a total of 65%, and thus led the online search and information rankings, ahead of Google, on 63%, a result supported by data released by Hitwise this week.

Amazon was the best-regarded operator in the online retail sector, with 71%, with eBay on 65%, and Barnes & Noble's website on 59%.

Among bricks-and-mortar supermarket chains, Trader Joe's was the subject of the most complimentary feedback, on 69%, with Wegmans on 67%.

Costco and Sam's Club were the premier members of the department store and wholesale group, on 66% and 61% respectively.

Favourability marks were comparatively low for players in the telecoms industry, with Verizon Wireless, on 41%, taking first place, while Sprint, on 10%, and AT&T, on 9%, were the "laggards".

Time Warner Cable was the premier internet service provider, with DirecTV being afforded this status where satellite and cable TV were concerned.

JetBlue and Southwest were the "clear frontrunners" for air carriers, and were both more than 40 points above the category average, according to Satmetrix.

"JetBlue Promoters referenced the in-flight experience, extra legroom, quality snacks and television, while Southwest Promoters praised the airline for its friendly service and for not charging baggage fees," it added.

Popular perceptions were particularly austere in the health insurance market, with Blue Cross Blue Shield the only business to post a positive total, on 5%, compared with a sector average of –13%.

State Farm was the pre-eminent life insurance firm, on 34%, with USAA taking the honours in both the auto insurance segment, on 78%, and home insurance contest, on 78%.

The company also received an NPS of 81% for its banking operations, 40 points ahead of BB&T, the runner-up, while CitiGroup was the only bank with a negative rating, on –9% in all.

"We continue to see the impact that the customer experience has on loyalty and business growth," said Deborah Eastman, Satmetrix's chief marketing officer.

"Best-in-class companies are those that put in the processes to continuously listen to, learn from, and take immediate action on what their customers tell them about their performance."

Subscribers to Warc can find more information about the Net Promoter Score, and criticisms of this approach, here.

Data sourced from Satmetrix; additional content by Warc staff, 19 March 2010

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