By Ian Sherr
The popular social networking website has a new champion among its brands: Starbucks.
With a combination of recent social networking promotions and front-page ads, the Seattle-based mega coffee company has attracted more than 3.6 million fans to reportedly passed Coca-Cola to become the most popular brand on Facebook.
While that huge fan base makes Starbucks the No. 1 brand, statistics compiled by the website Inside Facebook showed Starbucks as the 8th most popular “page,” behind Hollywood star Will Smith, President Barack Obama, and the current leader, Michael Jackson.
Facebook “pages” are public profiles that are designed to help companies advertise, and to also connect with the website’s users by sending them messages and interacting in conversations.
Retailers like Wal-Mart and Target have used their pages in the past to promote seasonal sales, and other companies like Dell and Apple have offered exclusive promotions through the site to boost popularity.
According to Inside Facebook, Starbucks’ Facebook page saw spikes on July 18 and July 21, when the company was running its free pastry giveaway. Earlier this month, the company also purportedly gave away free ice cream through Facebook as well.
(Photo/Reuters)
(Published July 24, 2009 on Reuters “Shop Talk” Blog, here.)