Google and Microsoft top the chart as the most discussed technology brands in India

* Findings show a technology brand is mentioned online once every two minutes

** Twitter emerges as the leading channel for technology-related conversations online

*** Edelman-Brandtology online intelligence helps technology marketing leaders to measure the impact of engagement over time – both in India and across Asia

India, October 22, 2009 – Edelman, the world’s leading independent public relations firm, today unveiled the first Digital Brand Index (DBI) for India. The DBI has been undertaken by Edelman in collaboration with Brandtology, which provides business and brand online intelligence services. The quarterly DBI revealed:

· 74,452 online conversations pertaining to 96 large technology brands, contained within 423 influential channels were monitored between July and September 2009 – Averaging at one brand mention every two minutes.
· Google and Microsoft topped the rankings by way of volume of conversations, securing approximately 20% and 12% of all monitored conversations, respectively.
· Yahoo!, Intel and Sony complete the Top 5 list, securing 14% of the overall conversation amongst them.
· While Internet & Software brands lead the conversations online, Mobile & Telecommunications brands like Nokia and BlackBerry, as well as Consumer Electronic Brands like Dell, Samsung and LG also feature in the Top 10.
· Twitter emerged as the “buzziest” channel in India with almost 60% of the overall conversation share.
· Select online forums, including the Chip India Forum, TechArena Community Forum, Digit’s Technology Discussion Forum and DigitalPoint Forum, emerged as other key hubs where technology related conversations take place, securing approximately 16% of the conversations amongst them.

“While Internet penetration remains a challenge in India, the appetite to search and share information is growing exponentially. This is especially true with technology brands and the Digital Brand Index is a pioneering initiative by Edelman in partnership with Brandtology to better understand emerging trends and online discussions about technology brands in India,” said Sachin Talwar, National Director — Corporate Practice, Edelman India. “What is especially striking is the rising influence of social media channels such as Twitter which dominates with a two-thirds share of all conversations about technology brands in India.”

From Buzz to Business Outcomes

Marketers benefit in several ways from the DBI. The DBI can show a direct link between traditional marketing efforts and online conversations and benchmark the extent to which online conversations drive marketing results. For example, when managed well, brands can produce bigger spikes of conversation for major product launches, events or promotions – delivering greater ROI for campaigns. In terms of channels, the DBI allows brands to focus on quality, rather than quantity, online people and communities – thereby directing efforts at the most effective online channels. The research can also provide insight as to which communities or people have previously been targeted, by whom and what the result was, allowing more targeted outreach. In addition, the research also provides insight into the language and words used by key communities and influencers, which can make search marketing more efficient, and what kind of content works well within specific communities or individuals – allowing tailored marketing communications.

The Digital Brand Index recommends two core indices which marketers can use to measure the impact of their online engagement strategy:

Conversation Index: Ratio of individual instances of online branded conversations, versus the average instances of conversation for all brands locally – Indicates share of voice amongst consumers online.

· Channel Index: Ratio of total number of online channels (including social networking sites, forums, blogs and news sites) where comments about a brand are found, versus the average number of channels with comments for all brands locally. This is indicative of efficiency of channel engagement and targeting.

By calculating Average Engagement, the DBI also provides an indicative gauge of advocacy by measuring the average comments per unique person who talks about a brand.

“The DBI shows which brand names are more active than others, but the real opportunity for brand owners is to identify and engage influential channels and voices through compelling social media content. This is what will ultimately increase their brand buzz and profitability,” said Kelly Choo, Co-founder & Business Development Director of Brandtology.

Survey Methodology
The DBI was conducted across eight key markets in the Asia Pacific region, namely, Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan and Singapore. Delivering deep online insight on a quarterly basis, the Asia Pacific Digital Brand Index monitors key brands from the following broad categories: Internet and Software, Consumer Electronics, Mobile and Telecommunications, Business and Consulting and IT and Technology, across a list of popular online channels – including influential blogs, forums, and online news outlets. The channels were selected by identifying conversations based on both qualitative as well as quantitative research. For more information, please visit http://www.edelmanapac.com/index.jsp?series=36.

About Edelman

Edelman is the world’s leading independent public relations firm, with 3,200 employees in 51 offices worldwide. Edelman was named PRWeek’s “2009 Agency of the Year,” PRWeek’s “Large Agency of the Year” (for the third time in the last four years), and Holmes Report’s “2009 Best Large Agency to Work For” and was listed as a top-10 firm by Advertising Age in 2007 and 2008.

Edelman represents technology brands around the world, many of which are included in the Digital Brand Index. For more information about Edelman visit www.edelman.com.

About Brandtology

Brandtology provides business and brand online intelligence services round the clock from its 24×7 Command Centers. Manned by trained specialists, Brandtology enables organizations around the globe to make timely and informed strategic decisions. Brandtology’s Digital Conversation Management System (DCMS) is powered by an intelligent opinion mining and ticket-processing system which aids organizations in listening to online digital conversations generated from blogs, forums, micro-blogs, news sites and other social media. Brandtology serves a multitude of industries and public sectors in functions where online intelligence matters. Brandtology’s proprietary technologies, coupled with proven processes and trained specialists, enable clients to improve their brand equity, to increase revenue and to gain competitive edge. For more information, please visit www.brandtology.com.