Top 10 spirits brands on social media

In recognition of the now vital role social media plays in marketing we ranked our Brand Champions on how engaging their communication really is.

These spirits brands have truly mastered cultivating an engaging social media presence

It’s not the size that matters; it’s what you do with it that counts.

For the Brand Champions 2015 – our pick of those brands selling over one million cases annually which boast exceptional success within their categories – social media is not just a useful tool, it’s necessary for striking up direct communication with a target audience, engaging them and ultimately translating that engagement into further brand loyalty.

As such, the number of fans following a brand really has no bearing on how successful it is at utilising social media for its own benefit. What does count is how it engages with those followers. After all, any old chump can buy 100,000 Facebook fans.

In a tip of the cap to the importance of social media in today’s marketing environment, we’ve introduced a new segment to The Spirits Business’ annual Brand Champions – the Social Media Heroes. These are the brands, all of which sell over one million cases in any given year, that are rocking it on social media and really grasping its full benefits.

To determine our Heroes, the three largest social media platforms – Twitter, Facebook and Instagram – have been monitored by our team with each brand’s presence, engagement and creativity scrutinised and scored. The number of fans and followers are given as a reference but have played absolutely zero bearing on the outcome of this list.

What has counted is the level of engagement (calculated by the number of likes, shares, comments, retweets and favourites), frequency of posts, and creativity of posts. And where a brand has several regional accounts on a particular platform, the total level of engagement and creativity across all of those visible is taken in order to provide a truly global result.

Click through the following pages to view our selection of the top 10 spirits brands on social media. We have scored each brand’s engagement, frequency and creativity out of 10 across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

These figures are based on research conducted by The Spirits Business in May 2015, and so the majority of brands included have most likely grown their followers and fans since.

10. Barcelo Rum

Facebook fans: 240k; Twitter followers: 43.9k; Instagram followers: 19.3k

Scores:

Engagement: 4

Frequency: 10

Creativity: 4

Overall score: 18

Owned by Ron Barcelo, Dominican Republic rum brand Barcelo may not be the biggest brand on this list, and may not have the largest social media presence, but the frequency in which it uses the platforms gained a full 10 marks – making it the only one of two Brand Champions to do so.

9. Ciroc

Facebook fans 392k; Twitter followers: 59.9k; Instagram followers: 154k

Scores:

Engagement: 4

Frequency: 9

Creativity: 5

Overall score: 18

Diageo’s Ciroc vodka is well-acquainted with the immeasurable benefits social media can offer drinks brands, when it is used correctly and innovatively. The brand has by far the highest number of Instagram followers – a massive 154,000 – of any brand on this list and became the first alcohol brand to advertise on Instagram using both videos and cinemagraphs as part of its #MyArrival campaign. The brand’s most ardent advocate and stakeholder, rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs, is no stranger to a strategic spot of Instagramming, giving fans a sneak preview of Ciroc Pineapple ahead of its official launch.

8. Jim Beam

Facebook fans 2.3m; Twitter followers: 107k; Instagram followers: 14.6k

Scores:

Engagement: 4

Frequency: 8

Creativity: 7

Overall score: 19

The recruitment of beautiful actress Mila Kunis as brand ambassador most likely ramped up interest in Beam Suntory’s staple Jim Beam Bourbon over the past year. The brand’s first global marketing campaign, called Make History, has proved successful across all social media formats, and has been presented in a number of creative ways. In particular, the brand has a huge Twitter following, and cleverly markets itself with a personal touch, frequently posting “selfies” of master distiller Fred Noe.

7. Grey Goose

Facebook fans 1.7m; Twitter followers: 65.1k; Instagram followers: 44.4k

Scores:

Engagement: 5

Frequency: 7

Creativity: 7

Overall score: 19

Another social media giant in the spirits world is Bacardi’s Grey Goose vodka, broadcasting cocktail demonstrations and and effectively promoting its Fly Beyond campaign – described as its “most powerful marketing effort to date” – across all platforms. The brand also proudly shouts about its glamorous sponsorships of celebrity-filled events across the world.

6. Patrón

Facebook fans 3.4m; Twitter followers: 191k; Instagram followers: 31.2k

Scores:

Engagement: 5

Frequency: 7

Creativity: 8

Overall score: 20

While Patrón Tequila is certainly not the most prolific Facebook user, only posting a status every few days, its creative use of the site has helped the brand accumulate some of the most fans of any other spirit on this list. Owned by Patrón Spirits, the super-premium Tequila also has the highest number of Twitter followers of any of our Brand Champions.

5. Jack Daniel’s

Facebook fans 5.3m; Twitter followers: 114k; Instagram followers: 20.7k

Scores:

Engagement: 8

Frequency: 6

Creativity: 7

Overall score: 21

Brown-Forman’s Jack Daniel’s really seems to have increased its advertising efforts in recent years, and has truly mastered cultivating an engaging presence on social media. Jack Daniel’s is joint first with the number one spirit on this list as the brand that has the highest number of Facebook fans, regularly reporting its events and innovative sponsorships. Out of all of the Brand Champions we have analysed, Jack Daniel’s has been given the highest score for engagement.

4. Southern Comfort

Facebook fans 906k; Twitter followers: 22.5k; Instagram followers: 1.6k

Scores:

Engagement: 6

Frequency: 7

Creativity: 9

Overall score: 22

One of the most creative brands on social media is Brown-Forman’s Southern Comfort, despite its on-going sales decline – a result of “pressure” from growth in the flavoured whiskey category. The brand’s comedic, irreverent tone and its popular Whatever’s Comfortable campaign clearly clicks with users.

3. Jose Cuervo

Facebook fans 3.1m; Twitter followers: 42.6k; Instagram followers: 5k

Scores:

Engagement: 5

Frequency: 8

Creativity: 9

Overall score: 22

Prolific across Facebook and Twitter, with a more subtle presence on Instagram, Jose Cuervo Tequila capitalises on its image as a party spirit enjoyed by groups of friends with posts design to spark fun discussions. The brand’s Twitter is also littered with amusing snippets and puns.

2. Svedka

Facebook fans 1.4m; Twitter followers: 7.9k; Instagram followers: 5.7k

Scores:

Engagement: 7

Frequency: 7

Creativity: 10

Overall score: 24

Constellations Brands’ Svedka vodka has scored top marks for creativity and very strong scores for engagement and creativity. The brand has far fewer social media fans and followers than many other labels mentioned on this countdown, but as we said earlier, it’s not the size that matters. Svedka has cultivated a dedicated following that regularly engages with colourful, light hearted posts which often appeal to a sense of occasion.

1. Stolichnaya

Facebook fans 5.3m; Twitter followers: 114k; Instagram followers: 20.7k

Scores:

Engagement: 7

Frequency: 10

Creativity: 10

Overall score: 27

Unsurprisingly, the inaugural Social Media Hero is Stolichnaya vodka, which has developed Facebook, Twitter and Instagram activity right into the heart of its marketing strategy. In particular, it’s THE Vodka campaign, unveiled last year, has taken social media by storm.

This list of Social Media Heroes makes it difficult to doubt the relevance of vodka in today’s global spirits market, proving consumers continue to admire their favourite brands despite the category taking a backseat the brown spirits in recent years.