TikTok brand loyalty soars as Instagram, Facebook lose ground

Dive Brief: 

• TikTok in the last year has seen a strong upswing in brand loyalty, according to this year’s Brand Keys Loyalty Leaders analysis shared with Marketing Dive. Of the 100 companies who made the list, TikTok rose from spot No. 21 to No. 5, while Facebook fell 17 spots and Instagram fell six.
• On the top of the list is Apple, which rose from spot No. 2 last year and has unseated Amazon, which now occupies the second place spot. Behind it is Domino’s, Disney+ and TikTok.
• Some brands are new to the list, including Moderna and Pfizer, Paramount+, Tesla, Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods. The rise and fall of brands on the list represents a pivot in consumer priorities, many of which may be attributed to the pandemic. 

Dive Insight: 

This year’s list of loyalty leaders in many ways reflects the challenges and opportunities businesses face amid shifting consumer interests due to economic uncertainty and the retreat of pandemic-related restrictions.

TikTok, which has quickly become the darling of social media, saw one of the largest jumps on the list, up 16 spots from where it sat the year prior. In many ways TikTok has laid the groundwork for both short-form videos and shoppable content, with others adopting similar features — for instance, Facebook recently ditched its live shopping feature in favor of its shorter video format, Reels. YouTube also integrated similar features, and Instagram has recently caught flack by users for following the Byte-Dance owned platform so closely. 

Despite adopting lookalike models, YouTube fell five spots to No. 21., Instagram fell six spots to No. 15 and Facebook’s spot on the loyalty leaders list fell by 17 spots, leaving it at No. 46. Meta, owner of both Instagram and Facebook, saw its first ever revenue downturn in the second quarter this year. Google, owner of YouTube, also declined by two spots. Alphabet, parent company to the two, fell short of revenue expectations for the second quarter. Twitter fell by nine spots to No. 47, reflective of continuous challenges, including its Elon Musk-fueled drama. 

As streaming becomes increasingly popular, platforms are vying for consumer loyalty, and some seem to be doing better than others. Netflix fell five spots on the list from last year to No. 8. The streamer has recently begun making plans for its ad-supported platform and in Q2 reported less subscriber loss than anticipated, though still losing 970,000 accounts. The highest-ranking streamer, Disney+, beat Wall Street’s expectations for the second quarter and sits at the No. 3 spot on the loyalty leaders list, up three spots. Apple TV rose six spots from the year before to No. 14.

New to the list, Paramount+ swooped in at spot No. 51. Launched in 2021, the platform has recently expanded its efforts to appeal to consumers and partnered with Walmart as its official streaming platform for its Walmart+ loyalty program. 

This is the 14th year Brand Keys has surveyed brands, which this year totaled 1,624 brands and 142 categories and was conducted in August. Among the categories, retail brands accounted for nearly a quarter (22%) of its loyalty leaders. Behind are food and beverages (16%) and technology (13%). 

Many shifts to the survey reflect consumers’ overwhelming fear of a recession. This year, Costco rose 18 spots to No. 50, and Sam’s Club rose 16 spots to No. 53, representing a possibility that some may find more value shopping in bulk for fear of supply shortages and rising costs. Dollar Tree rose by 11 spots to No. 63, and fast-food chain McDonald’s rose by a whopping 17 points to spot No. 55. Other shifts represent growing passions for sustainability — Tesla for the first time placed on the list (No. 100), signaling an electric vehicle interest, and Beyond Meat made its debut (No. 82) while Impossible Foods came in at No. 90.

Pandemic-fueled shifts are also visible, with COVID-19 vaccine creators Moderna and Pfizer making the list for the first time at spots 39 and 6, respectively — an overwhelming nod to widespread health concerns. Clorox and Purell fell by 41 and 52 spots, respectively, a steep drop that likely correlates to an ease of pandemic restrictions.