Why Bikers Love Barbies

“The most successful brands we’ve seen over the last 12 months not only engaged women across multiple platforms, but also created the opportunity for women to engage with one another and contribute to the brand conversation,” said Melissa Lavigne-Delville, VP of Trends and Strategic Insights, Integrated Media at NBCUniversal. “It was these brands that took risks, redefined their category, experimented with social media, and made room for humor in their messaging, that really climbed the index.”

Best Social Media Buzz: Frito Lay set the Guiness World Record on Facebook this spring with 1.5 million new “likes” in 24 hours, climbing 159 points up the index. To achieve this feat, Frito Lay leveraged social media to promote its line of all natural snacks. The company partnered with Zynga to create a Frito Lay farm on FarmVille, where players could harvest and package their own wholesome virtual goods. Frito Lay also replicated its famous “Flavor Kitchen” in New York’s Time Square, a live cooking demonstration with simple solutions for busy moms, which was simultaneously streamed on Frito Lay’s Facebook page.

Best Breakthrough Buzz: Harley Davidson, the traditionally male-associated brand, scored with women this past year–landing it a spot on the index for the first time at number 194. The motorcycle brand staged a series of initiatives to celebrate the growing number of women enthusiasts, including women-only garage parties, a first-ever female “biker boot camp,” and the launch of “women riders month.” The company also gave women the chance to interact with fellow female riders on a newwebsite, featuring tips and advice on how to turn their riding dream into reality.

Best Steady Buzz: CVS Pharmacy had the longest steady buzz, climbing eight consecutive months up the index, peaking at number 27. The company captured women’s attention with its continued effort to diversify beyond the pharmacy category, focusing especially on lifestyle and beauty. Among these initiatives, CVS partnered with the World Wildlife Fund to launch the “Life Grows On” photo contest – aimed at raising awareness around conservation. Additionally, the company launched its new “Beauty Board,” a panel of lifestyle experts who provide advice on all things beauty and style, on its Facebook page.

Best Controversial Buzz: Kotex jumped 130 notches up the index when it got real with women this spring by breaking the silence around feminine care. The brand launched “U by Kotex Tween,” a new line of feminine care products aimed at 8-to-12 year olds, meant to initiate the period conversation between moms and their daughters. Kotex created an online forum for girls and their mothers to speak candidly about women’s health atwww.Kotex.com/Tween, as well as a space to recount their first periods. The initiative came as an expansion of its “U by Kotex” campaign, targeting older audiences, which aimed to challenge the stigma around feminine care.

Best Viral Buzz: Should Barbie take Ken back? Or should she remain a single, independent woman? Mattel Inc. flirted with the idea across Facebook, Foursquare, Twitter and Youtube to determine if America’s most famous couple should reunite. The company also launched “Genuine Ken,” a reality web series, to find the next “Great American boyfriend.” The Barbie and Ken love saga continued offline, with a billboard campaign in which Ken professes his love for Barbie. These campaigns coincided with Barbie’s rise on the BPI to 74, not to mention a happy ending: Barbie’s Facebook status now says “in a relationship.”

The results include an analysis of 500 brands and are based on a compilation of online search data from Compete, social media buzz data from New Media Strategies, as well person-to-person conversations tracked by Keller Fay Group. Brands were tracked over the course of a year from July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011.