Edelman-Brandtology Digital Brand Index

For the first time, we have some quantitative measure of how much and where certain technology brands are discussed online. The Digital Brand Index is a joint effort by Edelman and Brandtology and meant to give these tech brands some insight as to how they fair with respective to others.

In their words,

“The DBI is the first research project in Asia Pacific to shed light on how brands are being discussed online, the most active channels and the most interesting subject areas. With quantitative data from over 50 of the largest technology companies across eight key markets in Asia Pacific, this quarterly piece of online intelligence serves as a core tool for marketers to analyze the efficiency and return on their marketing investment, both online and offline.”

Currently only 8 markets are covered by the DBI (links are PDF files): Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia and Taiwan. Japan and Korea will soon follow.

Listen to two representatives, one each from Edelman and Brandtology introduce the Digital Brand Index in their own words:

John Kerr, Regional Director, Edelman Digital APAC

Eddie Chau, Founder and CEO, Brandtology

In a private blogger feedback session that Edelman and Brandtology organised, they tried to solicit thoughts and suggestions from several of us as to how the DBI can be made more useful. One suggestion was to separate brands which are B2C and those that are B2B, and perhaps sub-brands within brands. And while the DBI only covers tech brands for now, they might heed our call and cover other industries as well.

I think the DBI is an excellent initiative by Edelman and Brandtology to try to quantify online conversations regarding brands. While most startups probably wouldn’t be covered in the DBI, they could learn from the data and see which channels are the “buzziest” in the various countries. So if are trying to launch your own social media marketing strategy, the DBI could still be of some use to you.

Read the press release on Edelman and Brandtology. And more interestingly, an FAQ on the Asia Pacific DBI methodology.