Molson Canadian, Coors Light and Mill Street on Tap for Canadians on Social Media

TORONTO, ON--(Marketwired - May 18, 2016) - Technology and data company Engagement Labs, creator of eValue Analytics™ score, today released rankings of the top performing Canadian beer brands on social media according to eValue data.

Top Canadian Beer Brands on Social Media
Ranking		Facebook		Twitter		Instagram
1		Molson Canadian		Coors Light		Mill Street
2		Heineken		Steam Whistle		Steam Whistle
3		Guinness		Budweiser		Molson Canadian
4		Budweiser		Molson Canadian		Bud Light
5		Stella Artois		Heineken		Moosehead Lager
6		Coors Light		Anheuser-Busch		Coors Light
7		Mill Street		Alexander Keith's		Heineken
8		Anheuser-Busch		Bud Light		N/A
9		Steam Whistle		Moosehead Lager		N/A
10		Miller Genuine Draft		Hoegaarden		N/A

Source: Engagement Labs eValue™ 2016 rankings of Canadian beer brands on social media*.

*The social media pages measured are specifically Canadian-targeted accounts.

"With the summer months fast approaching, beer brands have the opportunity to leverage unique and engaging content that gets their products in front of millions of consumers on social. Such content will aim to engage consumers by appealing to their seasonal excitement and translate social success into a purchasing decision," stated Bryan Segal, CEO of Engagement Labs.

On Facebook, Molson Canadian ranked first with the highest overall eValue score. The brand proudly leveraged its Canadian reputation by posting content that highlighted various Canadian stereotypes, such as the love for hockey, which generated thousands of likes and shares. However, it was third place brand Guinness that scored the highest Engagement score and generated the most likes and shares per 1,000 fans. The brand took the opportunity to post content to its followers that would resonate with them, such as posts around their sustainability efforts and holidays like St. Patrick's Day.

On Twitter, Coors Light ranked first with the highest eValue score through a content strategy that incorporated hashtags such as #ClimbOn, which was consistent with the company's Rocky Mountains-related branding. Steam Whistle, which placed second overall, scored the highest for Responsiveness and had the fastest response rate. With the most admin retweets and second most admin replies, the brand showcased a commitment to effectively engage in two-way communication with followers.

Budweiser ranked third overall and boasted the highest Engagement of the group due to attaching the brand to important causes. For example, the brand focused its content strategy primarily on its campaign to end drinking and driving by implementing hashtag campaigns such as #TackleImpossible and #LightTheLamp to resonate with its followers.

"The beer industry is a highly competitive market as there are numerous brands from which consumers can choose. Therefore, it's essential for a brand to create a focused social media strategy to differentiate itself from the pack. As we saw with several of the Canadian beer brands, enlisting in unique content strategies that localize, personalize and humanize the brand helps to connects with audiences and increase brand memorability," noted Segal.

On Instagram, Mill Street placed first for eValue score and also tied Bud Light for the highest Engagement score. Both brands generated their Engagement scores by leveraging a local approach, posting images of their products in Canadian cities, sporting events and popular venues. Bud Light also engaged with its followers by posting content related to its #BudLightLiving contest which provided lucky users the chance to win a trip to Miami. Second-place finisher, Steam Whistle, scored the highest Responsiveness, which demonstrated its commitment to engage directly with fans on the platform.

"While posting consistent content is key for high engagement among followers, another area of focus for these brands should be response strategies," continued Segal. "As we saw in the case of Steam Whistle, using social media as an avenue to communicate with fans helps increase engagement and translates into a stronger online presence. Combining engaging content and response strategies builds brand affinity and can positively contribute to sales growth and prospects."

About Engagement Labs

Engagement Labs offers intelligent data, analytics and insights for marketers and organizations to track, measure and benchmark the conversations happening around their brand or industry, both online and offline. These conversations are proven to drive critical business outcomes, including sales, while Engagement Labs' tools provide the data and actionable insight to help guide business decisions and power marketing effectiveness.

eValue™ Analytics is the global benchmarking tool for social media scoring. eValue's proprietary data technology offers real-time analysis to measure a brand's social media performance. TalkTrack®, from the Keller Fay Group, an Engagement Labs company, is the only data system to measures the totality of word of mouth -- both online and offline. Engagement Labs maintains offices in Toronto, New Brunswick NJ, Montreal, and London UK

To learn more visit www.engagementlabs.com / www.kellerfay.com.

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