This past week, Starbucks became the first brand to top the 10,000,000 ‘like’ milestone.  When I first saw this news tidbit, I wondered ‘What took so long?’ There have got to be 10 million Starbucks locations in Manhattan alone – each with a never-ending line of regulars craving their next Grande Miso Skim Chai Latte Frappuccino Half Caffe with room. Only 10 million people ‘like’ Starbucks? Sarcasm aside, kudos to Starbucks for creating and maintaining such an engaging Page.

To put this achievement in perspective, only four other consumer product/service brands (Coca-Cola, Skittles, Oreo, and Red Bull) have reached the five million mark and less than one hundred have passed the one million plateau. Each of the 5+million brands has expanded their Facebook fanbase through interactive promotions, engaging consumer conversations, and the all-powerful advertising dollar (Facebook roadblock ads can drive fan counts through the roof!).

While Buddy Media cannot boast of an association with any of the five aforementioned powerhouses, two of our clients have been rapidly climbing the brand leader board through innovative social campaigns.

Taco Bell went for a double dip on the Buddy Media Platform – launching two custom tabs to support vastly disparate summer advertising campaigns.  The first tab provides users with whimsical interactive content built around the Super Delicious Ingredient Force – a satirical re-creation of 1970’s animated superheroes. The second tab supports Taco Bell’s ‘$2 Meal Deal’ by spurring users to sign a national petition to the Federal Reserve to release more two dollar bills into circulation. Buddy Media steered Taco Bell’s Facebook strategy after an initial full-page open-letter to the Federal Reserve in USA Today.  We deployed our Sweepstake Sapplet on the Taco Bell Page – which allowed users who signed the petition to register for a chance to win prizes large and small – from key chains to free $2 Meal Deals every day for a full year. Since the launch of the two custom tabs, Taco Bell’s fan base has increased by 40% to over 1.4 million.

Another Buddy Media client that has seen astronomical fan growth is Redbox – aka the business that busted Blockbuster. Redbox has been engaging consumers and building their following through a wide range of promotions and free DVD giveaways.  Even more attractive to consumers unfamiliar with the brand, Redbox gives all new fans a free DVD rental from the big red machines that have become ubiquitous in supermarkets and drug stores across the USA. In addition, Redbox is committed to keeping their Page and custom tab fresh with new content including new release trailers, movie reviews, and fan polls.  Since mid-January, Redbox has exploded from 29,412 fans to 1,298,434.  That’s over 4300% growth in less than a year!

So, thanks go out to Starbucks for putting fan growth on the map and in the news.  Your numbers are spectacular – but watch your rear-view mirror!  Brands on the Buddy Media Platform may be closer than they appear.