More than three-quarters (77%) of the Top 100 global brands had a Google+ page as of December 19, 2011, up 16 percentage points from the 61% that did so a month earlier, according to research by BrightEdge Technologies.
By contrast, 93% of the Top 100 brands, based on Millward Brown's BrandZ Most Valuable Brands for 2011, now have a Facebook page.
Some 16 of the Top 100 brands turned on Google+ pages in the previous month.
Brands such as Google, IBM, and Vodafone Group have a Google+ page, but no official Facebook page, whereas Marlboro, a Philip Morris brand, has neither a Google+ nor Facebook Page.
Below, other findings from BrightEdge Technologies.
Among the Top 100 brands, the total number of people in Google+ circles grew 51% over the previous month, from 147,000 in mid-November to 222,000 in mid-December.
By contrast, BrightEdge's review of Facebook pages among the Top 100 brands found a total of some 300 million Facebook fans.
Google+ Pages Land on SRPs
For the first time, Google has embedded Google+ pages from brands on the search engine's results pages. That increases the exposure of brands' Google+ pages to the billions of people using Google search.
Moreover, the new placement of G+ pages includes promotional messages from brands, allowing additional exposure to potential customers.
"Google is embedding their popular new product with its dominant search marketing position, replicating the tie between social and search channels, just as Facebook's Open Graph tied sites and search together earlier this year, blurring the lines between social and search engagement," said Jim Yu, CEO of BrightEdge.
"Top 100 brands are realizing that they now need to address both channels. Now the real work begins, if they want to extend their social presence on the Web from Facebook to the new Google+."
Top 10 Brand Pages on Google+
Google+ launched brand pages only in early November, but some brands have already accumulated considerable followings on the social networking site, according to separate data from Zoomsphere, which tracks brand traction on social networking sites.
Overall, Google brands dominate the top 10 brands on Google+.
Below, is a list of the top 10 brands, ranked by Google+ follower levels, updated as of December 22.
- Android: 259,281 followers
- Google+: 171,817 followers*
- Google: 151,653 followers**
- Google Chrome: 137,691 followers
- Mashable: 137,685 followers
- Gmail: 114,691 followers***
- Coldplay: 110,829 followers****
- H&M: 99,239 followers
- New York Times: 97,004 followers
- Marvel: 94,640 followers
See full rankings on Zoomsphere.com.
*Zoomsphere ranked Google+ as the fourth most-followed brand; it is No. 2 as of Dec 22.
**Zoomsphere ranked Google as the eighth most-followed brand; it's No. 3.
***Zoomsphere ranked Gmail as tenth the most-followed brand; it's No. 6.
***Zoomsphere ranked ColdPlay as fifth most-followed brand; it's No. 7.
About the data: Monthly data for the Top 100 brands, based on Millward Brown's BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Brands in 2011, were compiled by BrightEdge, on Nov 17 and Dec 19, 2011.
