Measuring the Strengths of Brands

The same principles of betweenness can also be applied to measure the strength of consumer brands – again based on the same principle that buzz on the Web reflects what is cool in the real world. For example, comparing the popularity of chef and food show hostesses Giada de Laurentiis and Rachale Ray with pop music groups or singers Paolo Nutini, Be Your Own Pets, Arcade Fire, and Pink Spiders illustrates the overarching popularity of “Be Your Own Pets” (figure 8).

Figure 8. Coolness of food shows compared to music groups

Figure 8 also demonstrates that MySpace really is the “kingmaker” in the music business, with a betweenness value higher than the most popular music group “Be Your Own Pets”. Whoever can generate the must buzz on MySpace – get the most discussion on the most highly ranked blogs on MySpace – will be the most popular on the Web, at least in the music business!