Ranking the buzz of brands

The recently released YouGov Brand Index Buzz rankings had some familiar names at and near the top of its 2013 U.S. listing.

Amazon.com, which ranked 12th on the HCN Top 300 Retailer Scoreboard, appeared in the top spot with a Buzz Ranking of 30.6. 

The rankings were based on the YouGov survey of respondents, who were asked "If you've heard anything about the brand in the last two weeks, through advertising, news or word of mouth, was it positive or negative?" 

Lowe's, which was credited for its well-received Twitter Vine campaign that captured home improvement concepts in six second videos, ranked fifth on the overall chart, with a Buzz rating of 25.9. 

Home Depot scored 21.8, good enough for 15th place, just ahead of the iPad and the iPhone. John Deere rounded out home improvement brands in the top 25 with a 20.3 rating and 25th ranking.

A separate Specialty Retail category of Buzz rankings produced the following results: Lowe's, 25.9; Walgreens, 24.8; Home Depot, 21.8; Best Buy, 15.5; and Ace Hardware, 15.4.