Social content mirrors the events of real life, and in 2021 we had a lot to talk about. BrandGraph 500, which ranks the nation’s top brands by social content volume, breaks down what brands had the biggest increases in social content last year, and also looks at which brands didn’t have their best year ever.
BrandGraph has scanned over 741 million pieces of content across 16.6 million different social media accounts in 2021, and it is constantly updating. Rankings may change over time.
BrandGraph 500 Year in Review
The winners on the 2021 BrandGraph 500 were entertainers and video games, which in general continued to dominate the conversation after 2020 highlighted just how important entertainment is to the general public. The BrandGraph platform analyzed 741 million pieces of content across 16.6 million different social media accounts in 2021. The takeaway: We want to be entertained!
The entertainment category had the biggest movers on the BrandGraph 500. The largest jump came from “Wandavision”; the superhero show skyrocketed 257 places to No. 123 on the BrandGraph 500. The Academy Awards dropped 173 spots to No. 424 after ratings for the 2021 show tanked and garnered negative reviews.
Music Rewind
It was a big year to be a British singer, especially former One Direction members, who generated the most engagement on social media. Harry Styles rose 15 places to No. 95 while going on tour; Zayn Malik jumped 36 spots to No. 200 while breaking up with model Gigi Hadid and releasing new music; and Liam Payne dropped 26 places but still ranked No. 285 on the list after releasing the popular song “Sunshine.” Singer Dua Lipa, whose song “Levitating” was one No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 list for 2021, ascended 32 places to No. 194. Ed Sheeran joined the list as he soared 142 positions to No. 291, one of the biggest jumps of 2021.
Meanwhile, all American singers on the BrandGraph 500 dropped in the ranking except Taylor Swift, who rose three places to No. 114 after she re-recorded many of her songs. Ariana Grande was still the best performing American singer on the ranking, but she fell nine spots to No. 80 in 2021. Lizzo dropped the most — by 105 places to No. 481 — despite having her first music release in two years: the song “Rumors.” Twelve American rappers made the BrandGraph 500: Cardi B at No. 111; Travis Scott at No. 133; DaBaby at No. 176; Megan Thee Stallion at No. 188; Doja Cat at No. 246; Snoop Dogg at No. 263; Juice WRLD at No. 288; Lil Wayne at No. 330; Lil Nas X at No. 341; Nipsey Hussle at No. 349; Offset at No. 381; and Trippie Redd at No. 455. Canadian rapper Drake had one of the top rap albums of 2021 and came in at No. 74.
All Fun and Games
Virtual worlds and mobile games were also generating buzz. Roblox spiked 113 slots to No. 149 and Minecraft rose 17 spots to No. 72. Pokemon climbed 82 places to No. 191 thanks to the popularity of Pokemon Go. Resident Evil had a spike as well, rising 77 places to No. 242.
Meanwhile, Animal Crossing — an early-pandemic favorite — dropped 159 spots to No. 409. Video games like Danganronpa (12.49%), Super Smash Bros. (10.62%), Minecraft (10.21%) and League of Legends (10.11%) also got people talking, shown by their high engagement rates.
Give Them Something to Talk About
Public figures can always spark a conversation or debate. Sen. Bernie Sanders rose 171 spots to No. 246 after he became a meme during the presidential inauguration.
Billionaires and rivals Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos also made waves. Tesla CEO Musk rose 83 positions to No. 113 and landed himself the title of Time’s 2021 Person of the Year. Amazon’s founder Bezos soared 132 places to No. 258 while also launching into space last year. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg made his debut on the list at No. 361.
Blockchain Heats Up
Cryptocurrency was a hot topic across all social channels in 2021, and BrandGraph 500 underscores just how big a buzz it created. Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) became mainstream, and El Salvador became the first country to accept crypto as legal currency, driving the push to create more crypto-linked products.
Not surprisingly, Bitcoin — the OG of cryptocurrency — climbed 45 spots in the chart to No. 19, likely because it hit $65,000 in 2021, making lots of crypto investors wealthier. Several altcoins joined the party, too: Dogecoin, XRP, Binance Coin, Bitcoin Cash, Cardano, Litecoin and Ethereum.
Keeping Up with the Kardashian-Jenners
The Kardashian-Jenners had five appearances on the BrandGraph 500: Kim Kardashian West at No. 87; Kylie Jenner at No. 88; Kendall Jenner at No. 199; Kourtney Kardashian at No. 346 and Khloe Kardashian at No. 375. The biggest mover of the family was Kourtney, who surged 73 spots in a year when she got engaged to drummer Travis Barker.
Tech Face-Off
Two tech giants dominate the top 10: Meta/Facebook accounts for the No. 1 (WhatsApp), No. 2 (Instagram) and No. 5 (Facebook) spots in the BrandGraph 500, while Alphabet/Google owns No. 3 and 9 — YouTube and Google. Other mega companies — TikTok (No. 4), Twitter (No. 6), Nike (No. 7), Disney (No. 8) and Apple’s iPhone (No. 10) — were also top of mind for social media users in 2021. Netflix is making a play for a top-10 spot.
BrandGraph 500 - Top 100 Brands by Content Volume - 2021
Rank
Change
Name
Category
Industry
1
1

Messaging Application
Media & Entertainment
2
1

Social Network
Media & Entertainment
3
–

YouTube
Video Sharing Service
Media & Entertainment
4
1

TikTok
Social Network
Media & Entertainment
5
1

Social Network
Media & Entertainment
6
–

Social Network
Media & Entertainment
7
–

Nike
Active Shoes & Apparel
Fashion & Beauty
8
–

Disney
Mass Media Company
Media & Entertainment
9
5

Internet Technology Company
Technology
10
1

iPhone
Smartphone
Technology
11
1

Etsy
Online Marketplace
Retail & Wholesale
12
1

Spotify
Music Streaming Service
Media & Entertainment
13
1

Netflix
Video Streaming Service
Media & Entertainment
14
1

Apple
Technology Company
Technology
15
1

PayPal
Electronic Payments
Financial Services
16
3

Canon
Photo Equipment Manufacturer
Technology
17
–

Adidas
Active Shoes & Apparel
Fashion & Beauty
18
2

Social Network
Media & Entertainment
19
45

Bitcoin
Cryptocurrencies
Financial Services
20
2

Star Wars
Science Fiction Films
Media & Entertainment
21
8

Mercedes-Benz
Vehicle Manufacturer
Transportation
22
1

Sony
Mass Media Company
Media & Entertainment
23
72

The Olympic Games
Sports Championship Event
Sport & Recreation
24
12

Toyota
Vehicle Manufacturer
Transportation
25
5

Samsung
Technology Company
Technology
26
1

Amazon
Mega Retailer
Retail & Wholesale
27
2

Batman
Animated Characters
Media & Entertainment
28
2

Twitch
Video Sharing Service
Media & Entertainment
29
10

Playstation
Video Game Console
Technology
30
2

GoPro
Digital Cameras
Technology
31
10

Tumblr
Social Network
Media & Entertainment
32
10

Xbox
Video Game Console
Technology
33
6

Porsche
Vehicle Manufacturer
Transportation
34
3

Ford
Vehicle Manufacturer
Transportation
35
13

BMW
Vehicle Manufacturer
Transportation
36
5

National Geographic
Television Network
Media & Entertainment
37
5

Sony Alpha
Digital Cameras
Technology
38
4

Nutella
Specialty Nut Butter
Food
39
5

The Avengers
Super Hero Films
Media & Entertainment
40
16

Fortnite
Video Games
Media & Entertainment
41
3

Nintendo
Video Game Companies
Media & Entertainment
42
12

A.D. Tramontana
Vehicle Manufacturer
Transportation
43
17

Chevrolet
Vehicle Manufacturer
Transportation
44
5

Barbie
Toys
Media & Entertainment
45
7

Jeep
Vehicle Manufacturer
Transportation
46
13

SoundCloud
Music Streaming Service
Media & Entertainment
47
36

Neymar da Silva Santos Junior
Brazilian Soccer Player
Athletes
48
10

Harley-Davidson
Motorcycle Manufacturer
Transportation
49
9

DC Comics
Comic Publisher
Media & Entertainment
50
5

Gucci
Luxury Apparel
Fashion & Beauty
51
8

Nikon
Digital Cameras
Technology
52
3

Oreo
Cookies & Cakes
Food
53
9

Lego
Toys
Media & Entertainment
54
51

Cristiano Ronaldo
Portuguese Soccer Player
Athletes
55
1

Louis Vuitton
Luxury Apparel
Fashion & Beauty
56
10

DJI
Photo Equipment Manufacturer
Technology
57
28

Super Bowl
Sports Championship Event
Sports & Recreation
58
15

Air Jordan
Active Shoes & Apparel
Fashion & Beauty
59
9

Disneyland
Theme Park
Travel & Tourism
60
16

Walt Disney World
Theme Park
Travel & Tourism
61
15

Mac Cosmetics
Facial Cosmetics
Fashion & Beauty
62
9

UberEats
Restaurant Delivery Service
Transportation
63
6

Starbucks
Coffee
Beverages
64
28

Morphe Cosmetics
Facial Cosmetics
Fashion & Beauty
65
3

NASA
Government Research Organizations
Government
66
10

Rolex
Watches
Fashion & Beauty
67
8

Apple Music
Music Streaming Service
Media & Entertainment
68
21

Snapchat
Social Network
Media & Entertainment
69
6

Venmo
Electronic Payments
Financial Services
70
256

Pfizer
Pharmaceutical Companies
Pharma
71
15

Lamborghini
Vehicle Manufacturer
Transportation
72
17

Minecraft
Video Games
Media & Entertainment
73
9

Patreon
Membership Platforms
Media & Entertainment
74
4

Drake
Canadian Rapper
Entertainers
75
9

Joe Biden
U.S. Presidents
Politics
76
25

Herbalife Nutrition
Misc. Health Remedies
Health & Wellness
77
2

Target
Mega Retailer
Retail & Wholesale
78
11

Adobe
Computer Software Company
Technology
79
33

DHL
Parcel Delivery Services
Transportation
80
9

Ariana Grande
American Singer
Entertainers
81
–

Walmart
Mega Retailer
Retail & Wholesale
82
17

Mickey Mouse
Animated Characters
Media & Entertainment
83
19

Volkswagen
Vehicle Manufacturer
Transportation
84
23

Beyoncé
American Singer
Entertainers
85
15

Gymshark
Active Apparel
Fashion & Beauty
86
11

Ferrari
Vehicle Manufacturer
Transportation
87
6

REI
Outdoor Retail Store
Retail & Wholesale
88
8

Kim Kardashian West
American Media Personality
Media Personalities
89
15

Kylie Jenner
American Media Personality
Media Personalities
90
17

Audi
Vehicle Manufacturer
Transportation
91
19

Sephora
Beauty Retailer
Retail & Wholesale
92
11

Land Rover
Vehicle Manufacturer
Transportation
93
26

Disney+
Video Streaming Service
Media & Entertainment
94
64

Lionel Messi
Argentinian Soccer Player
Athletes
95
15

Harry Styles
English Singer
Entertainers
96
–

AstraZeneca
Biotechnology Companies
Pharma
97
41

Marvel Studios
Comics Publisher
Media & Entertainment
98
29

Call of Duty
Video Games
Media & Entertainment
99
58

Donald J. Trump
U.S. Presidents
Politics
100
12

Nintendo Switch
Video Game Console
Technology
Last updated: Jan. 30, 2022