LONDON--With the London 2012 Olympics now in full swing, the social media performance rankings of the main sponsors, as measured by the London 2012 Social Scoreboard, showcase the merits of preparation and engagement. 

There is still, however, some movement throughout the table, especially in terms of ‘engagement’ scores. Regular readers of these weekly analyses will know that Sociagility’s Print methodology measures not just overall performance but also five contributing attributes or behaviours: Popularity, Receptiveness, Interaction, Network Reach and Trust.

Popularity and Network Reach together make up the Status dimension on the scoreboard, reflecting size and marketing muscle, while the other three when combined comprise the Potential score, reflecting active engagement by and with the brand on social networks.

When it comes to engagement Potential EDF still leads the pack, but only just as adidas has improved its score considerably and is not far behind. GE has improved its score but not its ranking, while Visa, a late starter in the ‘socialympics’, has improved both.

But does a high engagement level mean that everything is positive? Not when it comes to some of the brands, and GE is a case in point. Its social media engagement score puts many more purely consumer-focused brands to shame, but a closer examination shows that a good deal of this is in response to criticism.

Is measuring this kind of engagement still helpful? Absolutely – it’s an essential part of any brand’s social media performance.

Of course, in the real world GE is not really in competition with the likes of Coca-Cola or P&G. But in a contest for hearts and minds with its focal competitors (like Philips or Siemens) listening to and responding appropriately to comments and criticisms – particularly those made in public forums – makes sense.