AT&T, Amazon and J&J among brands impressing consumers the most amid coronavirus

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, marketers have been trying to inspire and connect with people around the world by launching campaigns, fundraisers and powerful PSAs. But which brands are resonating the most with consumers?

Influencer marketing and social data firm Influential decided to dig into this by tracking social conversations around the top Fortune 1,000 brands across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, forums and blogs. The agency measured mentions of each brand four weeks before the U.S. government announced coronavirus as a global pandemic on March 13 and four weeks after the announcement.

And the winner so far is… Johnson & Johnson with a 61 percent increase in positive sentiment, specifically for the company’s attempt to create COVID-19 vaccines as well as the launch of its relief fund.

AT&T is a close second, seeing a 58 percent increase in positive mentions, with people focusing on how the company continues to pay all support staff who earn an hourly wage even if their services aren’t needed. Next up is Amazon, with a 52 percent bump for pledging $20 million to help accelerate coronavirus diagnostic testing, along with hiring 75,000 additional workers right now.

Target, Walmart, Mondelez, Tesla, Alibaba, Texas Roadhouse and Coca-Cola round out the top 10 brands resonating with consumers right now.

"From our research, it’s evident that the way that brands deal with the crisis will shape how consumers view them," said Ryan Detert, CEO of Influential. "Brands that use their position and resources to be helpful and relevant during the pandemic will leave a positive impression on consumers. Following these moments, it's easier for consumers to recall and consider purchasing from these brands, especially after they have left a positive impression on them."

He added: "It was impressive to see brands like Johnson & Johnson and Mondelez, who own a portfolio of sub-brands, effectively resonate with consumers. We also saw it correlate to increases in purchase intent for their individual sub-brands." 

See the top 22 brands in the chart below.