Comment | Seeing the brand value of Facebook groups - NMA

Comment | Seeing the brand value of Facebook groups - NMA: "Last month, over 1,900 retailers received traffic from Facebook. Our data shows the site is an increasingly important source of traffic for online retailers like Amazon, ASOS, Ebay and Play. Facebook attracts an older (a third of its users are aged over 35) and more affluent audience than the other major social networks. Wherever consumers congregate they inevitably talk about brands, and Facebook is no exception. Companies can't have their own page on Facebook, but communities can be, and... Article continues below ... often are, created around brands. The effect can be negative, as when HSBC was forced to change its student banking policies due to pressure from Facebook users. More positively, Cadbury's recently made the news by announcing the reintroduction of its Wispa bar following a grass-roots internet campaign that drew support from over 100 'Bring back Wispa' groups on Facebook. Primark is particularly popular on Facebook, and this year the fashion retailer has seen a 64% increase in the amount of traffic its website receives from the social network. Facebook group The Primark Appreciation Society has over 83,000 members discussing everything from store openings to the latest bargains. River Island has both an online store and a popular Facebook group, Addicted to River Island, so "