What brands have the most fans?

As a frequent Facebook user, I've been intrigued by the popularity of the "fans" application. With a quick click on a thumbs up icon, the user can easily indicate their affinity toward a soda, politician, or sports team.

In the same way that Google Trends can show the ebb and flow of a topic of conversation, the Facebook "fans" function can give insights into how Facebook users feel about various brands. Unfortunately, it's not very scientific, but there are some interesting insights.

Before I get into that, it's important to note just who the Facebook user is. Danah Boyd, prominent researcher, Berkely PhD student and Harvard Law School Fellow, controversially contended that Facebook users are educated/higher class than MySpace users. Though Boyd contends that Faceboook users are higher class, we still cannot definitively say that the user is a homogeneous group. The Facebook user mix is getting older, as noted in this TechCrunch chart below, and probably more diverse.



That said, here were some interesting observations from the "fans" application.

Politics
Obama - 731,000
Hillary - 141,000
McCain - 100,000

Any chance we can finagle some super-delegates out of this stark contrast?


Products

This surprised me the most. Ticketmaster, Basketball, and Marmite? Really?





TV Shows

Who knew that Top Gear was so popular?


Check out this link for some views on additional topics.