Vitrue has announced the inaugural ranking of the top social brands for 2008, The Vitrue 100. The list is a provocative mix of blue chip brands that are commanding attention and engagement within social communities online.

Vitrue has applied its technology and data capturing capabilities to measure what is being most talked about on the social web. Each day, Vitrue analyzes online conversations on a variety of social networking, blogging, micro-blogging, photo and video sharing sites. In turn, brands earn a composite score that enables Vitrue to rank terms.

iPhone reigns as the #1 most social brand, outscoring its innovator and parent, Apple, which ranks #3. Overall, Apple dominates by also securing iPod at #7 and the Mac at #16.

Finishing out the top 10 most social brands are: #2 CNN, #4 Disney, #5 Xbox, #6 Starbucks, #8 MTV, #9 Sony and #10 Dell. Microsoft has an two brands in the top 15 with #5 Xbox and #11 Microsoft while Sony retains #9 and its PlayStation #15.

“The Vitrue 100 has been an interesting initiative for us, one where we are able to leverage our platform of technology and data to deliver insights,” explains Reggie Bradford, CEO of Vitrue, in the press release. “A ranking like this begins to bring clarity and credibility to this emerging space. We know marketers need a way to measure success and create benchmarks to track their efforts over time, while our industry needs directional trends to help define who is doing well and who can do better engaging their consumers online.”

Media and entertainment brands lead the top 20 with spots including #2 CNN, #4 Disney, #5 Xbox, #8 MTV, #9 Sony, #13 Nintendo, #15 PlayStation, #17 Turner and #19 Fox News. Only one specialty brand, #6 Starbucks, only one retail brand, #14 Target, and only one auto manufacturer, #12 Ford, broke the top 20.

Some powerhouse technology brands were omitted from the list as they provide the backbone of many social networks. While Google, Facebook and others are top brands, The Vitrue 100 is measuring companies that are using social technology, not those who are the technology.

The Vitrue 100 – Top Social Brands of 2008

1. iPhone
2. CNN
3. Apple
4. Disney
5. Xbox
6. Starbucks
7. iPod
8. MTV
9. Sony
10. Dell
11. Microsoft
12. Ford
13. Nintendo
14. Target
15. PlayStation
16. Mac
17. Turner
18. Hewlett-Packard
19. Fox News
20. BlackBerry
21. ABC
22. Coke
23. LG
24. Best Buy
25. Honda
26. eBay
27. Sharp
28. Lincoln
29. NBA
30. Pepsi
31. General Motors
32. McDonald’s
33. General Electric
34. Walmart
35. NFL
36. Mercedes
37. BMW
38. Samsung
39. Nike
40. Subway
41. Dodge
42. Pandora
43. CBS
44. Mercury
45. NBC
46. Disneyland
47. last.fm
48. Toyota
49. Cadillac
50. Chevy
51. Jeep
52. Netflix
53. Nascar
54. Suzuki
55. Red Bull
56. Wendy’s
57. Burger King
58. Volkswagen
59. REI
60. Nissan
61. T-Mobile
62. Verizon
63. Macy’s
64. AT&T
65. Guess
66. Victoria’s Secret
67. Walt Disney World
68. Audi
69. TBS
70. Cartoon Network
71. IKEA
72. SEGA
73. Kia
74. Porsche
75. Fox
76. Intel
77. IBM
78. VH1
79. MLB
80. Cisco
81. Oracle
82. Saturn
83. Sprite
84. Subaru
85. Adidas
86. BP
87. AMC
88. Chili’s
89. The Gap
90. Capital One
91. Hyatt
92. Costco
93. KFC
94. Adult Swim
95. Jet Blue
96. Taco Bell
97. Converse
98. Sirius
99. Puma
100. Sears

For more information, visit vitrue.com/100

Vitrue, Inc. delivers world-class advertising solutions for marketers to connect with consumers in social ways. Vitrue turns traditional advertising into direct, personal relationships by harnessing the authenticity, depth and viral nature of social media, which enables consumers to help build brands through their online actions. Through their industry expertise, technology platform and integrated marketing approach, Vitrue offers the most comprehensive social media marketing solutions built exclusively for Fortune 1000 brands and agencies including P&G, Unilever and Pepsi. Vitrue is based in New York City and Atlanta. For more company information: http://vitrue.com

[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader "Ottawa Mark" for the heads up.]