
The top 10 also included Play.com in third, Waterstones in fourth and Warburtons in eighth place.
Social media site Twitter will be disappointed with its ranking. It features way down the list in 88th place. Other surprising rankings include Apple (in 96th) and YouTube (94th). Rice brand Uncle Ben's came last.
The agency’s Social Brands 100 Youth Ranking was based on youth insight consultancy Voxburner’s Youth 100 list, which was used by Headstream to research how engaged the brands were with their communities via Facebook, Twitter and Google+.
FMCG was the strongest performer in the top 100, with 33% of the brands in the ranking from the sector, with Krispy Kreme leading the pack. It was followed by retail (22% and led by Play.com), hospitality (11% and led by Pizza Hut) and technology (11%, with Adobe at the top).
Steve Sponder, Headstream’s managing director, said: "As we know, listening to your consumer, understanding their journey and their values is vital to forming a win-win relationship with them.
"Brands that engage well with the youth market are ones that really understand their customer, their interests, behaviours, rituals and considerations, and develop their content accordingly. This is vital for the success of any social brand."
Social Youth Brands top 10
Ranking | Brand |
1 | Pizza Hut |
2 | Greggs |
3 | Play.com |
4 | Waterstones |
5 | Krispy Kreme |
6 | Pepsi Max |
7 | Comic Relief |
8 | Warburtons |
9 | Starbucks |
10 | McCain |