Silly Analysis of Facebook Likes

While reading PayPal's blog I noticed its Facebook Likes tally at 384,135 people.  That got me curious about other big payment brands which then got me curious about other major brands.  So, I took a few minutes to gin up a tally:

While this is NOT a tally of transaction volume, it's suggestive  of relative market power and, more important, brand focus.  It could also be an indicator of which organization has the stronger social media team.  The truth is somewhere in the middle.  

If Facebook 'Likes' are an indicator of relative brand strength, the direct-to-consumer model it employs is winning that battle.  As far as that goes, I'm surprised Visa and AMEX do so well.  They're not direct-to-consumer brands.  

Actually, when I began this little exercise, I started with PayPal, went to the card brands, then the banks and was surprised that the brands were so dominant.  Then I looked at Apple, Google and the wireless companies (but who really likes their wireless provider?).  It wasn't until I hit on Walmart and Target that I developed a more context-rich perspective.

I know.  I'm not sure I "like" this analysis either.  "Likes" don't predict revenue.  But looking at Apple, Google, Walmart and Target, perhaps they do.