Altimeter Group and Wetpaint published a report in July that ranks the top 100 brands based on social media engagement. The ENGAGEMENTdb report -- The world's most valuable brands. Who's most engaged? -- lists Starbucks at #1, with a score of 127 points. According to the report, Starbucks falls into the 'Maven' engagement profile, which is:

These brands are engaged in seven or more channels and have an above-average engagement score. Brands like Starbucks and Dell are able to sustain a high level of engagement across multiple social media channels. Mavens not only have a robust strategy and dedicated teams focused on social media, but also make it a core part of their go-to-market strategy. Companies like these could not imagine operating without a strong presence in social media.

The report aims to correlate social media engagement with financial performance, and states that "Mavens" typically enjoyed revenue growth of 18% on average over the last 12 months. While that may be the case -- typically -- Starbucks has had a rough year. In Q1 they announced plans to close 300 stores. In Q2 their profits dropped 77% on a 7.6% decline in revenue. Between store closings and reduced openings in 2009, Starbucks is projecting as many as 6,700 company layoffs.

I don't think any of those pink-slipped employees (or shareholders) could care less about Starbucks's success in social media engagement, do you?