YouTube is the highest ranked social media brand in equity among Americans 13 to 24 years old, based on results from the 2012 Harris Poll Youth EquiTrend study from Harris Interactive.

However, when social media is compared to television, kids TV programming and broadcast TV network brands still garner higher equity scores in general. Additionally, among those social media outlets surveyed, both YouTube and Facebook receive substantially higher scores than competitors, demonstrating their significant market lead.

"All the talk is about Facebook, so it is surprising to see YouTube come out as the social media 'Brand of the Year'," says Regina Corso, senior vice president for youth and education research at Harris Interactive. "For many teens and young adults, the allure of Facebook is still there, but YouTube has become an alternative media outlet. This is something that marketers should remember when creating their social media strategies."

Youth EquiTrend calculates brand equity by measuring familiarity, quality, and purchase consideration; develops an average score for each category; and awards Brand of the Year honors to the highest ranking brands in their respective categories.

The 2012 Harris Poll Youth EquiTrend Kids TV Programming Brand of the Year is Nickelodeon, owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. Other brands with equity scores above the category average are Disney Channel, Cartoon Network, NickToons and Disney XD.

Among a broader youth audience, ABC, the home of new series Once Upon a Time and the popular Dancing with the Stars, is the 2012 Harris Poll Youth EquiTrend Broadcast TV Network Brand of the Year. Fox Television Network and CBS take the second and third slots.

YouTube is the 2012 Harris Poll Youth EquiTrend Social Media Brand of the Year followed by Facebook. The two other social media sites surveyed fall below the category average