Being popular on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram is a status symbol for many brands. They rely on clever posts, paid social media influencers, and product placement to help drive followers to their pages.
Pilot Fish Media, a marketing agency in Edinburgh, Scotland, recently studied the accounts of a number of brands’ social media accounts, including those form the sports, beauty, and automotive industries and has determined which vehicle manufacturers have the most fake followers.
How do they get fake followers? They can be bought from a bot farmer, a $1.3 billion industry Wired covered in detail earlier this year. Twitter has reported that they’re removing 7.5 million fake accounts per week.
Here are the worst offenders according to the study.
No. 10: Maserati
Fake Instagram followers: 41% | Fake Twitter followers: 33% | Average: 40%
View this post on InstagramOn the first leg of the #MaseratiInternationalRally 2019, we travelled west to challenge the Rest and Be Thankful Hill Climb; delighted the senses in the colourful gardens of Inveraray Castle and went across the highland trails of the Trossachs.
A post shared by Maserati (@maserati) on Sep 21, 2019 at 12:18pm PDT
No. 9: Lamborghini
Fake Instagram followers: 43% | Fake Twitter followers: 27% | Average: 42%
View this post on InstagramOur question to you is simple: you get a beautiful detail of one of our Super Sports Car. Now guess the model. Photo by @denniswierenga. #Lamborghini #GuessFromDetails
A post shared by Lamborghini (@lamborghini) on Oct 19, 2019 at 9:00am PDT
No. 8: Mercedes-Benz
Fake Instagram followers: 45% | Fake Twitter followers: 28% | Average: 43%
HOW. ABOUT. THAT. THEN!!! LEWIS HAMILTON WINSSSSSS IN MEXICO!#MexicoGP #F1esta pic.twitter.com/X4csh2rRCI
— Mercedes-Benz (@MercedesBenz) October 27, 2019
No. 7: Porsche
Fake Instagram followers: 44% | Fake Twitter followers: 31% | Average: 43%
View this post on InstagramLet this Porsche 964 be your Sunday motivation. #Porsche #PorscheMoment #964 (?: @lowxjosh | @weekndr.porsche)
A post shared by Porsche (@porsche) on Sep 22, 2019 at 3:00am PDT
No. 6: Bugatti
Fake Instagram followers: 44% | Fake Twitter followers: 34% | Average: 44%
The museum Cité de L’Automobile in Mulhouse, France, is a true gem of automotive history. In a huge hall with more than 800 original brass lanterns, it hosts the largest classic car collection in the world and the largest BUGATTI collection in Europe.#CitéLAutomobile pic.twitter.com/uxpGevJPUa
— Bugatti (@Bugatti) September 16, 2019
No. 5: Ferrari
Fake Instagram followers: 44% | Fake Twitter followers: 34% | Average: 44%
Listen to the sound of pure power. The #FerrariPortofino is an elegant addition to any road. #Ferrari pic.twitter.com/pmEcWRuwQG
— Ferrari (@Ferrari) October 25, 2019
No. 4: Mercedes-AMG
Fake Instagram followers: 45% | Fake Twitter followers: 33% | Average: 44%
View this post on Instagram[Kraftstoffverbrauch kombiniert: 7,4–7,3 l/100 km | CO₂-Emissionen kombiniert: 169–167 g/km | amg4.me/efficiency-statement | Mercedes-AMG A 35 4MATIC] A little recap from our NEED A RIDE production in Amsterdam with eight-time World Champion @nicoldsquash. It is her passion for the game and her desire to always be the best she can that got her to the very top. Find the LINK to the full video in our highlights! #MercedesAMG #followyourpassion #drivingperformance #NeedARide #NicolDavid #Maroengel #Squash #bestofbothworlds #worldchampion #carsofinstagram #success #lifestyle
A post shared by Mercedes-AMG (@mercedesamg) on Sep 16, 2019 at 6:47am PDT
No. 3: Jaguar
Fake Instagram followers: 47% | Fake Twitter followers: 32% | Average: 45%
View this post on InstagramCrafted from experimental lightweight materials and influenced by our rich racing pedigree, the assertive exterior of #JaguarVisionGTCoupé is inspired by the #Ctype, #Dtype and #Etype. Jaguar #JaguarElectrifies #GTSport #GranTurismo #GranTurismoSport #FIAGTC #Tokyo #Japan #Playstation #Gaming #ElectricCars #EV #CarsofInstagram #Racing
A post shared by Jaguar (@jaguar) on Oct 26, 2019 at 7:12am PDT
No. 2: BMW
Fake Instagram followers: 47% | Fake Twitter followers: 32% | Average: 45%
Make these streets remember your name.
Choose from a collection of #BMW models in the upcoming #NeedForSpeed Heat, available from November 8, 2019. #NFShttps://t.co/anhwfglWO9https://t.co/SfrlTy8kzL pic.twitter.com/67gvZp0Sej
— BMW (@BMW) October 28, 2019
No. 1: Audi
Fake Instagram followers: 47% | Fake Twitter followers: 32% | Average: 45%
View this post on InstagramReady to paint the town. #ThatQ3Life
A post shared by Audi (@audi) on Aug 5, 2019 at 8:44am PDT
All statistics were accurate as of September 11, 2019.