Sears recognized for online community program

New York City Sears' MySears has been ranked No. 4 out of the top five branded communities and the No. 1 retail branded site in North America, according to study conducted by ComBlu on behalf of the Word of Mouth Marketing Association.

Sony, AT&T, YouTube and Bank of America were also in the top five.

The rankings were determined by the communities' ability to provide a meaningful experience for its members, integrate brand strategies across multiple platforms and take advantage of best practices to strengthen customer engagement.

The social marketing programs of 45 companies were examined.