H&M is the most-followed brand on Google+,  with 456,365 users, or "Circlers", according to a new study by Simply Measured.

It is followed by Samsung USA at 370,611; Pepsi at 347,035; Starbucks Coffee at 333,548; Burberry at 332,435; Coca-Cola at 326,096; Sony at 257,057; Intel at 256,752; eBay at 245,811; Ford Motor Company at 182,284.

Ah ha you might say. Given the questions surrounding a key metric on Google+–engagement—what difference does it make how many users these brands have?

In fact, the study shows that engagement on Google+ is rising. Photo content is the top way in which users interact on the networks, with articles coming in second. However, the lineup of most popular brands does change when engagement as a percentage of Circlers is factored.

Honda ranked first with 117% engagement as a percent of Circlers. Volkswagen is at 114% and General Electric at 93%.

A Strategy That Is Paying Off

Google’s strategy of incorporating Google+ into every single product appears to be paying off, even though some purists believe that Google should isolate the network numbers to give a fair view of how active the network really is.

Others say bunk.  It fair to consider how often Google+ users rely on other Google services like email, photos, calendar and chat, which represent a data rich portrait of their social lives, writes VentureBeat's Ben Popper.

Dramatic Growth

Other studies also capture the growing popularity of Google+. According to February 2012 analysis from Compete, the landing page for the main feature of the social network, the +1 button drew over 40 million unique visitors in December alone, with more than 10 times that amount in visits, while also passing 3 billion page views.