Well, Apple, you’ve done it again. According to a second annual MBLM survey studying the effects of COVID-19 on brand loyalty, the pandemic has only strengthened Apple fans’ bond with their favorite fruit-themed company over the eventful past year.
Not only was Apple the only shared favorite across both genders, but it was also shared by each of the age groups—something no other company had been able to achieve. Of the three age groups studied, Apple was the highest choice for two: the 18–34-year-olds, and the 35–44-year-olds both placed it at the top. For the 45–64-year-olds, Apple took second place—first was Amazon.
However, Apple is not the only popular brand on the market for phones, tablets, laptops, or watches—yet they’ve managed to attain something quite incredible in the U.S. market and globally—to create a society that is both extremely reliant and emotionally attached to a relatively expensive line of tech products.
Apparently, Apple is doing something right to be able to maintain their status as favorite brand across such an impressively diverse range of consumers.
The loyalty of Apple fans has actually grown consistently year after year, with the percentage of so-called “intimate users” rising from 41% leading up to the pandemic, to 51% in 2020, and now 52% in 2021.
Apple came second to none in four out of the six traits MBLM names as present among the top “intimate” brands this year. The tech giant takes the lead in “fulfillment,” “enhancement,” “ritual,” and “identity.” Apple lost “indulgence” and “nostalgia” to Disney and Hershey’s, however.
Last year, BLML’s preceding “Brand Intimacy COVID Study,” which explored consumers’ emotional connections to their favorite brands, also found that Apple claimed the highest pedestal among popular brands—and this year’s findings are only cementing Apple’s top spot.
