Apple’s brand identity is resolute

Just like a Bob Dylan song, when it comes to the tech industry times really are a-changin’, and Apple’s is now the world’s most recognized brand logo among millennials worldwide, according to a recent survey by the logo designers at GraphicSprings.

Microsoft and IBM are in decline

The survey of 24,000 people revealed some big changes in global corporate identity.

• Apple’s logo is one of the very few to be recognised by almost everyone in the world.
• Not only that, but Apple’s brand is also hugely influential: “Coca-Cola has the world’s most influential logo, followed by Sony, Ford Motor, Walt Disney and Apple.”
• Alphabet has almost no logo recognition outside the U.S., where just 13.75 percent recognize it.

The top six tech brands

Intelligent design

“Simplicity, elegance and strength: these are the defining factors of the highest scoring logos in this ranking.” says Evan Fraser, Head of Marketing at GraphicSprings. “Logos with these attributes are effective not only in being memorable, but they also tell us a story about what the company does, who they do it for and how well they do it.

“It is interesting to see how, depending on which generation you are in, different people can have a positive or negative perception of a brand.”

Old, not gold

What about the old guard? They aren’t faring so well.

“Dell Technologies for instance is recognized by 80% of Baby Boomers, but only 45% of Millennials in America, whereas Apple is universally recognized, no matter the age of the respondents,” GraphicSprings said in a press release, provided to me.

“Additionally, Microsoft is 90-95% recognized by those born from the 1940s to 1985, whereas it drops down to 75-85% for Millennials in US and Europe, suggesting that Apple reigns supreme with the younger generation in these regions. Interestingly, recognition for Microsoft in Asia remains high across all generations.”

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Recognition for the world’s biggest IT firms, Microsoft, IBM and others has dropped over 40 percent among millennials in comparison to baby boomers. The top twenty Chinese brands are “virtually unrecognizable” in the U.S., even though four of them are among the world’s most profitable companies.

The survey was based on an online poll across 24,000 participants in Asia, Europe and the U.S. The sample group was weighted across generations and the firms surveyed were chosen on data provided in the Forbes Global 2000 list.

You can explore the full results here.