Our emotional connection with Apple is growing, says MBLM

Apple remains the tech and telecoms brand people are the most emotionally connected to, according to MBLM’s Tech & Telecom rankings from the 2021 Brand Intimacy COVID Follow-Up Study.

More connected than ever

The survey also revealed some interesting insights into how people’s relationship with tech has evolved during the pandemic. Since COVID-19 struck, it reveals a third (32%) of consumers have developed a more positive emotional connection with tech and telecom brands, particularly among men over 35-years of age.

“Tech & telecom brands continue to be critical in keeping us connected to our work and loved ones in the second year of the pandemic,” stated Mario Natarelli, managing partner, MBLM.

“They have shifted their focus on weathering the pandemic to establishing new policies and procedures and protecting against misleading information. The brands that continue to recognize this continued period of uncertainty and address their role in helping us weather this crisis will likely be the ones with the greatest gains in building stronger emotional bonds.”

Apple is the most connected brand

Apple is both the most intimate and number one tech and telecom brand, followed by Google and Samsung. Samsung is the top brand for men, replacing Google, while Apple remains the top brand for women and users under 45.

MBLM’s study reveals that the remaining brands in the top 10 for the tech & telecom industry are Verizon, AT&T, Microsoft, Dell, LG, HP, and Sony. Performance has improved, and the industry average is up seven percent since before the pandemic.

Additional significant tech & telecom industry findings include:

• The industry has an average Brand Intimacy Quotient of 45.7, well above the cross-industry average of 38.3
• Tech & telecom performs better with men than women, and with consumers over 35 years versus those under 35
• Across gender, age and income there is considerable alignment around top intimate brands, including Apple and Google
• Compared to our previous COVID study, more than 32 percent of consumers have an increased positive emotional connection with tech & telecom brands.

ACSI data

Apple leads across genders and ages

Earlier this month MBLM published its COVID-19 edition of its annual Brand Intimacy study. This identified multiple points to prove Apple’s commitment to user satisfaction:

• Apple is the only company to succeed in becoming a top five brand for both men and women.
• The company is the top brand for women and third most popular for men.
• Apple also has the distinction of being one of the top two brands across every age group and income bracket.
• It has become a company 48 percent of those surveyed now say they could not live without, up from 40% in 2020 and just 33% pre-COVID.

Fifty percent of users also told MBLM they had made more use of Apple during the pandemic. Meanwhile, all the data points suggest this positive regard is prompting a huge increase in YoY iPhone sales.

The news follows recently released ACSI data showing Apple leads the industry in customer satisfaction, which is prompting growing demand for use of its products in the enterprise.

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