Apple has been found to be the most relevant brand to consumers for the sixth year in a row. The result was announced after surveying the views of 13,000 US consumers on 228 brands.
Prophet, the company behind the survey, said that relevant brands had six key characteristics…
It said brands need to be both adaptable and authentic.
Relevant brands find their way into people’s hearts by continually doing what seems impossible. They adapt quickly to customers’ changing needs and expectations. But they do so by remaining ever more true to themselves.
Four more specific characteristics were identified.
Customer obsessed. These companies know what matters to customers, finding new ways to meet their most important needs.
Ruthlessly pragmatic. These are the brands that have our backs, making life easier by delivering consistent experiences. And they always make good on their promises.
Distinctively inspired. Modern, trustworthy and inspirational, these are the brands that have a larger purpose, helping people live out their own values and beliefs.
Pervasively innovative. These companies never rest, always pushing for better products, services and experiences. They outperform competitors with new solutions for unmet needs.
Apple was named No. 1 for relevance, ahead of Peloton, KitchenAid, Mayo Clinic, and LEGO.
Apple takes the top honor again as No. 1 in our survey, with near-perfect scores in all four drivers of relevance. This year, it continues to earn adoration with innovation, dependability and inspiration.
Among the first retailers to proactively close stores, the April launch of a lower-priced iPhone landed at just the right moment for cash-conscious consumers. Updated Macs and iPads dazzled homebound workers and students. And with Apple TV (we love you, Ted Lasso) it’s establishing itself as a content genius, too.
It’s no coincidence that the pandemic influenced perceptions of brand relevance. Apple’s technology grew in relevance and importance as so many found themselves working and studying from home, and the need to exercise at home too saw Peloton climb from No. 35 last year to No. 2 this year.
When gym and studio closures deprived exercisers of their fitness fix, they knew they needed the mental-health benefits of sweat more than ever. Peloton, which earns the highest score for “connects with me emotionally,” saved them, nearly doubling sales of its exercise bikes and treadmills. But more importantly, it connected them to others, both through its online communities and its constantly expanding variety of workouts available live and prerecorded. These gems are powering triple-digit membership gains and impressively low dropout rates.
This theme was present throughout much of the list, including Amazon at No. 10, which was described as “utterly indispensible” while everyone was shopping from home.
As e-commerce everything captures consumers’ attention, Amazon takes an outsized role in helping people get their hands on what they need–despite major supply-chain upsets. And it continues to soar in key measures of pragmatism (“meets an important need in my life”) and customer obsession (“I can’t imagine my life without it.”) And people love its innovations and say it “is always finding new ways to meet my needs.” We are always on the look-out for which market Amazon is going to conquer next.
Apple of course regularly wins accolades, including being last year declared the world’s most valuable brand.
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