Apple is the “most intimate” brand in the U.S., according to MBLM’s new Brand Intimacy 2017 Report.
What is an “intimate” brand, you might ask? According to MBLM, brand intimacy is defined as, “a new paradigm that leverages and strengthens the emotional bonds between a person and a brand.”
These brands also outperform the S&P and Fortune 500 indices in revenue and profit.
Apple leads the list in the number one spot, followed by Disney, Amazon, Harley Davidson, Netflix, Nintendo, Samsung, Whole Foods, BMW and Toyota in the remainder of the top 10 places.
“We found that escapist brands performed especially well – mostly in the media and entertainment industry – due to the melancholy mood of the past year and the need for distraction, control and enjoyment,” Mario Natarelli, MBLM’s managing partner, said.
The full report breaks the findings down across various metrics, such as age and earning. Impressively, Apple performed very well regardless of age, and also ranked top in other categories like the “Can’t live without” ranking which — unsurprisingly — covers those brands respondents would struggle to carry on without.
As the report notes:
“Apple is our top-ranked brand overall. It is also the highest rated across several considerations, helping explain its dominance. For archetypes, Apple scored highest for enhancement (just edging out Google), ritual and identity Apple also ranks #1 for ‘can’t live without,’ meaning it would be very difficult to live without this brand. It also ranks highest for frequency of use (where Facebook also took 2nd place).”
How has your own relationship with the Apple brand changed over the past year? Leave your comments below.
Luke Dormehl is a U.K.-based journalist and author, with a background working in documentary film for Channel 4 and the BBC. He is the author of The Apple Revolution and The Formula: How Algorithms Solve All Our Problems … and Create More, both published by Penguin/Random House. His tech writing has also appeared in Wired, Fast Company, Techmeme and other publications.
One response to “Apple earns ‘most intimate brand’ title”
I would have put Harley in second place. Why? Tattoos. Harley fanatics are very likely going to get a tattoo on their body of the Harley logo, plus they wear Harley logo clothing, etc.. I’ve seen Apple logos tattooed and Harley logos, but not Disney, Amazon, or Netflix. I think if a company has customers tattooing their corporate logo on their body, that’s probably the highest form of intimacy they can get. Wearing T-shirts and collecting corporate logo clothing, coffee mugs, etc. is another way to tell. I would put Disney 3rd since they don’t get people to tattoo the logo, but Disney logo products do sell quite well.
Netflix? Huh? Amazon? Huh? I don’t think so, I would think that Coca Cola, Budweiser, Ford, Chevy, Fender and Gibson have higher levels of intimacy within their respective user/fan base.
I think they should consider the brands where fans will buy and wear logo clothing, and tattoo their corporate logos on themselves, that’s about as intimate as one can get.