Apple stood as the third-highest rated brand among consumers in MBLM’s Brand Intimacy 2022 Study results released Tuesday. The Cupertino tech giant placed just behind Disney and Tesla in the rankings, which seek to show how consumers bond with the brands they use and love.
And this year, MBLM counted three technology brands among the top 10, up from two last year.
MBLM Brand Intimacy 2022 Study: Apple places third among consumer favorites
According to the study, three technology brands made it into the top 10 for 2022 — Apple, Tesla, and Android — up from two in 2021. Over all, the study analyzed more than 600 brands, MBLM said.
“We are thrilled to share the next generation of the Brand Intimacy study,” said Mario Natarelli, managing partner, MBLM. “Leveraging big data and artificial intelligence takes the emotional science behind brand performance to the next level. This new methodology gives us broader and more real-time insights. We are now able to assess more authentic and vivid sentiment from consumers.”
‘Brand Intimacy Quotient’ and ‘Stages’
The study measured “brand intimacy” by examining users’ emotional connections to a brand. That covers characteristics of their bond across categories like nostalgia, indulgence and identity. They also measure the intensity of users’ connections with brands.
Using those measurements, MBLM calculates a “Brand Intimacy Quotient” for each brand. Apple scored a 65.3, well above the field average of 49.2
According to the survey, Apple dominates what MBLM calls “stages.” They identify “the depth and degree of intensity in the relationship between a consumer and a brand. There are three stages of intimacy with criteria for each progression: sharing, bonding, and fusing.”
Apple ranked highly in “bonding.” That’s when a consumer becomes attached and committed to a brand. The company also rated highly in “sharing.” That involves a brand and its consumers learn more about each other and influencing each other.
Here are the top 10 brands with their scores:
- Disney – 68.1
- Tesla – 67.4
- Apple – 65.3
- Sony – 65.0
- YouTube – 64.3
- Mercedes – 63.9
- Trader Joe’s – 59.8
- Netflix – 59.6
- Android – 59.1
- SEGA – 59.1
Apple has also ranked highly in the study in past years. In 2018, it was the top brand among millennials, according to MBLM.
In 2019, Apple fell from first place to second, knocked down by Disney. And Apple Music ranked fifth in the “Most Intimate Apps & Social Platforms Brands” category.
In 2020, Apple was the third highest-rated brand, just behind Amazon and Disney.
You can read about the study’s methodology here.
