From the introduction of the smartphone to innovations like Siri, Apple has pushed the boundaries of innovation, and E-Score Brand has been there tracking consumers’ brand sentiments the whole time. We have been tracking consumers’ feelings across our 39 brand attributes, as well as tracking consumer comments about Apple, for the last decade.

Over 2600 Consumer Comments Across a Decade

We analyzed over 2600 consumer comments about Apple, collected over the last ten years, and noticed several interesting points. Positive brand sentiments far outnumbered negative. The topics discussed most in comments were Products and Price, with 2016 already being a high for the number of comments relating to either topic. However, while comments on Products have fluctuated throughout the years, in relation to the percentage of total conversations, Price appears to be a growing conversation for Apple consumers. When asked what is the first thought that comes to mind when you the brand name, one consumer said the brand is, “expensive but high quality technology.”

A Decade of Apple Through Key Attributes & Consumer Comments

We also analyzed Apple according to several key attributes and discovered unique associations between attributes, events in Apple’s history, and consumer comments. Today Apple is considered the leader in consumer electronics by far with a score for the attribute A Leader (57%) that is nearly twice the category average. However, Apple’s peak for the A Leader attribute came in 2011 following the introductions of two innovative technologies, Siri and iCloud. One consumer praised the company then as “…ahead of the game, and an original. I greatly covet all the Apple products.”

Still considered Cutting Edge and a Trendsetter by 34% and 36% of consumers respectively, Apple’s apex for these attributes came in 2012 when they were considered Cutting Edge by 42% and a Trendsetter by 45% of consumers. With the iPad garnering out of the box uses since its introduction in 2010, one consumer exclaimed, “As a teacher I am very excited to use the iPad in the classroom.”

While still thought to be Innovative by 41% of consumers, the company is down 5 points from their high of 46% in early 2008, after the release of the first iPhone in 2007. Back then, consumers said the company, “Pushes the [realm] of technology.”

Takeaway

Looking at a decade of brand data on Apple illustrates the power of E-Score Brand. Not only are you able to see consumer sentiments surrounding a brand via our unparalleled list of attributes, but we also provide you with context to those attributes via open-end consumer comments. Get the full picture surrounding your brand or competitors with E-Score Brand.

Methodology

Consumer comments were taken from October 2006 through November 2016. We then separated each comment into one of several buckets relating to the contents and sentiment of the comment. The buckets were as follows:

• Approval – words/phrases that were positive responses (e.g. awesome, easy to use, great, high quality, reliable)
• Disapproval – words/phrases that were negative responses (e.g. junk, outdated, slow, obsolete)
• Product – words/phrases that were product or technology related (e.g. ipod, iphone, technology, mac, computer, etc.)
• Price – words/phrases that indicated positive or negative cost association (e.g. affordable, value, pricey, expensive)
• Other – words/phrases/topics that didn’t fit into any of the five buckets above (e.g. influential, proprietary, cult, Steve Jobs, no comment)

Resources

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