Apple's iPhone, iPad, MacBook, Beats headphones take top honors in consumer survey
Apple's flagship products led the pack in the 2015 Customer Loyalty Engagement Index from brand research consultancy Brand Keys, with the iPhone, iPad, MacBook and Beats headphones all considered leaders in their respective categories.
Along with AT&T, Apple and Beats found engagement leadership positions in Brand Keys' 2015 survey, which polled 36,605 consumers in the U.S. to put together this year's list.
The CLEI study rates a brand's ability to meet or surpass consumer expectations of a given category's ideal. Results are based off so-called "behavioral drivers" determined for each category. For example, the smartphone category identified four drivers: Brand Reputation and Design; A Platform For All My Needs; Features and Personal Connectivity; and Brand Value and Customer Support.
For the telecommunications category, Apple came in first ahead of Samsung, Lenovo LG and Sony. Apple's Beats arm took the top spot in headphones, followed by Bose, Sony, a two-way tie between JVC and Parrot, and a three-way tie between Rocketfish, Audio-Technica and Panasonic. Interestingly, Apple's familiar white earphones also ended up in the top-ten.
"In a marketplace where brands struggle to create meaningful differentiation and engagement, those better able to identify customers' expectations and address them via authentic emotional values will see tangible bottom-line results," said Robert Passikoff, president of Brand Keys.
According to assessments from the 2015 CLEI, the gap between what a consumer expects and what a brand delivers is "almost entirely" based on emotional values, which means expectations for emotionally driven categories like smartphones will increase more rapidly than "rational" categories. Despite elevated expectations, Brand Keys found Apple to meet or exceed these ideals.
Along with AT&T, Apple and Beats found engagement leadership positions in Brand Keys' 2015 survey, which polled 36,605 consumers in the U.S. to put together this year's list.
The CLEI study rates a brand's ability to meet or surpass consumer expectations of a given category's ideal. Results are based off so-called "behavioral drivers" determined for each category. For example, the smartphone category identified four drivers: Brand Reputation and Design; A Platform For All My Needs; Features and Personal Connectivity; and Brand Value and Customer Support.
For the telecommunications category, Apple came in first ahead of Samsung, Lenovo LG and Sony. Apple's Beats arm took the top spot in headphones, followed by Bose, Sony, a two-way tie between JVC and Parrot, and a three-way tie between Rocketfish, Audio-Technica and Panasonic. Interestingly, Apple's familiar white earphones also ended up in the top-ten.
"In a marketplace where brands struggle to create meaningful differentiation and engagement, those better able to identify customers' expectations and address them via authentic emotional values will see tangible bottom-line results," said Robert Passikoff, president of Brand Keys.
According to assessments from the 2015 CLEI, the gap between what a consumer expects and what a brand delivers is "almost entirely" based on emotional values, which means expectations for emotionally driven categories like smartphones will increase more rapidly than "rational" categories. Despite elevated expectations, Brand Keys found Apple to meet or exceed these ideals.
Comments
I like my EarPods. They're no Sennheisers, but a big improvement over the old earbuds.
Same. They're usable, which is nice. Lot more compact than my big headphones.
So not only do consumers buy the shit out of Beats at premium prices, they also love them. This was a brilliant acquisition.
I'm sure this will drive people like Benjamin Frost and Pazuzu crazy, because again, they were absolutely wrong and Apple was absolutely right, regardless of their nasty and non-stop mockery about this deal and Beats products.
Beats is similar to Apple. They're a genius brand that constantly gets free advertisement.
In their first year their marketing budget was $0.
Yet the products blatantly appeared in chart toping music videos and even an album cover.
The sound quality and build quality is still crap though.
So not only do consumers buy the shit out of Beats at premium prices, they also love them. This was a brilliant acquisition.
I'm sure this will drive people like Benjamin Frost and Pazuzu crazy, because again, they were absolutely wrong and Apple was absolutely right, regardless of their nasty and non-stop mockery about this deal and Beats products.
My Beats Studio wireless headphones are the best I've owned. Period.
The build quality is excellent too.
The sound quality and build quality is still crap though.
You have no clue.
The sound quality and build quality is still crap though.
I don't know, that sort of fits into the same box as other comments like "Siri is terrible" or "Maps doesn't work". Things have changed, they've been getting much better over the last year. The Solo2's were very well reviewed.
Beats is similar to Apple. They're a genius brand that constantly gets free advertisement.
In their first year their marketing budget was $0.
Yet the products blatantly appeared in chart toping music videos and even an album cover.
The sound quality and build quality is still crap though.
The world is full of stupid people, right? You, however, are at the top of the technorati heap pronouncing both Apple and Beats simply marketing companies who foist inferior products on an ignorant consuming peasant stock. Do you ever deign to leave your tech Olympus and associate with mere mortals?
I was shocked, [I]shocked[/I], I tell you that Budweiser Beer didn't make the cut... not that their beer is good, but there are so many drinkers out there that buy what's on tap. All in all, it was an interesting selection of products to do a pole about... no cigarettes, for example (how far they have fallen from popularity since the '60s!).
Wow!! I wondered who won best of a desktop computer... it's not even a category! Shows how powerful the whole "mobile computing" segment has become. No wonder intel and Microsoft are sweating...they missed the bus completely..
I was shocked, shocked, I tell you that Budweiser Beer didn't make the cut... not that their beer is good, but there are so many drinkers out there that buy what's on tap. All in all, it was an interesting selection of products to do a pole about... no cigarettes, for example (how far they have fallen from popularity since the '60s!).
What's a desktop?
OMG!! Someone said something negative about Apple!! ATTACK!!
I'm an audiophile at heart. I can hear recording errors in music and video.
I own $3,000 stereo speakers and can hear the frequency range of a teenager.
That's just an introduction.
Believe me when I tell you I've heard $80 headphones that sound better than $300 Beats.
I hope you're right. The original Solos were trash. And the $300 Beats Studio were a complete scam.
I wish the best for Beats.
I hope to see some sturdy Apple designed Beats with nice sound.
I really wish Apple would have bought Sennheiser for the headphone guts.
Wow. I'm pretty modest but it's flattering when people view me as some tech guru.
But I never said Apple products suck.
You'd be blind to not see all the free advertising Apple gets for ?Pay, iDevices on television, billboards etc.
I think that's smart and I'm not downplaying Apple at all.
I'm an audiophile at heart. I can hear recording errors in music and video.
I own $3,000 stereo speakers .....
LOL. $3,000 speakers? I am impressed....
/s
Add: Have you tried the Wireless Studio Beats? If not, just move along.
With sugared water and toothpaste on the list, this award is kinda devalued.
Diet Coke = tasteless
You haven't owned many headphones then. There's a reason the people who make all those celebrities sound good wear AudioTechnica headphones. When it's your job on the line, and not fashion or trendiness, you go with what works best for the best price. The artists wear beats in their videos, yeah, but the board ops, editors and sound mixers who actually put those videos together are all wearing AT cans.
My Beats Studio wireless headphones are the best I've owned. Period.
The build quality is excellent too.
You haven't owned many headphones then. There's a reason the people who make all those celebrities sound good wear AudioTechnica headphones. When it's your job on the line, and not fashion or trendiness, you go with what works best for the best price. The artists wear beats in their videos, yeah, but the board ops, editors and sound mixers who actually put those videos together are all wearing AT cans.
Maybe anantksundaram was saying Beats makes the best wireless headphones he's ever owned??
Yeah, I have. They're heavy, overpriced, and absolutely suck in the high and mid ranges. There's muddled, and then there's those things. Try a pair of ATH-m50x's, and then talk to me about how wonderful anything with a big B logo on it is in comparison. They're even on sale at Amazon today, coincidentally.
Then he's never owned a pair of Sennheiser Urbanites or Momentums before, either. Both of those are wireless, have great lows but don't have to sacrifice highs and mids to get it.
From his statements and attitude, I highly doubt he's owned any headphones that weren't endorsed by a paid celebrity or athlete, so his opinion isn't going to carry much weight.
I'm an audiophile at heart. I can hear recording errors in music and video.
I own $3,000 stereo speakers and can hear the frequency range of a teenager.
That's just an introduction.
I spent too long hanging around air force bombers during the Vietnam era. So I can't hear like a teen any more. But one day in my early 20s I had to get my ears flushed out and for a few hours I could hear sounds only dogs know about... What a treat!!
If you like unusually good speakers, I have a couple JBL 15" speakers that were designed to be powered up by a tube amplifier... still in the enclosure that was designed for them... "Such a deal I have for you. You should be so lucky."
LOL. $3,000 speakers? I am impressed....
/s
Add: Have you tried the Wireless Studio Beats? If not, just move along.
I have and I'm not impressed, their simply not worth the price they command. My portable headphone needs are met extremely well with the Bowers and Wilkins P5's and P7's, as well as a pair of C5's for when I need something ultra-portable. The Beats just don't compare to both the audio and build quality. Home use, again it's either the B&O P7's or still my favorite headphones of all time, the Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO, simply stunning sound for the price, not to mention that I still own my first pair that are now pushing 15 years without incident. Both my children's Beats barely lasted 6 months before the cable broke on both of them, yes the wireless models don't have that problem but I simply refuse to buy another Beats product for them after going through 2 pairs for each of the children. They now have Marshals for the fraction of the cost, sound decent enough and have survived an entire school year without problems. The build quality might have improved under Apple's watch but again their sound can be had for less or better for the same amount of money with the B&O's.
There of course is nothing wrong with liking the Beats as everyone's choice of favorite headphones vary but you also don't need to call out someone for not sharing your views, especially calling them clueless. I'm sure they tested them as the Beats can be found in pretty every store that sell headphones, heck I've seen them at gas stations. Which pretty much sums up my views on the Beats.