Harris poll names Apple tops in electronics brands for youth
updated 11:20 am EDT, Tue October 25, 2011
Youth conditioned to see iPads, iPhones as cool
Apple holds the most popular brands among American youth, at least in terms of electronics, a new Harris Interactive study claims. The market research firm polled people aged eight to 24 to gauge brand equity, as judged by factors including familiarity, quality and interest in buying. Within the categories Apple succeeded in, however, the age span was narrowed to 13 to 24.
These include computers, where Apple beat out HP and Sony. In terms of tablets the iPad beat out the Motorola Xoom, and the iPhone trumped phones by HTC and Samsung. The one electronics category Apple did not secure was gaming, where the Nintendo Wii came out on top, followed by the Sony PlayStation 3 and the Nintendo DS. While iOS devices have become a major gaming platform, games are not their main focus; former Apple CEO Steve Jobs was once said to have been resentful at having to use games to market products.
The study is "very good news" for Apple, writes Jeni Lee Chapman, Harris' executive VP for Brand and Communication Consulting. "To have this kind of significant edge among 13-24 year olds signifies that Apple has built a powerful equity base among their customers of today and their customers of tomorrow. Brands often struggle to maintain relevancy among different generations. This data shows that this is not going to be an issue for Apple."
