Apple rated top brand in Japan for first time
updated 01:00 pm EDT, Fri March 30, 2012
Japanese see Apple as top home brand
Nikkei BP Consulting on Friday awarded Apple the position of Japan's top home brand for the first time. The American company's overall "brand power" hit 90.5 percent, taking the company from 11th place in last year's look to the lead position in 2012. The iPad was a key ingredient, as it and two "other key products" were among Japan's top 40 brands.
In the corporate world, Apple also rose significantly and was second only to Toyota.
Both sides of the study were broad, having been conducted between November and December with 52,000 Japanese adults.
Apple's clinching the top spot likely had a large amount of help from the iPhone 4S, which became the top-selling cellphone of any kind in Japan this fall and broke a more than decade-long preference for locally-made cellphones. The US firm has had a history of disrupting the Japanese market and is well known for having undone the Sony Walkman's dominance of music in Japan within just a few years.
Other major foreign brands have made inroads into Japan, including Samsung, but have rarely broken through in more than one category. The Galaxy S II only briefly led smartphones overall in Japan.
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Nov 2008
I remember back in 2007 when
all the nincompoops swore that the iPhone and Apple products would never catch on in Japan. It goes to show how short-sighted some people, who think they know everything, are. Good products and customer service makes a big difference when it comes to achieving popularity.