Apple has received the highest ratings for establishing an emotional connection with consumers during the coronavirus pandemic.
In the Brand Intimacy COVID Study by analytics agency MBLM, brands were ranked, not by value or fame, but by the emotional bonds they forged with consumers during the pandemic. As a result, the majority of respondents confidently called the leader in this issue Apple. The second and third places went to Amazon and Google, respectively. The rest of the brands in the top 10 are Walmart, YouTube, Toyota, Disney, Netflix, Chevrolet and PlayStation.
It was noted that Apple became the leader mainly thanks to women and millennials, while the majority of men voted for Amazon. At the same time, men in general showed a greater emotional connection with brands, compared with women.
Also, the MBLM study showed that during the pandemic, consumers on 23% increased the number of brands with which they are emotionally connected. These are mainly brands from the world of media and entertainment, automotive and retail. The connection between consumers and mobile-related brands has also strengthened. Zoom was named the most used brand, followed by Purell and Netflix. At the same time, Purell, which represents the cleaning and disinfecting products on the market, topped the list of brands for whose products consumers would agree to pay more.
According to Mario Natarelli, managing partner of MBLM, their research can help companies and their brands navigate the current challenging environment. The MBLM study involved 3,000 US consumers who were asked to evaluate 100 brands from 10 industries.
