A polling firm tests the question raised this week by the New York Times and ABC News
Click to enlarge. Source: YouGov BrandIndex
"Has Apple lost its cool?"
That was the title of a New York Times blog post Wednesday -- itself a follow-up on a three-minute conversation between ABC News correspondent John Berman and the Times' Nick Bilton the day before. The video, available here and below the fold, is probably not safe for viewing at One Infinite Loop.
But the two pieces raise an interesting question: Has the spate of negative publicity surrounding Apple -- the Gizmodo affair, the Flash brouhaha, the rejected apps, the patent disputes, the Jon Stewart take down -- done material damage to the Apple (AAPL) brand?
YouGov's BrandIndex, a public perception research outfit, decided to put the question to something like a scientific test. The index tracks the "buzz" of some 1,100 consumer brands -- including Apple -- by interviewing 5,000 people every weekday and asking them "If you've heard anything about the brand in the last two weeks, was it positive or negative?" Scores can range from 100 to -100.
As the chart above shows, Apple's buzz with the key 18- to 24-year-old demographic reached its 2010 peak on March 18 with a score of 80.2. Since the start of April it's been cooling off, and on Tuesday it stood at 66.1.
"Apple has definitely lost some steam with the adult 18 - 34 demo," says a BrandIndex spokesman, "although they are still doing well."
How does that compare with, say, Google (GOOG) or Facebook, which have each had their ups and downs lately? See below.
The first TV ads gave Apple's tablet computer a short-lived shot in the arm
Click to enlarge. Source: YouGov BrandIndex
In the weeks since Steve Jobs unveiled his latest creation, public perception of the iPad has been all over the lot -- up, down and sideways.
The chart at right, produced by YouGov's BrandIndex, is a snapshot of that roller coaster ride taken in the days before and just after Apple MORE
Philip Elmer-DeWitt - Mar 19, 2010 11:05 AM ET
Verizon leads the pack. AT&T is No. 2. T-Mobile and Sprint bring up the rear
There's bad news for Apple (AAPL) and not such great news for Palm (PALM) in a BrandIndex consumer survey published Tuesday by YouGov. Both firms originally tied their cellphones to exclusive U.S. carriers -- AT&T and Sprint, respectively -- neither of which scored particularly well in terms of quality, value and customer satisfaction. (Palm has since MORE
Philip Elmer-DeWitt - Mar 9, 2010 7:00 AM ET
Their battles on air and in court somehow managed to lift both their reputations
Click to enlarge. Source: You Gov's BrandIndex
In politics, mudslinging tends to sully both the slinger and slimed. But according to a YouGov BrandIndex survey released Monday, the ad wars this fall between Verizon (VZ) and AT&T (T) had the opposite effect.
As you may recall, Verizon went after AT&T and Apple's (AAPL) iPhone with a series of MORE
Philip Elmer-DeWitt - Dec 14, 2009 10:28 AM ETEvery morning, discover the companies, deals and trends in tech that are moving markets and making headlines. SUBSCRIBE
Receive Fortune's newsletter on all the deals that matter, from Wall Street to Sand Hill Road. SUBSCRIBE
Covering the digital giants of Silicon Valley and beyond, an in-depth look at enterprise companies, and the startups disrupting them. Written by Michal Lev-Ram and emailed twice weekly. SUBSCRIBE
Anne Fisher answers career-related questions and offers helpful advice for business professionals. SUBSCRIBE
| Company | Price | Change | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank of America Corp... | 7.95 | -0.16 | -1.97% |
| Intel Corp | 26.73 | -0.43 | -1.58% |
| Microsoft Corp | 31.27 | -0.17 | -0.54% |
| Ford Motor Co | 12.28 | -0.25 | -2.00% |
| General Electric Co | 19.39 | 0.17 | 0.88% |
| Index | Last | Change | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dow | 12,938.67 | -27.02 | -0.21% |
| Nasdaq | 2,933.17 | -15.40 | -0.52% |
| S&P 500 | 1,357.66 | -4.55 | -0.33% |
| Treasuries | 2.00 | -0.04 | -1.96% |
.
