Not surprisingly, Steve Jobs continues to inspire and create buzz even now that he’s gone. A new report by YouGov BrandIndex said on Tuesday that Apple was among the top companies to receive positive buzz during 2011; and that those positive feelings spiked in October, when Jobs passed away.
Apple ranked 10th for their positive buzz, according to the report that polled consumers about last year and looked at 1100 companies. These findings were made even more significant when considering that it was the first time in three years that Apple reached the top 10 list. They joined companies such as Subway, Amazon, Google and Ford.
Ted Marzilli, the BrandIndex global managing director, wasn’t surprised that Apple doesn’t make the list each year. They are, he explained, the type of company that creates loyalty, but that also creates strong criticism.
As Marzilli said, “It’s not an uncontroversial brand.” Marzilli explained, however, that “Even if you’re not a huge Apple fan, I think a lot of people would say he’s a visionary.”
Robert Passikoff, founder of the market research firm Brand Keys, points out that Apple certainly has large shoes to fill now that Jobs is gone. As he said, “No one, at this point, I think really knows what the next big thing is for Apple, but surely any missteps are going to (be looked) at really, really closely.”