The 5th annual survey of consumer perceptions of innovative tech brands, conducted by Brand Keys Inc., (brandkeys.com) New York-based brand loyalty and engagement research consultancy, found consumers’ identification with brands and innovation has continued to broaden. Four new brands joined the top-10 list this year: Snap, Buzzfeed, Spotify, and airbnb.
While it may be hard to believe, there was a time when consumers actually feared of technological innovation. Consumers equated innovation and technology with a greater likelihood of something to go wrong, but clearly not anymore. The 21st century may not have delivered flying cars, but it is clearly meeting its’ potential in terms of providing products and services that better meet consumers’ expectations when it comes to technology.
This year 4,010 consumers were asked to name companies and brands that were highest on their lists of technological innovators, with the following top-20 results. Numbers in parentheses indicate movement up or down the innovation list.
- Amazon (+3)
- Samsung (+1)
- Google (-1)
- Apple (-3)
- Netflix (+1)
- HBO (-1)
- Facebook (–)
- Uber (+5)
- Snap (new)
- Slack (+6)
- YouTube (-2)
- Microsoft (-1)
- IBM (-1)
- Tesla (+3)
- Buzzfeed (new)
- Spotify (new)
- Airbnb (new)
- Twillio (+1)
- Line (+1)
- LinkedIn (-10)
The consumer’s expectation for constant innovation, and the expansion of technological innovation, is crossing over B2C and B2B lines more and more. Each new brand stands for something that advances the category in which they compete, with a lot of consumer-to-business crossover.
This year’s list makes it clear that consumer ideas about innovation have changed dramatically over the past 5 years. Consumers have come to see innovation and change as an opportunity – not a threat. And, it’s the wise brand that remembers it’s not about ideas. It’s about making ideas happen!
Find out more about what makes customer loyalty happen and how Brand Keys metrics is able to predict future consumer behavior: brandkeys.com. Visit our YouTube channel to learn more about Brand Keys methodology, applications and case studies.
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