Even in death Jobs gives Apple a lift

Romeo Ranoco / Reuters

Steve Jobs' death was mourned around the world. This event took place in Manila.

By Allison Linn

Apple Inc. has by many measures had a great year: Its iPad2 and iPhone 4S have been great successes, leaving many of its rivals scrambling to follow in the company?s footsteps.

It also had a terrible 2011 in that its co-founder and chief visionary, Steve Jobs, died last October after several years of ill health.

But even in death, Jobs may have ended up helping the company he clearly loved so much. A new report finds that Apple was among the companies that received the most positive buzz last year, with those positive feelings spiking in October around the time Jobs passed away.

YouGov BrandIndex said Tuesday that Apple ranked 10^th in terms of positive buzz among the 1,100 companies it regularly polled consumers about last year (entire list here).

This was the first time in three years Apple had cracked the top 10 list, joining companies including Subway, Amazon, Google and Ford. The polling firm assesses buzz through daily polls that ask thousands of respondents if they?re heard anything, positive or negative, about a company in the last two weeks.

Ted Marzilli, global managing director for BrandIndex, said it?s not surprising that Apple wouldn?t make the list every year, since it?s the kind of company that inspires great loyalty but also strong criticism.

?It?s not an uncontroversial brand,? Marzilli said.

For example, although the iPhone 4 was a huge success, it?s been criticized for problems with its antenna and issues with partner AT&T?s service.

Still, Marzilli said that when Jobs died, even those who would never describe themselves as Apple fanboys seemed to put aside their negative feelings, at least for a while.

?Even if you?re not a huge Apple fan, I think a lot of people would say he?s a visionary,? Marzilli said.??

Jobs? death prompted a huge outpouring of remembrances. The company said more than one million people shared their thoughts on the company website alone.

Of course, there was some speculation about whether Apple could continue to be such a powerhouse after Jobs said last August that he was stepping down as the company?s chief executive. He died a few months later.

But Robert Passikoff, founder of the market research firm Brand Keys, said he thinks most people realized that Jobs didn?t create the company?s successful products by himself, and that others would be able to continue the work he did.

?He wasn?t the brand. He was the face of the brand,? Passikoff said. ?That can be a critical element. You can?t shortchange the value of that, but the brand itself is alive and well.?

Since Jobs? death, Passikoff said Apple products have continued to rank No. 1 in Brand Keys? assessments of products including smart phones and tablets. The iPod?s superiority in music players is so great that the company no longer even assesses other brands.

?Those kinds of numbers tell me that the brand is alive and well,? Passikoff said.

Still, in the coming months and years, Marzilli said he thinks consumers will soon start looking more closely for any signs that Apple is faltering without Jobs? leadership.

?Wall Street and consumers are always looking to the next thing or looking to the future,? Marzilli 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.?

Related:

What Steve Jobs taught us: It?s OK to fail

End of an era: Apple co-founder Steve Jobs remembered

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Source: http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/10/10099769-apple-we-buzz-you

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