Appl. in BC2009 awards

Apple has placed high in Brandchannel's 2009 brandjunkie awards. Voters chose Apple as the top brand in several categories, such as best retail environment, in which it faced off against companies including IKEA, Starbucks and Walmart. The ability to not only try out products at a store but attend lectures and talk to technicians is cited as a plus, as is a minimalist but visually appealing interior design.

Apple is also claimed to have the "most innovative and enticing" packaging, due to its simplicity, attractiveness and reusability, combined with a showcase of the product itself. The company is more crucially credited with quickly rebounding from crises, like poor iPhone performance and Steve Jobs' fragile health, and being the most inspiring brand, due to its marketing, constant reinvention and ability to provide a "complete" communications platform. Apple is also said to be adept at viral advertising, and improving its environmental efforts, if only under pressure from outside groups.

The state of Jobs is also said to make Apple one of the most controversial brands however, in light of the close association of the two. Corporations should not let themselves get too attached to the fortunes of a CEO, Brandchannel suggests. If Jobs dies or is forced to retire, the spirit behind Apple's philosophy is said to be at risk.

by MacNN Staff