Apple's Popularity Among Kids 6-12 is Flattening; Android Poised for Growth

New York, NY, November 06, 2013 --(PR.com)-- Apple may still find itself among the top 25 brands in the hearts and minds of today’s youth, but its popularity is beginning to level off, according to findings from the 2013 Young Love® study, the nation’s largest survey of brands among kids aged 6-12. The annual study, conducted by leading youth and family research firm, Smarty Pants®, ranks 250 brands each year. While Apple’s brand is still growing in affinity among kids, its growth year-over-year is flattening. Moreover, for the first time, moms’ love for Apple takes a negative turn.

Several of Apple’s brands are waning in Kidfinity™ – a measure of kids’ brand awareness, popularity, and love for a brand. Taking a closer look at Apple’s brands, it becomes clear that Apple is being bolstered by its iPad, while other iDevices are declining or flat in Kidfinity. "There’s nothing new or exciting to kids about the iPhone or iPod," notes Wynne Tyree, president of Smarty Pants, adding, “Each new version is the same as the last from kids’ point of view. Kids are hungry for the next cool device.”

By comparison, Android feels fresher with a plethora of devices on the market, each with a different design and unique style. The idea that they can find the phone that’s just right for them, as opposed to Apple’s one model fits all approach, appeals to kids' sense of individualism. “I love my Android phone versus Apple products,” says one 11-year-old girl in the study, while a 6-year-old girl adds, “Androids are easy to use!”

Meanwhile, Apple is declining in Momfinity™, down 7 points from 2012. Like their children, moms’ affinity for Apple and its products is on the downswing. Not only is their appreciation for the iPhone, iPod, and iPod touch declining (down 17, 8, and 15 points, respectively), their opinion of the iPad is also down for the first time, falling 9 points. Mirroring kids’ opinions, one mom tells Smarty Pants, “I prefer the Android setup on my phone and tablet,” while another says her Android is “the best smartphone I’ve ever owned.”

“Android is challenging Apple’s dominance, and it’s beginning to win over families,” says Tyree. “The brand is not only convincing the purse holders, moms, but also the arbiters of cool, the kids.” In fact, Android has quickly become one of the most popular brands among kids, with two-thirds (65%) saying their peers think it’s cool. If Apple hopes to hold on to the top spot with kids and moms, it will need to get back to its innovative roots or risk slipping further in brand affinity while Android continues to grow.

Methodology
Young Love® was conducted online among a representative sample of U.S. households with children ages 6-12. In 2013, a total of 250 consumer brands across more than 20 categories were evaluated as part of the three-month study of 6,500+ children and their parents. Kidfinity™ scores are a composite measure on a scale of 0-1000 that factor in kids’ brand awareness, love and popularity.

About Smarty Pants
Smarty Pants, LLC is a market research consultancy with offices in New York, San Diego, Boston, Chicago and Johnson City, Tenn. The firm conducts youth and parent research and guides marketers on brand positioning, new products and consumer trends. Company clients include Hasbro, Crayola, Nickelodeon, Warner Bros., Kellogg’s, Target, Cartoon Network, Hallmark, Reebok, Sesame Workshop and Girl Scouts of the USA. For more information on Smarty Pants and the Young Love study, visit www.asksmartypants.com.