Brand Loyalty, Illustrated: Consumers and the iPhone 5

It would seem folks like their options to come in twos.

Coke versus Pepsi. Cats versus dogs. Cake versus pie.

And it seems the trend doesn’t stop at smart phones, because most people align themselves with one of two camps: iPhone and Android.

Yes, both operating systems inspire notoriously rabid fans. But the iPhone fans just got a little more rabid, because today Apple officially announced the iPhone 5. In light of that announcement I thought it would be fitting to share this infographic from ATYM on iPhone users who intend to upgrade in the upcoming year.

While it’s fun from a consumer standpoint, it’s also fascinating from a marketing perspective. Love or hate it, you have to appreciate how wide and how deep the Apple brand goes. Apple has the kind of fierce loyalty that most other companies can only dream of. Some supporting points:

• Just 6% of those that have owned an iPhone have since switched to another brand — talk about retention!
• iPhone owners associate their phones with being “smart,” “cool,” and “happy” — good words to have associated with a brand.

But if anyone can ever rival the iPhone’s devotion, it’s Android. One of the most interesting pieces of data I took away from the infographic was that while just 6% of consumers currently rank Android phones as “the best,” 46% of all consumers are planning to buy an Android by the end of 2013. How will perceptions change as more people own Androids?

The battle rages on!

Check out the infographic, and then tell us your take. Have you given in to the iPhone hype?