Apple’s brand may be the most valuable one in the world, but apparently consumers can’t remember its logo very well. A recent study found that the majority of consumers are unable to draw the Apple logo from memory without taking the time to study it first.
Few can draw the Apple logo from memory
The study was conducted at UCLA and covered 85 students. Of the students who participated in the study, 89% of them were Apple users. Only seven of the 85 students could draw the company’s logos without any big mistakes, and only one could draw it totally accurately.
The study showed the drawings each student did. They indicate that many students have a general idea about what Apple’s logo but missed some rather minor details. For example, many of them put the bite out of the apple in the wrong place. Others put two stems at the top of the apple rather than one. Still others drew images that didn’t even resemble Apple’s logo at all.
The study also found that when presented with a bunch of similar-looking Apple logos, less than half (47%) were able to pick out the correct one. Those who used Apple products did slightly better than PC users, but the scientists who conducted the study said the difference between the two groups wasn’t significant.
It’s not just Apple
The disconnect between the popularity of Apple’s brand and the ability to remember its logo isn’t anything new. Another study that was conducted in the 1970s found that people couldn’t even remember whose face was on the penny.
However, the scientists who conducted the Apple study said their study is different because it looked at logos that are “prominently advertised” and that people look at often. The logos are also meant to be memorable and easily recognizable, whereas people don’t spend a lot of time looking at the penny.
In this study, scientists chalk up the students’ inability to draw or pick out the Apple logo to what they call “attentional saturation” leading to “inattentional amnesia.” The scientists suggested that the simplicity of Apple’s logo means that people don’t pay attention to the details because their brain simply thinks they don’t have to.
