Apple's iPhone, iPad, MacBook, Beats headphones take top honors in consumer survey

Along with AT&T, Apple and Beats found engagement leadership positions in Brand Keys' 2015 survey, which polled 36,605 consumers in the U.S. to put together this year's list.

The CLEI study rates a brand's ability to meet or surpass consumer expectations of a given category's ideal. Results are based off so-called "behavioral drivers" determined for each category. For example, the smartphone category identified four drivers: Brand Reputation and Design; A Platform For All My Needs; Features and Personal Connectivity; and Brand Value and Customer Support.

For the telecommunications category, Apple came in first ahead of Samsung, Lenovo LG and Sony. Apple's Beats arm took the top spot in headphones, followed by Bose, Sony, a two-way tie between JVC and Parrot, and a three-way tie between Rocketfish, Audio-Technica and Panasonic. Interestingly, Apple's familiar white earphones also ended up in the top-ten.

"In a marketplace where brands struggle to create meaningful differentiation and engagement, those better able to identify customers' expectations and address them via authentic emotional values will see tangible bottom-line results," said Robert Passikoff, president of Brand Keys.

According to assessments from the 2015 CLEI, the gap between what a consumer expects and what a brand delivers is "almost entirely" based on emotional values, which means expectations for emotionally driven categories like smartphones will increase more rapidly than "rational" categories. Despite elevated expectations, Brand Keys found Apple to meet or exceed these ideals.