The Apple Way: Step 3 of 5 to Insanely Great Marketing

Component number 3 of Apple marketing is fairly unique to Apple. 

 
Component 3) Empower early adopters to help you get the word out.

Apple maintains that the early adopters want to promote you, so you should make your product stand out. Make your product look distinctive. A notable example is the Apple notebook computer. Apple did not launch a notebook in a plain plastic case. They introduced a notebook with a glossy white, black or aluminum case with a glowing Apple logo on the lid. They must have that glowing logo trademarked because it is clear from a great distance that a person is using an Apple notebook. No other company does that. Dell has the Dell Button on their notebooks but that is not nearly as distinctive. Nothing looks like an Apple notebook or Apple desktop.
 

With the iPod, which is normally hidden in the users' pocket, Apple included white earbuds. Not the traditional black earbuds. They even played up the swinging white wires on the earbuds in the iPod TV commercials. Now, every time I see someone with white earbuds, I assume they have an iPod.
 

Of course, Apple has a competitive advantage that is nearly impossible to earn. Apple is seen as "cool." People want you to know they are using an Apple notebook, iPod, or iPhone. That makes them a little bit cooler. If you have the "cool factor" working for you, then people will want to promote your products.

Additionally, Apple includes several Apple logo stickers with each Apple product purchased. You see those on rear windows of automobiles. I have heard of several instances where people who use Macs at home have covered over the Dell logo on their work notebook with the Apple logo sticker.

Related to this concept is the “halo effect” where the huge success of the iPod (and the iPhone) made Apple more successful in other endeavors. For example, once the iPod became a household name, iMac sales increased. A friend of mine told me recently that 90% of premium home computer sales are now Macs. That is great news, but the real plum is the business user. We will discuss that in a few blogs.

James Snider is the Business Development Director for Accelerant Marketing Alliance, LLC == Marketing, Communication and Design
Corporate Marketing Department ... one step at a time
http://www.linkedin.com/in/jamessnider 

iMac

In the first half of 1998, the coolest computer to own was anything made by Sony. They'd entered the computer market with the intent of shaking things up and they did. Gone were beige or black computers. The Vaio 505GX was the tiniest notebook computer most people had ever seen. It was a feminine shade of gray mixed with lavender. The color was similar to the chairs at Tokyo Narita Airport. This notebook was an overnight success. It was a sign of success to carry a 505GX notebook into a business meeting. Everyone was envious.

All of this ended in mid-August.

With the release of the Bondi Blue iMac (Aug 15, 1998), Apple was back on everyone’s radar. Jobs had done something that no one else could do and that was to make Apple relevant again. With the iMac, Apple topped Sony in setting the standard for “cool” when it came to technology... and Apple was only getting started.

In 1997, Apple was left for dead. A new rumor popped up every quarter about who was going to buy Apple. No one expected them to survive. Looking back on what Apple achieved over the next 10 years, one would have to assume that Jobs had a big plan. Apple was a forgotten computer company. No one thought about Apple when buying a new computer. The business buyer certainly would not buy an Apple. They needed to play it safe. They needed to buy from Dell or HP or someone who would be around for a long time. Apple was risky.

Apple had to overcome a huge barrier. They did this by going to someone who didn’t know any better. They targeted someone who was not afraid to buy an Apple. Their logic was counter-intuitive and brilliant. 

 

James Snider is the Business Development Director of Accelerant Marketing Alliance, LLC == Marketing, Communications and Design. 

Corporate Marketing Department ... one hour at a time.  www.linkedin.com/in/jamessnider