This launch, they’ve taken the world by surprise and launched not one, but two new iPhones 5c and 5s – changing their game and providing even more competition in the mobile marketplace (ultimately to compete harder against Samsung who’ve been recently clawing territory and marketshare back).
All of Apple’s launches are eagerly awaited – complete with the months of speculation beforehand. But it’s not just the phone that intrigues us all… it’s the mystery and surprise of what they will come up with next!
And as a marketer, it’s the sheer business and marketing genius (despite the fact that I lost my crush on all things Apple a while ago) that I’m interested in.
So what are some great business and marketing lessons we can learn from Apple?
Apple marketing – a win…
1. Take charge of your goal and strive to make it happen.
Apple is the brand poster child of making dreams come true. Since day one, they have defined the market and made their competitors fight for the spotlight (or some could say, a spot in the market). Due to Apple’s great skill of innovation and creativity – there’s no doubt that spotlight is still theirs and probably will be for some time to come.
So if you want to make something happen, don’t be afraid and get it done! Be proud, be enthusiastic and above all, be persistent!
2. Choose your strategy and go all in!
This year, Apple have taken on a risky split pricing strategy by dropping their prices dramatically to compete better against Samsung with the 5c.
And they’ve introduced two models at the same time. A ‘cheapie’ and a ‘luxe’ version – with new fingerscan technology. Thereby potentially capturing two slightly different segments of the market. Although – the cheapies could just as easily canabalise those who’d planned on purchasing a ‘luxe’ version.
3. Be consistent across time and your product/service offerings.
This is one of Apple’s most significant strengths. If you take a look throughout their product range and all of their advertising, you will find comparable characteristics throughout. While they move forward and develop, Apple rarely veer too far away from previous models and product generations.
And what does this achieve? Brand knowledge, trust and ultimately customer loyalty.
4. Be a team player.
The passing of Steve Jobs was one of the biggest events for Apple and pretty much the entire globe (or at least people that had anything to do with technology/design/advertising/branding). People believed that ‘Apple = Steve Jobs’ – but you know what really got them through that tough time? Their strong team (although having said that – we’ll see how Apple progresses from here now that Jobs influence is on the wane).
If you have solid team you can withstand almost anything. Build a team that you can trust who will be there for you when it matters most.
5. Inspire, encourage and play on your customer’s emotion.
Take a look at some of Apple’s more recent advertisements – from a customer connection view point, they are simply brilliant! They almost always relate to real-life experiences that customers share whilst using their iPhone. The ads feature people that look like you and me and we feel like we belong – that’s the heart of WIIFM marketing.
Apple use highly emotive marketing is one of the most, if not the single most, effective way to appeal to your target customer.
6. There is nobody more important than your customer.
And finally, the number one lesson in marketing – honour your customer, know what they want and deliver on that promise spectacularly!
Apple are known for their laser-like focus on customer experience. With the release of the two new products, they have successfully targeted not one, but two customer markets – which is likely to attract greater numbers of users (maybe even some of the samsung users desperate to ‘pimp up’ their phones).
The lesson? Always listen to what your customers not just need, but want too – and always to present them with a solution. And then add extra services to back that up.
Even though there’s lots of speculation on whether or not Apple have won with their new marketing strategy – I’m sure we’ll be seeing people with brand new gold, pink, blue, green and yellow iPhones hanging out of their pockets very soon.
