Why is Apple so successful, and how does their branding compare to other technology brands?
Charlotte Walker
Apple is one of the dominant figures in the technology market. It is clear that Apple has the ability to convince consumers to purchase their products over other major technology brands through aesthetic and strong brand image. By owning this brand we hope to emulate elegance and wealth. With other alternatives on the market - why do people still choose Apple?
Apples advertising makes up a large part of their success. Simple and elegant design mimics that of their products, making their entire brand image pleasing to the eye. Apple has built up a good reputation over the years, and has a relationship of love and trust with its customers. When you go in-store to buy an Apple product it’s an experience. “We love brands because they make life more attractive and easier and because we define ourselves through them. We like their complex mix of function and emotion. We like the way they complement and manifest our personality. We like brands that help us say something about ourselves.” (Ollins, W, 2003, Page 249). Buying Apple means we can afford to buy Apple. It shows to other people where we are in life, we have financial security, we’re up-to-date with the latest technology, we have a good social status. We let our possessions speak for us. It’s deemed essential for people in today’s society to be able to show off their purchases and make others jealous. This will be addressed within Vance Packards 8 Hidden Needs further in the discussion.
One of Apples more controversial campaigns ran from 2006 - 2009 comparing the core aspects of Mac and PC. This advert directly personified both types of computer (Fig 1). It’s apparent that the Mac is much cooler, more relaxed and seems much happier, whereas the PC looks uptight, boring and plain. The aim of this ad is to make people think that if they own a Mac, they will also become this cool, sophisticated person. Apple has a huge emphasis on customer experience within their marketing. They make it clear that you will have a unique experience, and can only do this with their products. (Fig 1) “Each ad aims to make one point, and one point only: one way in which Macs are better than PCs.” (Forbes, 2014).
A lot of PC experiences aren’t limited to one brand, as Windows can be used on a multitude of different types of computer. Apple uses this to it’s advantage, as OS X is made specifically for Apple hardware, whereas other brands don’t have this luxury. This means that Apples performance can be much better with a lower specification, because the software and hardware are compatible. It’s the same with iOS - the only smartphone you can run it on is the iPhone, whereas android runs on the majority of competitors. Apple has a broad range of products, ranging from iPhones, MacBooks and wearable tech all using software only available through purchasing them. This also means if the user has a problem, they know they can go directly to Apple to solve it, rather than being confused between whether its an Android, Samsung or Google problem. The exclusivity and seamlessness between products is very appealing to the general tech consumer. “Apple adds layers and layers to keep people in there; it used to be music, then apps, now it’s health apps, and most recently there’s [streaming service] Apple Music. We’re even seeing evidence that people who leave for Android tend to come back.” (Arthur, C, 2015)
Samsung is recognised as Apples main competitor in the Smartphone industry. In recent years, Samsung has updated its approach and considered its relationship with their audience. This has resulted in them becoming a more dominant figure in the smartphone market. As you can see, their branding has taken a dramatic change (Fig 2 and 3). They’ve opted for a more minimal approach, choosing a lighter background and drawing attention to the phone. The dark blue which was once Samsung’s signature colour has taken a backseat, the new branding looks fresh and clean. Even after this change, Samsung still finds it’s sales and customer loyalty lagging behind Apple (Fig 4). “In terms of brand loyalty, RBC found that more than 83% of current iPhone owners polled planned to continue to patronize Apple when it comes time to buy a new smartphone. Meanwhile, about 64% of current Samsung smartphone owners planned to buy another Samsung phone.” - (Epstein, 2015). This shows that even with a similar approach to Apple, Samsung can’t replicate the relationship Apple has with it’s customers. Apple has built up a reputation for being innovative, aesthetically pleasing and offering a unique customer experience. It also shows that consumers don’t react to brands who aren’t innovative in their own sense. Consumers want something new and exciting, not a recreation of what they already know.
Apples branding has been consistent over the years with emphasis on the product. In print, any colour on the ad will usually be produced from the product its self, whether this is on screen or the colour of the product (Fig 5). This builds up excitement around the product, giving a sense of mystery as to what it can do. Without showing anything, they promote simplicity, ease of use, organisation and most of all a lifestyle. “The products that will flourish in the future will be the ones presented not as ‘commodities’ but as concepts: the brand as experience, as lifestyle.” (Klein, N, 2000, Page 21). The strong desire for Apples products is due to the psychological effect on the consumer. “Apple has a branding strategy that focuses on the emotions. The station point is how an Apple product experience makes you feel.” (Marketing Minds, 2015).
Google is another main competitor for Apple, and Android is the main operating system for smartphones that aren’t iPhones. “Google’s android operating system is now in over 80% of all mobile phones globally.” (O’Connor, 2015). Android’s recent branding doesn’t have a specific target audience. It’s most recent tagline being “be together, not the same” (Fig 6) seems to be targeting Apple users by subtly advertising all of the different phones Android is capable of running on. Apples singular devices, operating systems and experiences appear limiting to Android users and they are using this to their advantage within their campaigns. Androids campaign features a wide range of people, representing their audience of everybody. They’ve injected some life into the brand, giving their audience something to connect to rather than using a robot - a figure people don’t bond with as much.
In terms of technology, the Android campaign can seem quite childlike and patronising to the more advanced user. Apple offers a more professional, sleek campaign that doesn’t make the viewer feel like it’s being told to do anything. Compared with Android, Apple campaigns seem unfriendly and faceless, but often that’s what the consumer is drawn to, as Williamson states, “Obviously people invent and produce adverts, but apart from the fact that they are unknown and faceless, the ad in any case does not claim to speak from them, it is not their speech. Thus, there is a space, a gap left where the speaker should be; and one of the peculiar features of advertising is that we are drawn to fill that gap, so that we become both listener and speaker, subject and object.” - (Williamson, J, 1978, Page 14). Apple creates the illusion that the viewer of the ad is both speaker and listener. They are able to convince themselves that they need this product, Apple simply has to deliver the visuals. This is why Apple’s simplistic campaigns are extremely successful. The consumer becoming speaker and listener enables them to tell themselves what they want to hear, selling the product to their self without realising.
Microsoft is another competitor for Apple in the technology industry with their operating system running on most other laptops and computers. They have also tried to combat Apples consistency with the Surface - a response to the iPad (Fig 9). The aesthetics of this advert are simple and text only - quite similar to a lot of Apple adverts. The line reads “One device for everything in your life”, seeming to target Apple with its large range of tech products. Since the surface is a Microsoft product, Windows will be integrated into the hardware and run faster - another worrying aspect for Apple since this is one of their main selling points. Tablets are a big consumer product and are also used in business too, so it’s important for Apple they maintain this area of the market. Apple’s main advantage here is that all of their adverts are consistent. It shows the consumer that their products are also consistent and part of a set.
In today’s society there’s a lot of pressure to own popular products. “We are made to feel that we can rise or fall in society through what we are able to buy” (Williamson, J, Page 13, 1978). Consumers are made to feel as though buying products improves their image. Owning the latest iPhone makes a statement to everyone who sees it. It represents financial security and perpetuates the idea of “fitting in” - the idea Android was trying to combat. Packard believes that brands are targeting the hidden needs of the consumer. “In searching for extra psychological values that they could add to products to give them a more potent appeal, the depth merchandisers came upon many gratifying clues by studying our subconscious needs, yearnings, and cravings” (Packard, V, 1957, Page 66). Apples branding strategy targets these hidden needs, and makes us subconsciously yearn for their latest product.
Selling ego-gratification arises by the expense of a product. We feel better for spending large amounts of money on luxury items, showing off the fact that we can. We are constantly wanting to be praised for our possessions, and want to be the envy of others. “Thus, instead of being identified with what they produce, people are made to identify themselves with what they consume” - (Williamson, J, 1978, Page 13). Apple, renowned for being one of the most expensive technology brands instantly makes a statement. “And although average smartphone prices are dropping, Apple’s remain the most expensive.” - (Arthur, C, 2015)
Apple gives the customer a sense of power within its campaigns. It gives them a choice. They give the viewer a line or two about the product and then they’re left decide whether to purchase. Apple isn’t trying to convince people that their product is good, Apple are trying to convince the consumer that they need to purchase it. Giving the consumer the illusion that they are making their own choices is part of what makes Apple so successful, when in reality, Apple is making those choices for us. “Things are getting to the point where manufacturers are getting more and more to be psychologists” (Packard, V, 1957, Page 67). Apple are successfully selling us our own self worth. “Advertisements are selling us something else besides consumer goods: in providing us with a structure in which we, and those goods, are interchangeable, they are selling us ourselves.” - (Williamson, J, 1978, Page 13).
Many designers and professional artists choose Apple for the creative outlets that the brand can provide for them. Apples ads offer creativity to the user, and this is an integral part of the product for the consumer. Apples ads are often creative in the way they are presented, and this further pushes the agenda of creativity within their product (Fig 8). The recent iPhone 6 campaign showcases to users what they can achieve with the iPhone 6. This ad was featured all cross the globe in many different locations such as airports and train stations, which have effectively been transformed into an art gallery by Apple. It shows us that if we have an iPhone 6, we also have a chance at creating beautiful art.
Emotional security comes from how we feel about ourselves. Apple uses this to its strength, putting user experience and happiness at the core of its marketing ethos. We want to purchase Apple because it appears everybody who owns an Apple product is happier. “Creatives try to answer the fears and anxieties of their target consumers in creative treatments: loneliness (answer: make friends and be popular) - (Brierly, S, 1995, Page 166). Tapping into buyers insecurities makes an effective campaign, as consumers see purchasing a product as an instant solution to their problems.
Consumers need a reassurance of worth, which is connected to the product and also themselves. Buyers want to believe that what they’re buying is worth their money, but more so that what they’re buying will benefit themselves. This shiny new product will give their life more worth and meaning, and therefore they need to buy it to enhance their day to day experience. The consumer, as a result of Apples marketing, believes a new iPhone or Macbook will enable them a happier and thus the only solution is to consume. The reassurance of worth also comes from the idea that the consumer is making their own choices, as Apple is allowing them to give themselves their own worth. The consumer feels as though they’re in the driving seat, making the decision whether to purchase, but Apple have already made that choice for them without them realising.
Our roots link us back to our heritage and create part of our identity. Linking the product to part of our culture and essentially who we are, the product is more important to us. We feel a sense of belonging when an advert connects with us. They show us that if you find family important, they find family important too. Klein argues when brands use this strategy, the product or the brand takes our love of heritage and twists it in their favour. “The effect, if not always the original intent, of advanced branding is to nudge the hosting culture into the background and make the brand the star” (Klein, N, 2000, Page 30). Klein is suggesting here that the brands in question rely on culture to make connections to the audience, though it’s more useful for the brands to replace old culture with a new culture of brand relations. The minimal design given to us by Apple is open to interpretation. It doesn’t necessarily connect with any culture, thus Apple has essentially created its own culture that people now connect with and relate to. We are made to believe that certain brands are part of our heritage and identity.
Creating a sense of love and compassion within the advert and the product itself is part of the marketing strategy that Packard believes in. Connecting your new Macbook or iPhone to a memory, or part of your childhood will have an emotional impact on the buyer, and prompt them to purchase - as this is shown to be the only way to get back those feelings. Apple also shows that being with friends and family is the most important thing, yet with these products in the background you can enhance your experience with them.
The inevitability for all of us is death. Leaving nothing behind, and ceasing to exist is a fear for everyone, and adverts tap into this by trying to capture a feeling of immortality. They do this by using young people in their adverts creating a sense of eternal youth, and also show spry older people enjoying life, giving a sense of age-defiance. Apple showcases this with their 2014 iPad advert. The ad shows many people from across the globe using the iPad, with a voice over from ‘Dead Poets Society’. The advert ends with asking the viewer “What will your verse be?”. You can see in (Fig 7) the print/web version of this advert. It prompts the viewer to consume an iPad, thinking they will automatically be able to leave a legacy behind.
Apple does not owe its success to one aspect in particular. It’s clever, minimal branding attracts a large audience and doesn’t spoon-feed the consumer - letting them believe they are making their own choices. Their adverts are sleek, refined and professional - Android falls down here with its playful yet patronising campaign. Other brands have tried to combat Apples strategy within their own campaigns, but this has proven to be unsuccessful. Apple doesn’t retaliate because they are aware they they don’t need to. Apple are confident in their products, which allows the consumer to trust in them too. The main selling point of Apple products is that they sell a particular lifestyle. A life that consumers believe they can also have if they own an iPhone. Overall, Apples reputation and identity is renown and respected. “Some brands are successful because people love them and and can’t get enough of them; nobody forces anyone to buy a baseball cap with the Nike logo on it.” (Ollins, W, 2003, Page 15).
Fig 9 - http://www.windowscentral.com/sites/wpcentral.com/files/styles/large/public/field/image/2013/09/microsoft_surface_2_advert.jpg?itok=Oa7Qs6Wb
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