RE: How DOES Apple Manipulate the Media So???
It's like how rulers used to control their populace long ago by having knowledge of events such as the eclipses, and saying they did it. I see no difference between them and Steve Jobs. He knows his fanbase has tunnel vision with blinders, and exploits it.
I agree with you that customer loyalty is a very hard hurdle to overcome for competitors. Customer loyalty tends to trump features for most customers, and Apple tends to enjoy a very high level of customer satisfaction, although its not entirely unearned. It would be more than a bit foolish to believe that that's where things begin and end with Apple. If you were a marketing major or business school student, it would be useful to recognize how Apple tends to build customer loyalty and how it generally conducts its marketing.
As this thread begins with a question, I'm going to answer it for you. One of the most basic methods of generating sales interest, is by quickly and clearly demonstrating how your product performances in three discrete areas: uniqueness, benefit, and quality. If you hit these triple-play, you'll have people lining up just to see why other people are lining up. When you look at Apple marketing... pay close attention to the amount of times Apple specifically speaks to these areas of interest.
What do they mean? It's obviously English, so you know what it "means", but here are the messages these areas translate into for customers.
- UNIQUENESS - "You're not going to get THIS anywhere else."
- BENEFIT - "Here's how this makes your life easier."
- QUALITY - "Leave the details to us, we've got you covered."
You'll notice that at NO TIME does the concept of "truth" enter into their language. You'll rarely see Apple attempt to ever "refute" anything they've said. Shortly after they launched the iPhone, Apple posted
a chart comparing different smartphones to the iPhone on a number of factors. The items Apple highlighted made the iPhone look like a clear winner, until someone pointed out that the Nokia 95 had a feature listed inaccurately, and Apple corrected it within hours of people commenting on it. The most evil thing about the chart however, is the point where it drops away from even comparing features, and simply says "They don't say", as if the competitor's were so ashamed of these stats, they hid them from consumers.
You watch the MacBook Air's new "Guided Tour", and you can notice Apple guru staying "on message" like a finely tuned politician.
http://www.apple.com/macbookair/guidedtour/
Lists what you get and reviews stats.
Talks about innovations by breaking them into sections:
- DISPLAY - LED, less power, instant on
- KEYBOARD - full-size backlit keyboard, with auto-illumination
- TRACKPAD - multi-touch gestures, pinch, swipe, rotate
- MAGSAFE POWER - magnetically connected power cord
- BUILT-IN CAMERA - isight
- MIGRATION ASSISTANT - get up and running quickly, copy computer
- REMOTE DISK - wirelessly access drive from another computer
If he expressed it that this is new for Apple, and never before could you get a computer like this with OS X, that would be honest and I would approve.
He's perfectly honest without doing that.
But with his swager and arrogance on stage, it is clear that he was putting this forth as a world's first.
Well. That's your opinion, and you're certainly entitled to it. You seem to think that when it comes to size, that this is the first time Jobs has conducted a presentation like this.
"Super thin. [about the iPod] 30 times faster
than any other mp3 player. [firewire]" - Steve Jobs, 2001
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kN0SVBCJqLs
"It is half the thickness of other Mp3 players.
It is quite small." - Steve Jobs, 2004
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dxwopXL3fs
"Impossibly small. It's really small.
This thing is thinner than a no.2
pencil." - Steve Jobs, 2005 - iPod Nano
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GRv-kv5XEg
"It's thinner than any smartphone out there." - Steve Jobs, 2007- iPhone
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_f-KK140vM
His and Apple's attempted rewritting of history, I do not approve.
No one's rewriting history. You're under the incorrect impression that it is Steve Job's responsibility to give people a history lesson, as opposed to speaking to Apple's current round of competiting products. Believe it or not, Apple is loathe to make ANY direct comparisons. One of the most glaring inadequacies of the iPod is that no iPod has ever had a built-in radio, while its almost standard in every other Mp3 player on the market. While other mp3 players bend over backwards and allow you to manage its files through your computers file management system, iPods require iTunes. At the end of the day, Apple does an absolutely fabulous job of crafting their products as solutions to customers needs... and not simply trying to be the BEST at EVERYTHING when compared on features alone.
At the same MacWorld convention where Apple unveiled the MacBook Air, they also unveiled Apple TV - Take 2. While cheerlessly admitting that the first version did not meet sales expectations, Apple outlined the feedback they've gotten from consumers and remade the case for the device taking the new direction into account.
I don't think Apple waves a "magic wand" and makes people believe anything they say. I think they do an exceptional job at five very important things.
- Listening to customers
- Saying NO to unnecessary features
- Making the important features easier
- Approaching products as a collection of solutions and creating synergy
- Constantly focusing marketing on the 3 principles above
As a recipe for success, it certainly feeds off of itself.
Just look at this question I'd posed the other day:
Best Presentation - 100 Reasons for Vista vs. 300 Features for Leopard?
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/372606/
By most people's estimation, Microsoft's presentation PALES in comparison to Apple's. In reality the operating systems compare very well on features, and in many cases Vista beats out OS X mercilessly with features its had for years... yet, Leopard is still the most highly reviewed of the two, continues to gain marketshare in spite of Windows' entrenchment.
Apple's marketing is simply amazing, no doubt about it. What amazes me as a marketing professional, is how every little detail is thought out in their message. Aesthetics of their web site as an example. Navigate Sony and Apple sites, you'll see what I mean.
I agree completely. Instead of accusing Apple of dancing in the moonlight with chickens and performing voodoo rituals on the press... some people should pull up a chair and take notes...
like Microsoft.
Just look at the marketing material for the iPhone on Apple' website, and try to find something as informative and well-done for any other phone on the market. In a fast paced world, Apple's simplistic formulaic approach hits wit the impact of a sledgehammer, even on the most benign products.
~ CB
