Apple – iPhone schmo phone (yes, you read right!)
Many point to the iPhone as Apple’s greatest innovation, but I would like to pose a different viewpoint, and you guessed it, it all comes back to brand.
TRANSCRIPT – BRANDING BEFORE BREAKFAST EP62
Hi. Today I want to talk to you about Apple. So many people talk about the fact that the iPhone was the greatest innovation for Apple. But I believe that it can be argued that it was in fact, Steve Jobs’ decision to open the Apple Store that provided the greatest value for the firm. Because if you think about it, the iPhone is just a product, and any product is open to price pressures, to comparison and to imitation. But when you build a brand behind that product that means that those pressures around price, comparison and imitation become that much less.
So if we think about opening the Apple Store, it was never going to be enough to have a stunningly designed iPhone in beautiful packaging purchased and then put into your general, bog-standard tech retailer bag as you walk out of the store. And it was never going to be okay to gamble on the fact that when you walked into a tech retailer, the sales assistant may know about iOS but actually may be an Android fan. Or perhaps does love iOS but isn’t quite up to speed on all of the features.
And the other genius factor about the Apple Stores is that it is a basic human instinct that we all want to be part of a collective, a tribe, if you will. When you walk into an Apple Store you get hit with the reality of all these other people who believe in the same brand as you and you see them wanting to live the same lifestyle, to be inspired, to be creative and you get to think these are my people. Yes, I love the look of these products. I love the look of these people. I want to be part of this collective.
So today, I want you to have a think about your brand experience. Where do people get to interact with your product or your service? And does that reinforce your brand? Because these are such important touch points. That’s it from me. Time for brekkie.
Written by: Jo Whelan
Published: January 30, 2021