The Most Perfectly Grown Brand?
 

How did Apple do it? To me, the growth of this company is the biggest brand-success story since MTV redefined advertising?obviously, Apple pre-dates MTV, but I?m referring to the Apple era that really got its foothold with the release of iMac.

The brand loyalty they have masterfully cobbled together never ceases to amaze me. It?s as if every Apple computer owner has pledged a weird sort of undying loyalty to the company.

I have several friends who fall into this category. I can insult their intelligence. I can even insult their mothers. But if I make the slightest disparaging comment about their Powerbooks, it?s all out war.

And these are not people who are imbued with a propensity for brand loyalty at all?these are, to a man and woman, people who would not be caught dead wearing a shirt, or brandishing a bumper sticker, with any sort of company slogan or logo?save an Apple?s. They shun capitalism and corporatism, and not just theoretically; in fact, two who fall into this category are actually 30-something painters who have resigned themselves?masters degrees be damned?to a life of relative squalor in order that they can spend the bulk of their time and minds on their art.

They read Beckett, quote Brodsky, yet, without a hint of shame, treat trips to the Apple Store as something as sacred and awe-inspiring as an Islamic hajj to Mecca.

And forget the people I know. Think about the ones you know. And think about all the no-sell-out, iconic ?alt gods? who have spent their professional lives steering clear of endorsement deals and conspicuous consumption?Bob Dylan, Henry Rollins, U2, etc.?but that make an exception when it comes to stumping for iPods and the like.

And this predates iPods of course. It was as common in the mid-to-late ?90s?when anti-establishmentarianism was the zeitgeist and cause célèbre?as it is today. To me, getting someone like Henry Rollins to pose for an Apple ad in 1998 is as much a coup as convincing Gloria Steinem to appear on Charlie Rose wearing a EuroRevenue baseball cap today.

Now I?m not starting this thread to insult or cast dispersions on Apple lovers or Apple computers. I just want to know how they did it. What do you think? There may be books on this exact subject but I haven?t read any of them.

No matter how good their products, something like this doesn?t happen by accident. How did they get themselves into such a unique position? Was it just dumb luck? Was it simply that they had the perfect villain in Microsoft? What did they do? What didn?t they do? Was it part of a cohesive marketing plan? What are some of the granular elements of this plan? What can we, in our industry, steal from them? Any theories?

Fairly uncreative spam.

Spam? Are you off your nut? I'm asking a question.

I think a lot of it is simply that they managed to develop a product that ended up being something that is almost anti-establishment. PCs own so much of the market share I think that using a MAC is almost considered "hip" or "rebellious".They somehow managed to give their products that "cool" vibe. The IPOD is the ultimate example. Macs are Macs and no matter how much they market the Mac they still have only around 5% of the market share, but the IPOD has shrugged off all challengers and has become a part of vocabulary. People don't say "my Mp3 player." They say, "My IPOD." Every few months we hear about the next "IPOD killer" and every few months they come out and disappear and the IPOD stands alone.

I think for those that want to be part of the crowd and be cool the IPOD is their toy, for those that want to be rebels, they go with a MAC

Mac rules!

I think a couple factors led to it. Their image and design caters too everyone,
young/adult male/female and families. Home users.

where as PC/windows has been mostly barebones and about business and the more advanced user. Only lately (perhaps after noticing apples success) have they been putting more into media and simplicity

For a how Apple did it guide go read The Culting of Brands

They gave them free to schools and by 1985 every classroom had an Apple !<P>
They got em early :)

that's true when I was in grade school we had a couple of apple 2c's that we used. When I got to high school we didn't even have a computer for the students :( I grew up in a redneck town.

i think trainwreck grows pretty easily... ive seen it bud under a 100watt incandescent... LITERALLY... aside from that, NYC Sour Diesel for sure!