culled from:enterpreneur.com
Ever since a childhood chum indoctrinated me into the Cult of Mac in the early 1990s, I’ve carried a certain affinity for all things Apple.
For those needing a (very) brief history lesson: Steve Jobs singlehandedly took a computer company (Apple) that was falling apart after his ouster in the 1980s and transformed it to the point where owning an Apple computer or device became a status symbol.
Under Jobs’ guidance, Apple products transcended their basic, utilitarian use as computers, mobile telephones and digital music players and became something more. The result was (and still is) an emotional and often visceral bond between Apple users and their products.
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For example, people across this planet still wait in line for hours outside of Apple stores to buy the newest version of the iPhone. When customers emerge from the store, pushing their way through throngs of screaming fans waiting to get inside, they hold their new devices high in the air, grinning and smiling and sometimes even weeping tears of joy.
I’ve seen less emotion and excitement over the birth of a new child, let alone from purchasing a mobile phone at the local shopping center!
But it continues. The other day, I found myself inside the massive Mall of America in Minneapolis/St. Paul. While my kids ran wild with their mother at the indoor amusement park, I felt pulled by some sort of magnetic force into the nearby Apple store.
Even though I didn’t need to buy anything, I just felt like I should be there. And as I checked my email and played with some of the store’s computers and devices, I overheard two young women next to me talking.
One was considering buying a MacBook Air laptop, and the other told her, “I used to have a PC too, but once I switched to Mac, I’ll never go back. I love my Mac.”
Here she was, an Apple user, giving her friend the hard sell on a high-end laptop. No wonder Apple’s product sales continue to shatter records – the company’s best salespeople are its customers!
Make it mean something
Do you see the power in creating that type of emotional bond or connection with your clients or customers?
Copyblogger CEO Brian Clark talks about having customers develop what he calls this “affinity” for your product or service.
“Marketing is about human psychology, and human psychology from a communication standpoint really boils down to empathy,” he says. “Do I know how you feel? If I do know how you feel, can I communicate with you in a way that effectively creates an affinity between myself as a businessperson and yourself as a prospect that would not exist otherwise?
Nancy Duarte, author of the fantastic book Resonate, writes, “People value relationships and even material goods based on the meaning they evoke. The value of one’s belongings or even their life is not based on what it physically is; the real value comes from the meaningfulness associated with it by another person.”
Owning an Apple device says something about who you are as a person and what you believe in. You feel connected to something larger than yourself, and when you see others with Apple devices, you exchange a knowing glance – they too are part of the tribe.
This isn’t by accident.
Consider the way Apple marketed itself under Jobs during its renaissance of the late 1990s through the early 2010s.
The crazy ones
A 30-second TV commercial, featuring a script read by actor Richard Dreyfuss, featured images of luminaries like Einstein, Gandhi and Muhammad Ali and aired in 1997. Dreyfuss said, “Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”
Love him or hate him, Steve Jobs knew how to sell. His product launches for the iPod, iPhone and other Apple products became the stuff of legend. His advertising campaigns combined information and entertainment while establishing the difference between Apple customers and “everyone else.”
At this point of my life, after 25 years of using (and loving) Apple products, I can’t imagine switching brands. I’ve completely bought into all the marketing messages, feeling like I am different, better, smarter and more creative because I carry an iPhone. I know I’m being manipulated, but I don’t care.
Creating that emotional, “us against the world” mentality with your clients and customers goes a long way toward securing lifetime brand loyalty, and Steve Jobs played it to the hilt with Apple.
Is there an example from your own life or a product, service or brand you feel an emotional attachment to? Or an example of one you can share? Send me an email and let me know what you think!
