20 years of Apple Marketing [2 of 2]

Aye-aye Captain; pods, phones and pads

In whatever manner one cares to characterize the explosion of creativity behind the wide variety of marketing approaches used for the Macintosh, it seems undeniable that there were lessons learned. We later see these lessons again, in the form of seeking buzz, pre-release marketing, leveraging consumer input and not being shy about asking for top dollar, to name a few.

Among the most beautiful fallouts has been the consistency of elegance, not just in its product design or its stores (which are clearly aspects of its marketing), but in its marketing efforts themselves. Bold, graphic, enchanting, abundant and comfortable are just a few of the adjectives that would be synonymous with Apple campaigns. If one can imagine contemporary skyscrapers as monstrously oversized brooches (or other jewelry), then one may be able to imagine Apple's products similarly; as candy or a beautiful object for its own sake (like a worry stone). People relate and are fascinated (as crows and children are with shiny things). If it is at all within affordability range and it can be that cool (and functional), “everyone” wants one.

Concluding thoughts

Recommendations to ensure future growth

Over the years Apple’s strategy has not so much changed as matured. Biding one's time would likely never sell as a marketing strategy, it is not sexy and it is not fast enough. Still, that is precisely what will give Apple its future opportunities; i.e., relentlessly pursue creating what the customer is hoping and that they have been authentic in their competition against their larger players (biding their time). As Microsoft and IBM continue to rest on their laurels, Apple continues to reinvent itself, even giving itself its own music service and its own operating system (if that is what it takes).

In addition, when it does come to whatever it takes, it turns out that iTunes is the biggest moneymaking music enterprise online, while the Apple OS appears to be killing the mobile device market.

What is especially nice about the latter, is, as app creation is the most fluid employment opportunity in this horribly down economy, it appears the future of marketing itself is there (Gutierrez, 2010).

Although one imagines that Apple likely is exploring the development of holographic expressions, in case they are not, that would be this author's recommendation (to pursue holography). There is nothing especially new about 3-D movies, and while the technology may have advanced, clarity aside it remains essentially the same experience. There is a sense that this is simply transitional, whetting our palate as we await actual projections.

PS: at 4:18PM, March 11, an e-mail is received that the iPad2 is now out (and son-of-a-gun, it comes in a spectrum of colors).



References

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Computer Museum (symposium) . (2006, ). The Macintosh Marketing Story: Fact and Fiction, 20 Years Later [Video file]. Retrieved from http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7611997084394058640#

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