One company that seems to have retained its mastery of all things branding is Apple.
Yesterday it announced a new version of its Mac operating system, some new software for its market-leading mobile device — and somehow got consumers and the media frothing over a hardware upgrade to the iPhone.
Even the markets were pumped. The news of the inclusion of turn-by-turn navigation — bog-standard satnav, in other words — in the new version was enough to send Apple supplier tomtom’s shares soaring.
What’s puzzling many people is how Apple does it.
The iPhone 3G S (no revolution in product name, then) isn’t what you’d call a massive upgrade. The modest (if passable) one megapixel camera is being shunted up to over three megapixels.
That’s the same as the budget-level Sony Ericsson phone I bought three years ago, which, incidentally, also had a flash with the new iPhone still doesn’t. It’s added video recording — which was widespread enough for playground happy-slapping to be a YouTube phenomenon five years ago.
There’s a compass (which is, y’know, OK for orienteering, I guess), and it’s a little bit faster. In fact, most of the new features in the iPhone come courtesy of a software upgrade which also applies to the older model. So why the excitement?
I’d argue that Apple’s mastery of brand experience is the key. That means not just producing great products — and, based on the announcement yesterday, it’s not about having the fastest, most powerful or or cheapest products, either.
It’s about wise consideration of every facet of the customer’s needs. When you buy an Apple product, the whole experience is different.
Going to an Apple store is a unique retail experience. Their staff are friendly, expert and bright.
The bag in which you take your product home is high quality and reusable. The box is beautifully designed. The packaging is space-age.
The manuals are absolutely minimal — the iPhone comes with a leaflet, not a book full of gobbledegook. And when you switch on for the first time, their products make you feel at ease. Unlike so many rivals, where different design groups within the company seem to have been barely on speaking terms, you’re pretty much good to go from the off.
No wonder Steve Jobs has a cult-like following. I was sold years ago, and (as you can tell), I’m what Apple detractors call a “fan boy”.
But you’d be crazy not to learn for your own business from what he’s done.
Consider the whole experience for your customers — if they love every aspect of what you do, they’ll more than happily overlook prices that are a little bit higher or specs that are a tiny bit lower.
But ignore any part of the brand experience, and the whole thing falls apart — as O2 is finding this morning as it fluffs an opportunity to ride this wave of fervour and instead attempts to gouge existing iPhone customers.
(Illustration:geekandpoke, CC2.0)
