Apple: The new Religion???
-Sumeet Singh (303/46)
The Apple Brand History
During the late 1980s and early 1990s John Sculley, a
marketing executive from Pepsi, turned Apple into the biggest
single computer company in the world, with $11 billion in
annual sales
Sculley marketed Apple like crazy, boosting the advertising
budget from $15 million to $100 million
"People talk about technology, but Apple was a marketing
company“ – Sculley
Steve Jobs, spent $100 million marketing the iMac
The power of Apple’s Brand
Apple is the archetypal emotional brand. It's loved by its
customers
Marketer Marc Gobe, author of Emotional Branding, says
“Apple is about imagination, design and innovation. It
goes beyond commerce. This business should have been
dead, but people said we've got to support it.”
The power of Apple’s Brand
According to Gobe, emotional brands have three things in common:
A humanistic corporate culture & a strong corporate ethic,
characterized by volunteerism, support of good causes or
involvement in the community
Apple’s founding ethos was power to the people through technology, and it
remains committed to computers in education. It's always about people.
A unique visual and verbal vocabulary, expressed in product design
and advertising
This is true of Apple. Its products and advertising are clearly recognizable
The company has established a "heartfelt connection" with its
customers.
In Apple's case, its products are designed around people. For eg iPod brings
an emotional, sensory experience to computing.
Apple: The new Religion…
Steve Jobs,
the Prophet…
Apple: The new Religion…
Apple brand is nearly identical to a religious figure or icon
In a study Lindstrom conducted with neuroscientist, Dr.
Calvert, involving 65 subjects, and a series of images, there
was practically no discernible difference in brain activity
between strong brands, such as Apple, and religious images
Weaker brands, in contrast, showed activity in entirely
different regions of the brain, while the strong brands, the
“cult” brands, produced increased activity in areas of the brain
associated with memory, decision-making, emotion
& religious experience
10 Common pillars of Religion
According to Lindstorm the 10 Pillars that major religions
share are:
Rituals
Sensory Appeal
A Clear Vision
Grandeur
Evangelism
Symbols
Sense of Belonging
Power over Enemies
Storytelling
Mystery
Apple vis-à-vis the 10 Pillars…
Rituals…
Product releases and conventions bring Mac followers out in droves
to be part of the rituals of Apple
The frenzy created every time Apple releases a new product
highlights a growing phenomenon: the power of consumer brands
to supplant traditional religions in peoples' lives
iPhone 4 Launch Day Walk-in Frenzy
Apple vis-à-vis the 10 Pillars…
Sensory Appeal…
Apple transformed the personal computer, and subsequent
products, from ugly utilitarian products, to sleek-lined,
elegant, and aesthetically appealing, functioning works of art
The stores are clean and light, with high ceilings: Compare
these with big Religious Churches/Temples…
User interfaces are attractive and user-friendly
Even the packaging smacks of elegance and luxury
Apple vis-à-vis the 10 Pillars…
A Clear Vision…
Steve Job’s original vision for Apple:
“Man is the creator of change in this world, as such he
should not be above systems and structures, and not
subordinate to them”
Apple vis-à-vis the 10 Pillars…
Granduer…
From Apple stores to conventions, Apple is all
about grandeur
“I am a confirmed Mac lover, and can identify with the idea of
opening-up-new-Mac-as-a-Religious-Experience”,
a Mac Follower…
Apple Stores...
Apple vis-à-vis the 10 Pillars…
Evangelism…
MacUsers have a sense of moral responsibility to the
community as a whole & to each other. They look out for each
another, help repair products, solve problems & share
information, like where to get the best deals
Just ask a Mac user about their new Iphone, or their new
Macbook, and one can watch evangelism at its finest
“I am a confirmed Mac lover, and can identify with the idea of opening-up-new-
Mac-as-a-Religious-Experience”, a Mac User…
Apple vis-à-vis the 10 Pillars…
Symbols…
From name & logo, to desktop icons, Apple has nailed
symbols
There's the communal use of logos. Mac users are well-known
for their predilection for Apple stickers, T-shirts and Web
banners
Apple vis-à-vis the 10 Pillars…
Sense of Belonging…
In MacHeads, a documentary, longtime Mac fanatics talk
about their early adoption of Mac as a social movement.
They also talk about their sense of belonging and need to
band together.
In the trailer the film declares, "It's more than a computer, it's a
way of life."
MacHeads Trailer...
Apple vis-à-vis the 10 Pillars…
Sense of Belonging…
Psychologist David Levine, a self-identified Mac nut, says:
For many Mac people, I think [the Mac community] has a
religious feeling to it. For a lot of people who are not
comfortable with religion, it provides a community and a
common heritage. I think Mac users have a certain common
way of thinking, a way of doing things, a certain mindset.
People say they are a Buddhist or a Catholic. We say we're
Mac users, and that means we have similar values.
Apple vis-à-vis the 10 Pillars…
Storytelling…
Watching Steve Jobs unveil a new product is very much like watching
a master storyteller
Mac Users often share stories about the brand -- the Mac's relative
immunity to viruses, for example
Mac Users also show a keen interest in the history of Apple. A lot of Mac
users know the date Jan. 24, 1984, the day the Mac was introduced
Apple vis-à-vis the 10 Pillars…
Mystery…
One of Apple’s finest marketing techniques is the sense of
mystery created around their new products
By the time a new Apple product actually hits the market,
the whole world has already guessed, and speculated, and
spread rumours about the product.
Apple never confirms, or denies, the rumors. Thus the
products are marketed, before they are even announced
Apple vis-à-vis the 10 Pillars…
Power over enemies…
Apple’s ads pitted the Apple user against the PC user, and
Microsoft has been scrambling to win back power ever
since
Apple Ads...
Thank You!!!
References…
http://
[Link]/gadgets/mac/commentary/cultofmac/200
2/12/56677
[Link]
ng-our-wiring
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http://
[Link]/gadgets/mac/commentary/cultofmac/200
2/12/56674?currentPage=1
[Link]
http://
[Link]/skye-jethani/apple-the-new-reli
gion_b_624332.html