As a company and brand, Apple is a role model, certainly when it comes to marketing. The 1984 campaign is still considered a paradigm shift in advertising. For decades, Apple has been followed and imitated by communications professionals. However, a complete adoption of Apple’s principles is not advisable. Apple makes mistakes just as well, or their technology may not suit your company. What is striking, however, is that when Apple misses the mark, they suffer little to no consequences. The brand is enormously strong.
What do they use and how do they do so? Below are five principles that they take into account very strictly.
Details
Apple is known for its attention to detail in product design. And when the product goes on sale, journalists and other media are very carefully choreographed. No detail is overlooked. Everything is worked out down to the smallest detail. Just like a film director, alongside the refinement of the presentation, full attention is paid to the emotion-evoking aspects for the target audience. No expense is spared, and that pays off.
Accessibility
Apple is known for its tight grip on communication. Not everyone has internal access to product communications and product details. That is quite heavily guarded. External communication is channeled through journalists and other media. However, journalists, influencers, and bloggers who are positive towards Apple are preferred. And the rest of the media is handled by Apple itself.
Create scarcity
Even before a product enters the market, the distribution of that new product is handled very selectively. Journalists, influencers, bloggers, and reviewers receive a copy for their positive evaluation of the product. This is the reward for their positive contribution to the product’s promotion on the market. When the product appears on the market, it is the early adopters who also send a strong signal to the target group. Creating scarcity during the implementation of the new product keeps the selling price high. The selling price can be adjusted depending on demand.
More/Less
If your company has a very good reputation, you can play hardball in the media. But if that is not the case, you can still get your message across with a good media relations strategy. The possibilities for a company with a good reputation are greater than those of a company that does not. Nevertheless, your company, which does not yet have that good reputation, can achieve more with less. The condition is that your media relations strategy focuses on truly innovative or substantive announcements, combined with smart use of the media. That can work very consistently.
User experience versus technology
Technology companies often get caught up in their own technology. And as the company ages, there is a risk that it will take on a life of its own. To get out of this, it is essential to listen to the user, influencer, and blogger. That is where the sales value lies. Their ideas and experiences form the basis for the purchase of your product. And Apple realized this early on.
Apple is, after all, masterful at telling a story that goes beyond the technology. That is a powerful communication weapon for Tech PR and communication professionals.
So don’t sell the technology, but sell the lifestyle.
