Marketing Apple: Secrets of the World's Best Marketing Machine

iPhone Fever? (or iBola Virus is spreading!)

Remember when having a fever was a bad thing?  Today, though, its all about how quickly someone can get pictures of their new iPhone 3G on Engadget or do a fast unboxing to share their enthusiasm or excitement with the world. 

One of my "5 Secrets" is this: Empower Early Adopters.  Apple used to do this by providing stickers in their product boxes (they still do!) and so their most loyal evangelists would slap them on the side of everything they own (they still do!).  Some even tattoo themselves with the Apple logo (they still do!)  What is amazing to me is how Apple benefits even more from our web 2.0 world where in an instant a fan can post a photo, image, or link to something they are truly excited about.  That then generates even more interest and excitement as it widens dramatically Apple's reach and appeal.  This "second ring" of enthusiasm draws in less technically savvy people who purchase - not on speeds and feeds - but on being part of something bigger and more relevant.  Many people who now own an iPhone didn't "need" an iPhone.  They wanted to be part of the iPhone community.  Same lesson learned from the iPod phenomenon.

Any marketer can learn from the amazing story that is unfolding around Apple.  Empower your early adopters and they will help you change the world.

UPDATE: Witness in real time what happens when you mess up - your early adopters can turn on you.  Today is NOT a good day for Apple - iPhone activations AND upgrades to 2.0 are bricking people's phones (mine included)  Let's see how Apple's spin control spins up.

UPDATE: 5:20 PM.  My iphone finally started working.  But don't get me started about MobileMe...

Secrets of iPhone 2, MacBook Touch and Air.

I know I promised my readers some Apple secrets in my May blogs. Trust me, I have a ton about Apple marketing that I will get around to. (I promise!) But first I wanted to finish my discussion on what I believe is the real goal (and the secret) of the MacBook Air and the iPhone.

First consider this: the iPhone has more in common with a computer than a cell phone. It has a full OS, a modern touchscreen interface with soft keypad, it docks with other computers and it is software upgradeable. When was the last time you upgraded your other cell phone?

Now consider the current MacBook Air. Sure it's the thinnest laptop in the world. But it has limited network connectivity - if you aren't near an open WiFi, it's an island. And don't get me started on DVD playback.

So what do you get when you cross an always connected communication device (like an iPhone 3G) with a super thin computer like a MacBook Air? Simple. You get the MacBook Touch (or here's a longshot - the iMac Air). A real computer connected to the web 24x7 with a touch interface sans keyboard. Throw in the new MobileMe (.Mac replacement) and you can get your tunes, photos, movies over the air wherever you are. (The iMac killed the floppy drive - perhaps this new tablet will kill the DVD.) And we're going to see this sooner than most people think. But what does this prediction have to do with Apple marketing?

Well it seems to me that the MacBook Air was a dress rehearsal for building and field testing a superthin computer and learning on the backs of early adopters. The iPhone was the field test for a light, touch mobile device (actually the first phone beta test was the original Motorola/iTunes RoKR) where programmability was bolted on a year later. Together they gave Apple's designers and product managers a real understanding of what makes a hit product.

This is Apple's new way of product development, which they learned watching Microsoft push out flawed products then doggedly continuing to improve them until they were finally good enough to nearly kill Apple.
Today, pay careful attention to how Apple continues to learn, tweak, improve and then repeat until we get Apple products that seem like they were always intended that way from the start. It's a very clever corollary to Steve's insistence that most people could never have dreamt up the iPod or the iPhone or the Mac UI.

Apple and loving customers

This is a great post today from Inside CRM discussing how Apple has built an ongoing relationship with its customers. One thing easy to overlook, and a key but relatively hidden fact of Apple's ongoing and dramatic resurgence, is how well they relate to their customers and vice versa.

Case in point. For years Apple has been trying to sell Macs alongside PCs at Best Buys and CompUSAs (RIP) These efforts have largely failed because they were indirectly reaching their customers. The salesperson had to learn about selling both Macs and PCs and were often motivated by spiffs to move non-Apple products. Consequently, the sales rep could not demonstrate the same level of enthusiasm for Apple's products as Apple could.

It wasn't until Apple really focused on its online properties that direct sales to consumers took off. After learning how to present a clear, consistent message they opened their own stores and essentially copied this museum-like experience into a hands-on retail presence. Hiring their own sales ambassadors and controlling the entire shopping experience has really paid off, and Apple Stores are now a model that other consumer goods manufacturers are just beginning to copy. Add their mastery of word of mouth and traditional marketing, a keen focus on surprising and delighting customers, and you have Apple-style success.

The bottom line: Apple doesn't just reach its customers. Apple embraces them. And their loving customers hug right back.

Are iPod ads now part of pop culture?

As I mentioned before, I'm presently in LA and will be driving back up to San Francisco this weekend before going home on Monday. (sorry family) It made me think of the 5 hour drive and how many billboards I've seen so far in California of iPod ads.

Apple's marketing for iPods has been remarkably consistent. A single figure, in silhouette against a vibrant background with those iconic white headphones easily recognizable (more so, than say the model of iPod the figure is using.) In the talks I've given around the world, I've shared Flickr and other photographs taken by fans of Apple's outdoor advertising. I'm amazed how many photographs people take of the ads used in Shanghai to London to Berlin to Boston and how they are identical.

For more than 3 years now, Apple has stuck with this campaign and has - in effect - created an emotional response in the viewer on par with say the Coke or Starbucks logo. You see those iPod ads, and if you are a customer, you take some small sense of ownership knowing you are one of those hip, energetic individuals in that billboard. That shadow is you.

Product placement, iTunes and American Idol

Did you see American Idol last night? I was watching with my sons and I couldn't believe the 5 minute "commercial" for iTunes, iPods and iPhones that Apple pulled off about 10 minutes into the show.

If you saw it, please post your comments here. Is this borderline pandering? Or is this just super-good marketing that is making me (and other marketers) jealous of how far Apple can go to spread its gospel.

Apple, the Baltics, and Air.

I'm headed to Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania this week to share Apple's marketing strategy.  Come see me if you can.

In the meantime I know I owe everyone an answer to what I believe is the real goal of the MacBook Air.  Unfortunately I haven't had time to circle back with all my sources yet but I'll leave you with a hint:

What do you get when you cross a 100% internet communication device (like an iPhone) with a laptop that has limited network connectivity (like a MacBook Air)?

If you can answer that question you'll have a good idea what the next Air product will accomplish.

More when I'm back from my travels (or if I get good internet access on my MBP.)

I'm back. Thanks to all in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia that I met on my travels - the people were great and a pleasure to meet. Here is a picture from my presentation in Tartu, Estonia:

MacBook Air needs some love

Okay, admittedly it has only been out for a week, but I'm not feeling the blogosphere love for the MacBook Air.  Usually, when Apple has a hit product on its hands, the early adopters go gaga for their new toy and can't help but spread the word to the world.  Normal humans read what the early bloggers say and follow suit, kinda like how reviewers can help make or break a movie.  In many ways, Apple plans for this viral effect and it is actually baked into their marketing spend.

But I know they must be asking the same thing I am today.  Where's the love for MacBook Air?

Engadget hasn't had a story in over a week, the Technorati bell curve has bottomed out and even Alexa shows slowing traffic to Apple.com.

I'm going out on a limb here.  As much as I love Apple, I think they've violated my 2nd rule of Apple-Style marketing (you can read all 5 here for free.)  "Never be first to market."  Apple was hellbent on producing the world's thinnest laptop but there is no research pointing to pent-up demand for a super thin laptop.  People want lighter, cheaper, more powerful and better battery life.  But they focused all that great Apple energy into "thinnovation" and this isn't what the market was asking for. Consequently I'm not sure it is going to net Apple the rewards they seek.  They did this before with the Cube and with the Newton.  And we all know how that turned out.

Do you think the MacBook Air will go the way of the Cube?  Would you make it your Valentine?

I'd love to hear your answers.  Next column: my theory behind the real goal of MacBook Air.

 

 

Another Apple uPod

I spoke before about Apple's tendency to under promise and over deliver, or "uPod" regarding its business outlook.  Well I had just had an experience with an overlooked, but amazingly powerful feature that, to the best of my knowledge, Apple has never hyped or even marketed at all.

That feature is the "Migration Assistant."  Here was my dilemma.  I was having lots of issues with my personal MacBook Pro and it was slowing down my productivity big time.   So my company ordered me a new one last week and it was delivered this Monday.  But I've been so busy I could not find the time to switch over, so I stuck with my unreliable MacBook simply because it had all my stuff in it.

During one of my frequent reboots I remembered the Migration Assistant.  (I've never used it before because I'm one of those old-school techies who likes to build his hard drive one install at a time)  Basically, all I had to do was reboot my old Mac into Firewire disk mode (try that MacBook Air!) and connect a Firewire cable to my new Mac.  A few clicks (and a few hours) later, and my new MacBook was a carbon copy of my old one.

I was amazed!  Every file, document, email, iPhoto, iTune, even the arrangement of icons on my dock and my desktop was preserved.  It is the most amazing feeling to pick up a brand new computer and hit the ground running with everything where it should be in just a few hours.  Such a feat usually takes about a week.

Clearly this isn't the coolest feature around, but perhaps the most practical when trying to get people to buy a new Mac.  I think Apple should invest in a PC vs Mac commercial where Justin speaks to this feature since there are lots of people like me who stick with their old computers for fear of the hard work of migrating.  Have you ever used the Migration Assistant?

2/8/08 Update: AppleInsider describes the challenge for MacBook Air and Migration Assistant, as does MacNN.

iPhone: Reach vs Revenue

Another great story in the ongoing saga of unlocked iPhones.  Really speaks to one of my "5 Secrets of Apple Marketing" that I speak about in my free eBook.  On one hand, Apple truly does want to empower early adopters of the iPhone, using them to spread the Apple gospel.  It is important to get the early adopters to show their friends, family and business contacts just how amazing this phone really is.  (After all, there isn't an Apple or AT&T store everwhere)  By a large margin, that strategy is working as the iPhone is setting sales records for a new consumer electronics device.  But Apple is also losing out on service revenue it assumed it would generate from the AT&T network every time some uses an unlocked iPhone.

You can see how urgent it is to prevent people from unlocking the phone (lost revenue) but at the same time you can sense how important it is for Apple to generate marketing lift to stimulate sales (they still have about 6 million iPhones to sell before the end of the year to hit their targets.)

What do you think?  Is Apple's strategy working?

Steve Jobs in 60 seconds

I know I'm late on this, but I wanted to make sure everyone had a chance to see this clip.  This is the meat of Steve's Macworld keynote in 60 seconds.  The rest of what Steve said was his packaging of this content. This is a fantastic way to see how the outline of his presentation gets expanded to deliver his implicit message: we're Apple and we're doing some amazing stuff.

Perhaps this is one reason why many folks felt a bit let down by his keynote - when you boil it down there really wasn't a whole lot of new things announced.