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

Apple Retail Success

 

Even though Apple never sold directly to consumers before they opened that first store ten years ago in Tyson’s Corner, Virginia, Apple now boasts some incredible bragging rights for its retail channel:

• Apple operates over 360 retail stores which employs over 40,000 people;

• Apple plays host to more than a million visitors every day;

• Apple’s retail operations are on track to generate more than $20 billion in 2012

• Amazingly, Apple’s stores average over $7,000 per square foot which is more than twice the former gold-standard Tiffany & Company.

• It is estimated that Apple’s Fifth Avenue store generates over $35,000 per square foot making it the highest grossing retailer in New York - ever.

Amazing what great Apple marketing and great customer experiences have done for Apple...Apple Stores are the highest performing stores in retail history!

Just as Apple used these 5 secrets of marketing to become the world's most valuable company, Apple used 5 other secrets of retail to become the world's best retailer.  I may reveal those secrets here soon so stay tuned!

Apple iPad Marketing Innovation meets...clothing?

So I've been looking for a good way to carry my new iPad (once it arrives on March 16th that is) without wearing a backpack or carrying a bag.  I want to be able to ride a bike, walk to a park, hop on a bus, or even see a movie without the extra burden of being tied down to a bag...or worse yet advertising to everyone that I'm carrying an expensive toy.

So I Googled "iPad clothing" - and I discovered the Scottevest Transformer jacket.  While I haven't yet pulled the trigger on my Blaze Red XL purchase, it seems to me that this product is in need of some Kickstarter-type marketing love.  They are clearly Apple, Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs fans (and even have a tongue-in-cheek "Keynote" presentation where their CEO tries his best to channel some Jobsian love) and it seems they are really trying to bring innovation to clothing.

I doubt the words innovation and clothing have rarely been used in the same sentence - but when was the last time you saw jacket sleeves attached by magnets? I know some people like Mark Cuban think Scottevest's patent for TEC or "Technology Enabled Clothing" is a joke - but it got me thinking that while more than 300 million iOS devices have been sold I doubt that the attach rate of devices to clothing is very high. But it seems to me inevitable that clothing and technology will one day fuse. 

I realize their CEO, Scott Jordan was recently on Shark Tank in an effort to get funding and/or free marketing (and some folks were really put off by his performance) but I think he's on to something. Pockets on our pants somehow predated the car keys, phones and wallets we have today and I'm pretty sure we're now all out of places to hold our tech comfortably. Perhaps some day we'll see a line of official Apple iClothing on sale in an Apple store.

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Apple iPad Marketing Has Begun

Photo taken at 9:10 PM PT on eve of iPad HD or iPad 3 launch. Apple Marketing rarely plays with colors in the Apple logo and in fact has strict branding rules against it.

This signals a potential hidden feature or app that could be huge. We will see in about 13 hours.

Btw, there are half a dozen satellite trucks parked outside ready to eagerly (and freely) spread the Apple marketing gospel!