Apple of The Eye: How Apple Succeeds
Apple is launching the next iPhone in its series - the iPhone 14 and fans worldwide are gearing up to get their hands on the next big thing. With one of the highest Net Promoter Scores, a score that measures customer satisfaction and likelihood to recommend a brand, across technology brands, Apple has been extremely successful in maintaining its customer loyalty. From unprecedented changes like removing the headphone jack to pretty phone colours, let’s examine how Apple has been keeping its customer base happy.
1. An Experience, Not a Product
Apple excels at selling experiences. They know what consumers want, and instead of packaging their products with technological jargon which while impressive, may confuse the average audience member, they sell simple experiences valued by consumers. For example, the tagline “Privacy Matters” or “Privacy. That’s iPhone”, taps on viewers’ concerns about privacy breaches and conveys the security of Apple systems in concise and memorable phrases without going into boring, technical specifics. Another great example would be the tagline “say hello to the future.” Without actually specifying what the iPhone would be value adding, Apple chose to leverage emotional appeal and get its audiences excited about being a part of something new and futuristic.
Beyond the actual products they sell, Apple keeps their customer service top-notch, providing consumers with warranties and support from their experts which reassure and ensure a pleasant consumer experience before, during and after purchase.
2. Attention to Detail
Purchase any Apple product and you’ll likely find yourself carrying home a box which feels premium, and provides you with an easy, pleasant unboxing experience. Hundreds of hours of research are poured into details like these which add up to the customer experience, with boxes being prototyped and refined so that consumers have the most pleasant experience unboxing their swanky new gadgets.
After the unboxing, all Apple products come with immense attention to detail every step of the way. For example, the indent in Apple’s Macbooks facilitate one-handed access and turning on the flashlight in an Apple device causes the switch on the icon to change as if a physical flashlight had been activated.
3. Creativity
The idea of creativity and innovation is one that is closely tied to Apple. Apple’s famous 1984 advertisement for its computer has been lauded as one of the most effective advertisements of all time. The advertisement references George Orwell’s 1984 in which in a dystopian society, freedom and even thought are tightly controlled and policed by an omniscient “Big Brother” figure. In the advertisement, a girl smashes the screen featuring a man talking in front of an audience which watches with rapt attention. The advertisement then promises that audiences will then “see why 1984 will not be like ‘1984’”. Through this advertisement, Apple’s promise of innovation, creativity and absolute freedom has been followed through and even today, Apple remains the go-to brand for creatives worldwide looking for a device to work from.
The formula to Apple’s success is one that is highly complicated and still a topic of interest that we still investigate and marvel at today. Apple’s meteoric rise and its impact are unrivalled, and there are many lessons to be learned from this technological giant.
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