7 Things Marketers Can Learn From Apple

Whether you love them or hate them, Apple has been one of the greatest business success stories of our time and it can be argued that most of their success is attributed to their marketing. Here are the top 7 things marketers can learn from Apple.

Create suspense around new products

Apple is known for its obsessive secrecy of new products which helps build anticipation and excitement for new releases. There is such a strong thirst for information about what’s next that fans of the brand will create and visit rumor sites. Creating a sense of scarcity around your new product’s information can increase demand for that information.

Draw a crowd

Apple clearly communicates a release date for new products so that it draws long lines of fans eager to be first to get the new product. Apple takes advantage of the popularity effect that influences people to mirror the behavior of the crowd. There is also a full restaurant effect which implicitly communicates that if people are lining up to buy – then it must be good.

Create something remarkable

Apple’s remarkable products encourage people to tell their friends and family about why they are excited about their purchase. Excited friends will influence others who will want to also feel the same excitement themselves.

Simplify the marketing message

When portable MP3 players first came out it was a revolutionary technology that was completely different from prior technology. So a clever person from Apple came up with the tagline “1,000 songs in your pocket” to explain the value proposition in an extremely simple way.

Compare yourself to the competition

By directly comparing itself with the competition in its advertising, Apple was able to effectively communicate the main differences between a Mac and a PC. Before their Mac vs PC ads, the average consumer probably couldn’t explain why a Mac was different. Now many more consumers could probably name some key differences.

Take Advantage of the Halo Effect
Apple’s great success in selling iPods created a halo around its other products like laptops and desktops, helping Apple gain significant market share.
See Creating The Brand Halo Effect by Branding Strategy Insider

Create a great experience around a product

From the time a customer walks into an Apple retail store to opening the product packaging to Genius Bar support, every step is a planned experience that aligns closely with the brand of elegant design and simplicity.

What other lessons can marketers learn from Apple?

Also see the Marketing Apple blog by Steve Chazin