Apple’s Global Reach
Is the brand as popular as we might think?
After a month-long trip to Prague, Czech Republic this summer, it occurred to me that no one cared about Apple products. This came as a real shock to me. While sitting in just about any of my college classes in the United States, I look around and see an overwhelming majority of MacBooks, iPhones and iPads. It was not the same in Prague.
In fact, the Czech students that I studied and worked with laughed at our affinity for the silicon valley tech giant, calling us “hipsters.” All of them had anything but Apple products. This was so surprising to me because I have never really thought about buying anything but Apple. It’s just the best brand in my eyes.
Apple is one of the most valuable brands in the world.
After my trip to Prague, I traveled to Tokyo, Japan for a month. I saw a stark contrast in the other students reactions to Apple products. They were all extremely interested in the subtle differences between my iPhone and theirs. They wanted to look at my chargers, cases; anything Apple. This huge contrast between Tokyo and the Prague was puzzling to me.
I think it is generally agreed upon that Japan is a tech powerhouse and the Czech Republic, not so much. But for a phone to be the must-have product in one country and completely irrelevant in another is somewhat of a spectacle. My first thought was that Apple did not advertise heavily in some countries, but it seemed to be the opposite. Their marketing strategy is praised across the board for sending a unified global message.
After my trip, I decided to see what Apple’s presence is like in Prague. I got some even more confusing results. There isn’t a single Apple Store in Prague, but they have an Apple museum. In fact, Prague’s Apple museum claims to be, “the largest private collection of Apple products in the world.” After spending a month there, I had no idea this museum existed.
I really do no know how to explain the Apple Museum in Prague, other than a tourist attraction (the museum’s website was in English.) I think the lack of interest in Apple products stems from the Czech culture. They focus on leisure, friends, beer and separating themselves from the fast-paced modern culture. They aren’t worried about a phone; a refreshing outlook.
So how much tech does a Czech really know? Well it seems there are a number of reasons Czech’s have yet to adapt to something like the iPhone. Politics slowing progress is one idea or a language barrier other countries don’t encounter.
A thought with a little more backing is the Czech’s focus of keeping business with their nation.
“Czech firms are generally warmer towards a domestic business approach, which, says Lenka Kucerova, entrepreneur and former head of acceleration at Wayra CEE, limits a countrywide ability to scale” via Red Herring
The most interesting example of this is that the Czech Republic is the only European country that has a domestic search engine beating Google. This is truly an incredible success, considering the dominant reputation and arket share of Google. Perhaps the Czech’s are simply happier to do business their way.
