Getting to the Core of Apple’s Online Presence: A lesson in Social Media use by Corporations.
It is not an understatement to say that pretty much everyone knows what Apple is. Even with a name that refers to a basic food item everyone is familiar with, when someone mentions Apple, it is the Apple, one of the most valuable companies in the world, reaching a market cap of nearly 2.5 trillion USD as of February 2023. The success of this corporation cannot be understated, and the loyal following that it generated is nearly unmatched. However, even the most eager fans have never interacted with the tech giant via social media.
Why so distant?
Apple clearly has a presence on the most popular social media platforms. They have multiple verified accounts on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram, But it would seem like they follow completely different rules compared to other successful tech giants that focus on making the brand feel “Humanised”.
Let’s take Microsoft as an example. Usually, the companies wouldn’t miss their chances to generate engagement online during festivals and celebrations. On February 14th 2023, they made a post on Twitter with Valentine Day’s theme.
This tweet was seen by thousands of people. Generating hundreds of interactions where Microsoft directly replied to other users’ comments, making the company feel more personal. It was a part of their push to make Bing Chat term trend on Twitter and increase the trustworthiness of the brand. After all, they are just like us! Funny and Relatable!
What's your excuse Apple?
Apple’s approach is to do the opposite, and minimise its presence on social media as much as it can. For Valentine’s Day campaign, instead of posting on their centralised account, they posted on Apple TV+. In fact, this Twitter post was the only mention of the celebration across all of their social media accounts and it was mainly advertising the release date of the new season of their show.
The post itself did generate engagement but the account never directly interacted with the comments, however, on that day, thousands of users posted pictures and made posts of their gifted apple products, all with positive implications, making the true Apple’s strategy apparent. People don’t trust corporations, they trust other people.
Case of damage control on Facebook, the true value of fans.
We now know that Apple doesn’t seem directly interact with users, but what happens if many negative comments threaten the public image of the company? The usual strategy would be to have some form of damage control, where the official account would step in and address or clarify the issues that people are facing, reducing the negative brand perception spread. But Apple is different, they don’t need to have a dedicated team to take control, they have an army of loyal fans that would do the job for them. Here are some examples.
What is the lesson?
It’s clear that Apple has found their own unique way of operating on social media, letting their products and loyal fans do the talking for them. And while they may not have the same level of direct engagement with their followers, they continue to be one of the most valuable companies in the world, a testament to the enduring power of their brand and a true lesson for other corporations.
