Clarity of Audience. Why you need it and probably don’t have it.

In 1997, when Steve Jobs returned to Apple, one of the first things he did was to speak with people who had bought an Apple computer.

The brand was in such a mess at the time that, for Jobs, clarity had to come from the people who bought and used the computers.

He was determined to build a brand for the future, but like everyone else at Apple, he was missing clarity about what that brand was going to stand for.

So he met with users, and Steve Jobs was surprised, but not really, to find out the passion these consumers had for the brand.

After a few interviews, he finally reached the level of clarity he had been looking for to build the brand he imagined Apple could become.

The strength of the Apple brand comes from the user.

“You always had to be a little different to buy an Apple computer.”

With this clarity of audience, Steve Jobs went on to launch the Think Different campaign, which placed Apple on its incredible growth path over the last 25 years.

“I think you had to really think differently when you bought a Mac. It was a totally different computer, worked in a totally different way, used a totally different part of your brain. And it opened up a computer world for a lot of people who thought differently … And I think you still have to think differently to buy an Apple computer.”

I believe that during those conversations with Apple users in 1997, Steve Jobs discovered two things that became essential building pillars for the brand in the long term:

1 — The hero of the Apple brand is its user. Not the technology, design, or products. Even though they are important for the success of Apple, they are important because being different is important for the user, and the brand reinforces that value with its products and services.

2 — Brand building comes down to a simple message everybody can understand and rally around. “You always had to be a little different to buy an Apple computer” defines the Apple user better than 1,000 words of strategic consumer research ever could.

At The Real Hero, we aim to simplify brand building to a simple statement that defines the customer and what they value.

That’s how we work, and that’s what our clients appreciate about working with us: We help our clients reach an unprecedented level of clarity of purpose and clarity of audience.

Other brands have a clear understanding of their audience and prioritize their needs and values in their brand strategy.

Tesla, North Face, Roark, Airbnb, RedBull, Glossier, Patagonia, or Nike align the needs of their hero with the business growth of the company.

Steve Jobs took the time to understand the Apple user back in 1997 and transformed the company, the industry, and our relationship with technology.

Meet with us, and we’ll help your company become an epic brand.

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