Apple: Why 2018 Isn’t Like ‘1984’
Apple has been releasing ads that evoke our emotions since their landmark “1984” commercial directed by Ridley Scott, and their work preceding the launch of the iPhone 8, 8 Plus and iPhone X continues that approach. In the 1984 Super Bowl ad, Apple positioned the Mac as a tool that gave consumers access to the future. The launch of the iPhone X echoed a similar sentiment, as the ads around Apple’s latest smartphone are accompanied by the tagline “Say hello to the future.” The brand’s approach has always been somewhat futuristic, as if a more advanced human is creating necessary tools of the future and giving us the opportunity to use them now. For decades, Apple has won out on innovation and with a simple marketing strategy, but the tech giant has lost some of its sheen with its latest product launch.
It’s a simple recipe, really. In order to turn potential consumers into actual customers, a brand must, first and foremost, tell consumers why they should care about their particular product or service. We as humans are inherently selfish. We care about ourselves: our families, our dream jobs, our hopes and ambitions. So in order for a company to generate demand, it must clearly communicate how their product will change our lives. In 2001, Steve Jobs was able to create demand for Apple’s new MP3 player by convincing consumers that the new iPod allowed them to carry 1,000 songs in their pockets. Consumers didn’t need to know product details and specs to understand the benefit of being able to take 1,000 songs with them on-the-go. By explaining the why (product benefits) before the how (technological specifications), Apple has developed a sustainable, replicable marketing strategy that has led to the sale of over 1 billion iPhones worldwide in the last decade.
In their most recent work, Apple’s marketing team is able to generate demand for the newest iterations of their smartphone with effective campaigns and catchy ads introducing Animojis and the Portrait Lighting feature. The campaigns evoke an array of different emotions with consumers, but ultimately consumers are left to believe that the newest versions of the iPhone will allow them to take better selfies than ever before.
In their “Selfies on iPhone X” ad, rather than setting the ad to a catchy song as they often do, Apple plays Muhammad Ali’s epic poetry where he proclaims, “I am the greatest!” This ad shows a variety of portraits and people, celebrating beauty across age, race, and gender. It hits upon the current positive trend in media to show more diverse experiences, and everyone can see themselves here (and see themselves with an iPhone X). In this ad featuring the iPhone’s new portrait lighting capability, musical collective NVDES and singer REMMI declare “Do your thing,” on repeat against catchy beats. This ad isn’t about the light transforming you into someone else; it’s about the iPhone X’s ability to make you look like best version of yourself. Again, Apple is using diverse casting to show that this works for everyone (even you).
During this year’s annual Grammy Awards, Apple showed two videos featuring the iPhone X’s Animoji capability. The videos were set to two nominated songs: “Redbone” by Childish Gambino and “Stir Fry” by Migos. Their hope is that these hits are already known by the viewers. That familiarity, coupled with a consumers personal experiences and memories surrounding those songs, ensure that the viewers carry their own emotions with them while watching the spots. They combine that with the cool, cute Animoji that captures the iPhone X owner’s facial expressions in animated form. It’s a great combination of the familiar (emojis, songs we know) and the futuristic (personalized Animoji), and the result is delight and a clamor from consumers of “I need that now!”
This strategy was so effective in large part because of the intrinsic link that’s been created between social media and self worth. Selfies rarely exist simply for one’s own use — at least the ones that we like enough to share, and users’ self esteem can be affected by likes on those photos — or the lack thereof. Getting likes on Instagram, Facebook, and now even in our iOS messaging app is super addictive, and having a slightly better version of ourselves to put out there makes us more likely to get more likes, and keep coming back for more. We get an actual hit of dopamine each time we see a notification that someone has liked our selfie. With these ads, Apple is communicating that with its new Portrait feature and lighting that we’ll look our best and keep those likes climbing.
But where things get interesting is that Apple isn’t claiming that they will make you look like your favorite Instagram star. “Do your thing,” and they’ll make you look your best, which could actually help self esteem more — and make you never want to be away from the phone that gives you that feeling. With 77% of American adults owning a smartphone and spending an average of 5 hours a day on their device, Apple is in a unique position to affect consumers’ self-esteem, or rather the lack thereof.
It’s also important to note that Apple did a fantastic job of leveraging their own social media and the trend of user-generated content to launch these campaigns. Following the September 12, 2017 event at the 1,000-seat Steve Jobs Theater, the company began its social media rollout. In this tweet, Apple utilizes the increasingly popular gif as a vehicle for detailing 36 new features of the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus. Apple’s YouTube video introducing the iPhone X has garnered over 34 million views. On Apple’s Instagram account, which boasts nearly 5 million followers, the brand utilizes user-generated content from the #ShotOniPhone hashtag to create a Showcase Series, reinforcing the consumer’s belief that the iPhone X is the tool from the future that takes the best portraits imaginable.
Another integral part of their strategy to develop buzz leading up to the launch of the iPhone X was their decision to go against their status quo and put out a press release. Reviewers touted the forthcoming phone as “the best iPhone ever made,” noting that “[it] feels like the future.” The iPhone X — and probably more accurately the Apple brand as a whole — serves as a status symbol. It’s no accident that the decision makers in Cupertino decided to skip over “9” in the iPhone lineage. All of the company’s marketing efforts surrounding the launch of the iPhone X were to position the phone as more of an experience and less of a cellular device. The iPhone X’s $999 starting price tag wasn’t the result of the devices facial recognition software, the OLED display, end-to-end screen, or any other technological advancements. Rather, the company is able to charge a premium for their device due to consumers’ desire to associate themselves with the Apple brand. The halo marketing from the iPhone X would be used to sell more of the 8 and 8 Plus units, which were launching at lower price points in an attempt to gain Apple an even greater market share within their industry.
While Apple was once considered cutting-edge and thought to be synonymous with innovation, they’ve since lost the personality of 1984’s Apple, which upended the industry, and have moved to incorporate a “best, not first” philosophy with regards to technological advancements. In comparison to their smartphone manufacturing competitors, Apple has proved reactionary with regards to improvements in inductive charging, OLED screens, and all-screen frontal displays. The evolution of the iPhone has slowed to an almost glacial pace, due in large part to Apple’s diversification efforts (iPad, Apple Watch, Apple HomePod, etc.) The company’s various other technological endeavors have put the iPhone on the backburner, resulting in a “small-step, iterative approach to [new product development].”
The limited technological improvements between models, coupled with small feature changes (glass back, change in charging port, etc.) have created consumer distrust, as people feel as if they’re “buying the best book in the world one page at a time.” This resulted in iPhone 8 sales outpacing iPhone X sales during Q4 2017 and Apple having to ramp down production of the iPhone X, as they did not reach expected demand for Q1 2018. Put simply, many feel as if Apple has lost its magical and revolutionary allure.
To combat this growing shift, Apple deployed a smart marketing strategy that brilliantly leveraged social media platforms for content distribution. The Showcase Series, how-to tweets, and catchy ads hosted on the company’s YouTube channel, were all effective in generating buzz around the iPhone X release; however, the $999 price point, coupled with Apple’s “iterative approach,” threaten to exacerbate the downward trend of iPhone sales that began in 2015. For decades, Apple has relied on its perceived cool factor to continue their exponential growth, but the throngs of people waiting in line for the newest device are dwindling.
Their approach has always felt futuristic, but with consumers being more informed than ever, Apple risks alienating customers with their “incremental innovation” approach. For now, the higher price point ensures that the company can maintain higher revenues. However, any further decline in sales could prove potentially damning for the company in the long run. With that said, the releases of the newest versions of the iPhone still rely on the cornerstone marketing principle of “show them how you’re different.”
As an agency, we rely heavily on this same approach to understanding what a company’s product or service is and how to most effectively identify its uniqueness in the market. This process is what helps us carve out a space in an existing vertical or decide whether this product is creating a new one. We aim to truly understand what problem the product is solving or how it’s improving the lives of its consumers.
There are two important considerations for a company hoping to replicate a “explain why, then how” marketing strategy. The first is to know what life cycle your product or service is in. Apple’s iPhone is a product that has experienced hyper growth and is now approaching maturity. If you are a start-up introducing a new product to market, the Apple model will not relate to you at this point. They have spent years building awareness of their product and are now able to reap the rewards of halo marketing of their other product offerings. The lesson here is to know what level of education is needed for your audience to truly understand a particular product’s use and absorb its benefits.
Secondly, as a marketer or advertiser, you must know your point of differentiation. What makes you better, special or different from your competition? Be sure that you narrow down all of your communications in a manner that clearly conveys this impact to consumers.
To learn more about what interests and inspires our team, visit WhisperMob.com
