Apple Ad Campaigns & Product Launches
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Brittany Ehlers Advertising Case Studies 5/11/12 Apple Ad Campaigns & Product Launches Introduction Apple is the market leader of all things digital. The reason for Apple’s unbelievable success is Steve Jobs, one of America’s most well-known and idolized CEOs of all time. Jobs was known for his unique ability to connect with his consumers through his highly innovative digital products (TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc.). Advertising is a way for a company to convey a message about a product or service they offer to a targeted audience through a variety of media, and it plays a huge role in Apple’s success as well. Before Steve Jobs became Apple’s CEO, Apple’s ad campaigns had been markedly unsuccessful, and had somewhat tarnished Apple’s reputation (Hormby). Because Jobs refused to use ordinary ad campaigns to generate buzz about his products, the Apple ad campaigns he created were highly successful (TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc.). For example, the “Think Different” ad campaign was a highly successful campaign that debuted in 1997, and helped restore Apple’s reputation after its earlier years of unsuccessful ad campaigns (Hormby). Apple’s branding strategy involves making user experience the central part of all of its products, and Apple’s main goal is to create exceptional user experience by designing superior user interfaces (Marketing Minds). Apple’s brand personality strives to excite people’s emotions by inserting lifestyle, passion, innovation, dreams and aspirations into its products; Apple also makes every effort to remove the complexity of technology, allowing people more time to devote to their own lives rather than spending countless hours on being confused or unsatisfied with their product (Marketing Minds). What Apple advertises is that it aims for is a personal, genuine relationship with its customers, and succeeds in exactly that by creating products that are state-of-the-art, user-friendly, attractive and leaders of the industry (Marketing Minds). Compare and Contrast Apple’s “1984” commercial, which introduced the Macintosh computer, aired during the 1984 Super Bowl telecast, and is one of the most well-known and analyzed commercials of all time (Maney). The commercial itself featured bald men walking down a corridor toward a big screen on which their leader is speaking to them. Next, a beautiful woman is shown running with a sledgehammer, being run after by police troopers with guns. When she reaches the mass of men and the giant television screen, she circles round and round, gaining momentum to throw the sledgehammer at the screen, which she does. The idea behind the commercial is that people should be running technology, not the government and large corporations, which is Apple’s philosophy and mission (Curt's Media). Apple’s 2010 launch of the iPad had many similarities and differences from the launch of the Macintosh. The iPad is a shining beacon of hope for Apple, as it may be the one thing that can save the print media industry (Wilcox). The iPad is the future of print media because it will allow print media to go digital, without causing it to completely die off. When it first came out, the Macintosh computer was revolutionary; now, the iPad is revolutionary as well, improving upon user interface and experience (Wilcox). The iPad features superb user interfaces, allowing for a unique user experience, and making the iPad a very fun and valuable tool for all consumers. A couple of the marketing strategies, or messages, used for advertising the Macintosh computer were: “If you can point, you can use a Macintosh too,” and “A funny thing happens when you design a computer everyone can use. Everyone uses it.” These messages helped signify how easy the Macintosh computer was to use for any and all consumers. For the iPad, a couple of the marketing strategies, or messages, used for advertising it to the public were: “I don’t have to change myself to fit the product. It fits me” and “It’s going to change the way we do the things we do every day” (Wilcox). These messages for the iPad make consumers feel that it is a necessary and valuable purchase in order to remain your own unique person in today’s society (Wilcox). In my opinion, Apple hasn’t really changed their message all that much since the launch of the “1984” commercial. Apple still boasts that their products are easy to use, and are a necessary component in people’s lives. They also claim that their products don’t require a person to change, but that their product will “fit” the user. Get a Mac Apple’s “Get a Mac” campaign, which aired from 2006 to 2009, is one of the most beloved, and effective, ad campaigns ever. In the ads, John Hodgman starred as the uptight, edgy PC, along with Justin Long, who was the hip, easygoing Mac (Sande). Long was young, attractive and wore casual clothes, while Hodgman was older and wore strictly business suits. These differences helped illustrate the distinctions between the Mac and the PC: the Mac was new, attractive and fun, while the PC was older, less attractive and unsatisfactory when compared to the Mac. Over the years they aired, these ads made consumers laugh using comparisons between a Mac and a PC, always inserting the message that the Mac was far superior to the PC; these ads were also very effective at getting Apple’s message across to consumers, which was that Macs work really well and don’t cause users any unnecessary headaches (Sande). This ad campaign was very effective in its communication strategy, which were its comparisons between the PC and the Mac, and its execution, which was entertaining to consumers and grabbing their attention. Additionally, the ads don’t go overboard on their criticisms of PCs, but just focused on telling consumers what Macs could do better, while inserting light humor. Not only has the campaign helped Apple gain market share, but it also helped put Apple in the spotlight as the best brand for all things digital. The Effie awards are given out for recognition of the best achievements in the business in the marketing communications business, and to further prove that it worked, the ad campaign won the Grand Effie award for its advertising effectiveness in 2007, the biggest award offered at the annual Effie Awards ceremonies (Cohen). Brand Loyalty According to our textbook, “brand loyalty occurs when a consumer repeatedly purchases the same brand to the exclusion of competitors’ brands” (O'Guinn, Allen and Semenik). Brand loyalty can occur for a variety of reasons, ranging from certain brands remaining as the most familiar or vivid in a user’s memory, to having had pleasant experiences with certain brands, to simply happening out of habit (O'Guinn, Allen and Semenik). Over the years, consumers have been extremely lenient when problems arise with Apple’s products, and the problems have had no effect on consumer’s loyalty to the Apple brand (Goodson). Essentially, the brand loyalty that Apple has received from its consumers can greatly be owed to Steve Jobs; when problems arise with Apple’s products, people think about Jobs’ passion for the products he created, who made sure that they were of the best quality and design for his customers, who, in return, are willing to be forgiving and patient with Apple (Goodson). Jobs was intent on creating an intimate connection with users, which helped generate the band of loyal Apple followers that is still alive today (Goodson). In Apple’s “Get a Mac” ad campaign, Long and Hodgman’s characters as the Mac and the PC illustrated great brand loyalty throughout the entire campaign. In every single ad, a comparison was made regarding what Apple’s Mac could do better than Windows’ PC. This strategy successfully made the Apple and Windows brands familiar in consumers’ minds, with Apple being the far superior choice of the two. In Apple’s “1984” commercial, Apple was illustrated as “a symbol of counterculture—rebellious, free-thinking and creative” (Kahney). The message of the commercial was very political, conveying the idea that the government and businesses should not be the ones that are in control of technology; people should be. This was a powerful message, and suggested to consumers not only the power of computers, but the power of Apple computers, and the power of the Apple brand itself (Kahney). Conclusion Advertising is the main source of success for Apple. A great example is Apple’s “1984” commercial, which introduced Apple’s Macintosh computer. The commercial was very successful in showing consumers how powerful Apple computers are, and how powerful the Apple brand is itself. The “Get a Mac” ad campaign was also very successful, having been able to communicate through a series of ads how much better a Mac is than a PC. Apple has also been extremely successful in creating products that allow Apple to establish an intimate connection with their users. This connection can be owed to Steve Jobs, Apple’s previous CEO, who was extremely passionate about creating these products. Because of this intimate connection, consumers have been loyal to the brand of Apple, even to the point of forming a “loving” relationship with it. As I mentioned before, Apple is the market leader of digital products. Steve Jobs’ innovative ideas for the wide range of Apple products greatly increased its success once he became CEO. And even after his recent, untimely death, Apple products continue to remain the top-of-the-line and most sought after digital tools by consumers. Works Cited Cohen, Peter. Mac Ads Honored as Most Effective.