Apple’s best advertisers are its customers
I have a confession to make: I don’t own an iPhone. Go ahead call me an anomaly. I own a Blackberry (hey, they were once cool?); it does the job, but lacks the obvious sizzle, appeal, and usability prowess of Apple’s baby.
I’ll probably eventually submit and join the revolution, yet until then, I’ll blissfully observe the transformational impact that these devices are having on society.
For example….
A recent flight had me sitting next to a friendly lady; she sported an authentic Texas drawl as a longtime Austin resident and travels around the nation doing sales training and consulting. She was chatty (my kind of seatmate) and was transfixed to her iPhone.
I watched her fiddle and play; she eventually told me that she spends the majority of time on her iPhone playing Scrabble. In fact, she was so ‘committed’ to Scrabble that she’d buy the iPhone just for this luxury. Now that’s a lover of the language; a maiden of words. The iPhone is far from a device; it a phenomenon that makes convenience, necessity, want and need blur into one.
The company Apple is in an enviable, favorable place in American society; the company’s products and services continue to play an active role in our personal and professional lives. People literally can’t live without these devices.
Go ahead and dream, but your company may never come close to achieving the success of Apple; there are, however, a number of lessons that you can carry into your business.
- Can you not just routinely, mindlessly solve your customer’s pain, but bring him some fun while doing it? Apple’s products aren’t just functional; they are a joy to use.
- The app ‘ecosystem’ is a magnetizing method to keep customers on Apple product. Can you find methods to make it tougher for your customers to switch to a competitor?
- Consistency of benefit. Apple relentlessly pushes fast, light, easy in their business. Are you coherent in the relief that you bring to your customers, or does it waver depending on the program or campaign? Make it simple for customers to know why you are the answer.
Fair warning: If you see me asking you if I might borrow your iPhone, be wary; I might need it for a full day. 😉
Until next time,
Dan Naden
