The Community of Apple
I’m not sure how many of you remember Apple’s follow-up to its famed “1984” spot for Macintosh. It was a spot they produced and ran in the ’85 Super Bowl called “Lemmings” which showed PC user after PC user following each other off a cliff:
Today, if there were any “lemmings” in the technology world, they would be the followers of Apple. Apple is no longer a brand, but a thriving community of highly-energized impassioned users. Whenever the company announces a new product or opens a new store, you’ll find the lemmings, lined up to be among the first to “make the leap.”
This interesting video blog from Martin Lindstrom sheds light on how Apple users feel about the company (http://adage.com/brightcove/lineup.php?lineup=1182767334). It’s shot outside the new Apple store in Sydney hours before it’s opening. One gentleman in the video has an interesting take on the Apple mystique. “It’s not about what you get. It’s about what you receive…‘Getting’ is about taking, while ‘receiving’ is about an exchange. There’s a value that we share as a customer with a company that cares about (each one of us).”
In other words, it’s about a community. In Apple’s case, a community that has created hundreds of fan web sites, some with as many as 15,000 members. A community that will travel thousands of miles to wait in line overnight for a store opening just for the privilege of saying they were among the first to get in. A community that will shell out up to $600 for a phone with unproven technology, and be forgiving when the inevitable “bugs” surface.
More than anything, Apple’s success can be traced to its uncompromising devotion to a meaningful Brand Vision. Ever since Steve Jobs returned to the company, everything about Apple has stood for “Innovation and Intuitiveness.” This single-minded approach to product development and delivery has built an army of impassioned footsoldiers which transcends the product line.
Posted by Mickey
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- Creating a Community, Part 1.
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- Creating a Community, Part 2.
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