Apple Maniacs are much like San Diego Charger fans: they are convinced they are the best team of all time even though they have never won the Superbowl. At least Apple has some history to back it up (objective observation Charger fans!). Ironically, Steve Jobs was famous for this personality trait and his friends and family lovingly called it, “Steve’s reality distortion field.” I self admittedly, float in and out of this field (more often in than out). It is true that I end up purchasing almost every new Apple product after being wowed by a brilliant keynote presentation declaring the latest product to be “the most amazing, advanced, magical, revolutionary, powerful, beautiful and simple-to-use product they have ever built. Multi-Core, Multi-Touch, Multi-Bucks, there is nothing like it on the planet! Apple has brilliantly taught us all how to “Think Differently” and as someone in marketing, it is worthy of some admiration.

Today as a part of my lunch ritual, I checked out one of my favorite blogs, Cult for Mac and saw a review on the latest beta for Apple’s upcoming Mac OS known as “Mountain Lion.” I (of course) watched the video and sat in my chair a bit disappointed…something rare for most Apple Maniacs. I have to be honest (cue gasps), the last 3 versions of OSX have been disappointing to me as well and yet, much like I did with the other versions, I will download Mountain Lion the day it is released. Even though I didn’t find this product to be “revolutionary” it is priced so well ($30), I see value in keeping everything up-to-date.

As I sit here in my office writing this blog post (typing on my Macbook Pro, while my iPad 2 is sitting on my desk challenging me to figure out what it is actually good for), I am in awe at the sheer brilliance of Apple’s marketing. Many define Apple marketing their “iToys” as, “beautiful products, clean ads and a brilliant presentation with bold descriptions” but it goes well beyond that. I can use the word “toy” with a lower case “i” in front of it and you automatically associate it with Apple. It’s planned out with surgical focus and precision even down to the smallest detail. Think about the amount of research they complete! They know me! Male, late 20’s, lives in Orange County, works in marketing, web design background, an “8 out of 10” on the Apple freak scale. They know that I will pop for $30 bucks on an Apple product even though I don’t think it lives up to the hype.

Enough about the brilliance of Apple… Let’s talk about your business.

Do your services or products fit the descriptions of Apple’s bold nomenclature? Do Apple products really fit their own proclamations? Let me put this another way, do your products / services create DESIRE? If your answer is no, WHY NOT? The wrong answer is, I don’t have the money Apple has for marketing. News flash! You will never have the money if your products don’t create DESIRE. BMW doesn’t sell cars, they sell, “The Ultimate Driving Machine.” They sell the BMW lifestyle. That 328i is more about the statement it makes about the buyer and how they wish to be perceived. If it were just about some nice features in a rather anemic car, a Kia would do the trick! How you position your product can be more important than the product itself! “Can you hear me now?” GOOD! Now I understand for many of you, this is like opening up Pandora’s Box. The thought of where to start is far too overwhelming because of how many choices you have so you choose not to open it. Some of you are about to go straight to Twitter and Facebook to start accounts because your competitor is doing it. Bad idea…They might not know what they are doing either!

Before you do anything let me give you some advice. Take the first bite out of the Apple with a plan! Think about how well thought out Apple’s marketing is. Everything with Apple is extremely well planned and highly researched. Here are some questions to help you get started…Who you are as a company? How does your product / service fit into the marketplace? What you do better than your competitors? Where are your ideal customers are at? Who and where are the market influencers? What are your goals? What is your monthly budget for marketing? Who is going to execute the plan once it has been once it is created? I know, I know, sounds too simple right? Well…it isn’t. The foundations of marketing are simple. You have to start somewhere and if you put together a solid plan, with a budget and allocate time by making it a part of your routine, you are well on your way to a successful marketing campaign. If you want some additional materials to help begin the plan or need some help with the plan itself, I have some great resources that I would be more than happy to send you. It’s time for you to “Think Different” so get out there and “Just Do It!” (puns completely intended).

More to Come!

-Marty

Marty Vasquez, Creative Director at Integrity Media

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