The Art of simple marketing by Apple

Author: Ashwin G Shetty

Now just think about your first computer buying experience…! Just think about the various criteria that we all considered before buying our laptops or computers. We all compared several factors like processing power, RAM, processor, USB port, etc. Finally, after days of comparing and analysing different brands' computers we decide to buy a computer with the slight amount of doubt in our mind that am I making a right decision by buying this computer? Well, with the current competitive markets, one of the biggest problems faced by any customer is decision making that is deciding on buying the best electronic gadget that suits their purpose.

This is exactly the problem that Apple tends to solve through its simple marketing. Apple has spent a significant amount of time and money on understanding their target customer; How they think, what are their habits, their likes and dislikes, the kind of language they use and many more. They clearly know how to talk to their customers rather than talking to them like a salesperson. This kind of deep understanding creates an amazing bond between a prospective customer and a brand, and a lasting connection for an existing customer. To understand exactly how Apple markets their product, just have a look at the image below.

Now if you feel that your lifestyle resembles the person wearing the coat then PC is a best choice for you or if you feel that your lifestyle resembles the second image from the left then Mac is a best choice for you. The PC vs. Mac ads show that Apple understands the frustrated PC user looking for a better solution. It’s a simplistic advertising spoken in a language that can be understood by any customers. We do not get to see any over explanation regarding the apple products that may be confusing to the customers. This is exactly the kind of approach that wins over a lot of customers.

In 1986 Steve Jobs said that he was inspired by Nikes way of advertising where they never spoke about their product instead, they were advertising emotions. Steve jobs clearly understood this and started implementing this marketing strategy for apple products. For example, have a look at the image below.

The Apple ad here shows people capturing one of the best moments of their life with an iPhone. This display of positive emotion is the driving force behind sales. They are not selling more storage, or more processing speed instead they are selling emotions.

Apple basically is selling the emotion of happiness that comes from buying their product and the simplicity that their product has brought into the lifestyle of their customers.

So, some Key takeaways from Apple's marketing strategies are:

• Always try to solve a problem related to the customer with your product.

• Design innovative ways to reduce the decision-making problems of the customers.

• Customers tend to connect more with emotions rather than product capabilities, so always sell emotional feelings associated with your products.