Apple: The New Religion???: - Sumeet Singh (303/46)

Apple: The new Religion???
-Sumeet Singh (303/46)

The Apple Brand History
 During the late 1980s and early 1990s John Sculley, a
marketing executive from Pepsi, turned Apple into the biggest
single computer company in the world, with $11 billion in
annual sales
 Sculley marketed Apple like crazy, boosting the advertising

budget from $15 million to $100 million
 "People talk about technology, but Apple was a marketing

company“ – Sculley
 Steve Jobs, spent $100 million marketing the iMac

The power of Apple’s Brand
 Apple is the archetypal emotional brand. It's loved by its

customers
 Marketer Marc Gobe, author of Emotional Branding, says

“Apple is about imagination, design and innovation. It
goes beyond commerce. This business should have been
dead, but people said we've got to support it.”
The power of Apple’s Brand
According to Gobe, emotional brands have three things in common:
 A humanistic corporate culture & a strong corporate ethic,
characterized by volunteerism, support of good causes or
involvement in the community
 Apple’s founding ethos was power to the people through technology, and it
remains committed to computers in education. It's always about people.
 A unique visual and verbal vocabulary, expressed in product design
and advertising
 This is true of Apple. Its products and advertising are clearly recognizable
 The company has established a "heartfelt connection" with its
customers.
 In Apple's case, its products are designed around people. For eg iPod brings
an emotional, sensory experience to computing.
Apple: The new Religion…
Steve Jobs,
the Prophet…
Apple: The new Religion…
 Apple brand is nearly identical to a religious figure or icon
 In a study Lindstrom conducted with neuroscientist, Dr.

Calvert, involving 65 subjects, and a series of images, there
was practically no discernible difference in brain activity
between strong brands, such as Apple, and religious images
 Weaker brands, in contrast, showed activity in entirely

different regions of the brain, while the strong brands, the
“cult” brands, produced increased activity in areas of the brain
associated with memory, decision-making, emotion
& religious experience
10 Common pillars of Religion
 According to Lindstorm the 10 Pillars that major religions
share are:
 Rituals
 Sensory Appeal
 A Clear Vision
 Grandeur
 Evangelism
 Symbols
 Sense of Belonging
 Power over Enemies
 Storytelling
 Mystery
Apple vis-à-vis the 10 Pillars…
Rituals…
Product releases and conventions bring Mac followers out in droves

to be part of the rituals of Apple
The frenzy created every time Apple releases a new product

highlights a growing phenomenon: the power of consumer brands
to supplant traditional religions in peoples' lives
iPhone 4 Launch Day Walk-in Frenzy

Sensory Appeal…
Apple transformed the personal computer, and subsequent
products, from ugly utilitarian products, to sleek-lined,
elegant, and aesthetically appealing, functioning works of art
The stores are clean and light, with high ceilings: Compare
these with big Religious Churches/Temples…
User interfaces are attractive and user-friendly
Even the packaging smacks of elegance and luxury

A Clear Vision…
Steve Job’s original vision for Apple:

“Man is the creator of change in this world, as such he
should not be above systems and structures, and not
subordinate to them”
Granduer…
From Apple stores to conventions, Apple is all

about grandeur
“I am a confirmed Mac lover, and can identify with the idea of

opening-up-new-Mac-as-a-Religious-Experience”,
a Mac Follower…
Apple Stores...
Evangelism…
MacUsers have a sense of moral responsibility to the

community as a whole & to each other. They look out for each
another, help repair products, solve problems & share
information, like where to get the best deals
Just ask a Mac user about their new Iphone, or their new
Macbook, and one can watch evangelism at its finest
“I am a confirmed Mac lover, and can identify with the idea of opening-up-new-
Mac-as-a-Religious-Experience”, a Mac User…
Symbols…
From name & logo, to desktop icons, Apple has nailed
symbols
There's the communal use of logos. Mac users are well-known

for their predilection for Apple stickers, T-shirts and Web
banners
Sense of Belonging…
In MacHeads, a documentary, longtime Mac fanatics talk

about their early adoption of Mac as a social movement.
They also talk about their sense of belonging and need to
band together.
In the trailer the film declares, "It's more than a computer, it's a
way of life."
MacHeads Trailer...
Sense of Belonging…
Psychologist David Levine, a self-identified Mac nut, says:
For many Mac people, I think [the Mac community] has a

religious feeling to it. For a lot of people who are not
comfortable with religion, it provides a community and a
common heritage. I think Mac users have a certain common
way of thinking, a way of doing things, a certain mindset.
People say they are a Buddhist or a Catholic. We say we're
Mac users, and that means we have similar values.
Storytelling…
Watching Steve Jobs unveil a new product is very much like watching
a master storyteller
Mac Users often share stories about the brand -- the Mac's relative
immunity to viruses, for example
Mac Users also show a keen interest in the history of Apple. A lot of Mac
users know the date Jan. 24, 1984, the day the Mac was introduced
Mystery…
One of Apple’s finest marketing techniques is the sense of

mystery created around their new products
By the time a new Apple product actually hits the market,

the whole world has already guessed, and speculated, and
spread rumours about the product.
Apple never confirms, or denies, the rumors. Thus the

products are marketed, before they are even announced
Power over enemies…
Apple’s ads pitted the Apple user against the PC user, and
Microsoft has been scrambling to win back power ever
since
Apple Ads...
Thank You!!!
References…
 http://
www.wired.com/gadgets/mac/commentary/cultofmac/200
2/12/56677
 http://jarrodhart.wordpress.com/2010/02/06/apple-exploiti
ng-our-wiring
/
 http://
www.wired.com/gadgets/mac/commentary/cultofmac/200
2/12/56674?currentPage=1
 http://www.wired.com/gadgets/mac/news/2002/12/56678
 http://
www.huffingtonpost.com/skye-jethani/apple-the-new-reli
gion_b_624332.html

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Apple: The new Religion???

-Sumeet Singh (303/46)

 Sculley marketed Apple like crazy, boosting the advertising

 "People talk about technology, but Apple was a marketing

 Steve Jobs, spent $100 million marketing the iMac

 Apple is the archetypal emotional brand. It's loved by its

 Marketer Marc Gobe, author of Emotional Branding, says

 In a study Lindstrom conducted with neuroscientist, Dr.

 Weaker brands, in contrast, showed activity in entirely

Product releases and conventions bring Mac followers out in droves

The frenzy created every time Apple releases a new product

iPhone 4 Launch Day Walk-in Frenzy

User interfaces are attractive and user-friendly

Even the packaging smacks of elegance and luxury

Steve Job’s original vision for Apple:

From Apple stores to conventions, Apple is all

“I am a confirmed Mac lover, and can identify with the idea of

MacUsers have a sense of moral responsibility to the

There's the communal use of logos. Mac users are well-known

In MacHeads, a documentary, longtime Mac fanatics talk

Psychologist David Levine, a self-identified Mac nut, says:

For many Mac people, I think [the Mac community] has a

One of Apple’s finest marketing techniques is the sense of

By the time a new Apple product actually hits the market,

Apple never confirms, or denies, the rumors. Thus the

Power over enemies…

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