What I Learned From Apple?
With the massive success of the good ship Apple and their ever growing suite of products that this company has been putting together over the years, I find a huge message within all the hype and hoopla…
I’m not going to tell you their products are the best. Not all of them are. I’m not going to show the cool new features of the iPhone 4, because there are plenty of tech blogs salivating over it right now. But something made me really take notice today while ‘watching’ Mr. Jobs’ keynote address at WWDC 2010.
They never made the first mp3 player. They never made the first cell phone. This company really didn’t invent tablet computing. And they didn’t invent streaming movies. But what they do and continue to do so well is make things sexy.
This is a prime example of a company selling the sizzle before the steak. The oooh’s and aaah’s everytime they release a new product should tell EVERY marketer how important the visuals are for your business.
I have always been a massive fan of the visual arts especially in business. I have maintained for years that web site design is the key component to any successful campaign and well, Apple proves this point. Their stuff LOOKS and feels great. It may not be for everyone, hey we’re not all fanboys here *lol*, but you cannot debate the fact that when it comes to putting a product and it’s packaging together, they ‘get it’.
So what can we learn from this today? Make your steak SIZZLE! Make sure you get your design in play. Make your site look like a million bucks, make it pop, make your customers and potential clients ooh and aah and your visuals and we all might get a slice of the pie.
Ignore this and well…Can anyone name me an MP3 player more popular than an iPod?
Make it look GREAT! Splash pages, squeeze pages, new traffic exchanges….Visuals are everything in this business!
Lynn McCutcheon
Well, as you know, much like Mr. Linden I am somewhat anti-Apple… but you are absolutely right about your points in this post. They totally get it when it comes to marketing, making their steak SIZZLE (lol now I’m hungry), and sticking out like a sore thumb.
And their diehard fans & customers are totally loyal. And the reason I know what they do WORKS is ‘cos people like me and Tim who aren’t crazy about Apple stuff are pretty much in the minority nowadays. Even tho technical Mac vs PC stats wouldn’t really support it (I had to research this recently so know it to be true), when you add in the iPod fans, iPhone fans, and now iPad fans – folks that don’t do Apple stuff are almost certainly in the minority.
Applause to Apple on that note, and yep there’s certainly something for anyone in any industry for that matter to be learned from their success!
Jon Olson
Ya, I’m not trying to convert anyone here LOL I know that comes up. But the message is LOOK and learn how they do things. You can do the same thing with your business and it all starts for the design!
Ryan Hogan
I couldn’t agree more, Jon.
And who would have thought that Apple, being nearly bankrupt in ‘97 would turn itself around to later become larger than Microsoft?
Proof that good branding and attention to detail really can make all the difference. They did it with finesse
Carl Bailey
Absolutely DEAD-ON, Jon!
If it looks GREAT, it gets the benefit of the doubt,
AND it gets the ‘foot in the door’!
Hey, it works with gadgets, cars, and movie stars!
As always, I appreciate your in-my-face observations!
KUDOS, Jon…
Carl Bailey
Instant Splash
Jon Olson
Thanks guys. Yup, that’s the ticket. Getting your foot in the door with something that looks like a million bucks. Then it’s up to you to keep the experience going but I’m willing to bet, 10 times out of 10, design plays a big role.