Why is Apple so successful? Its products are not the most affordable and, despite Apple’s marketers claiming the opposite, not the most innovative. Slim laptops and portable devices existed before Apple. Still, Apple’s products are the most discussed and the most wanted by many consumers. Apple has sold over 1.3 billion iPhones since launch (2007), and even these days people wait in lines for days just to purchase the newest model first. It seems like Apple’s marketers are doing a good job, aren’t they?
But what exactly makes Apple’s marketing strategy so successful not only in the US, but also worldwide? In this article, we’ll break it all down and help you understand what helped Apple become the first US company with a market cap of over $1 trillion. Even if you aren’t interested in Apple specifically, this could be worth your reading: after all, these tips could be applied to many businesses, large and small.
1: APPLE FOCUSSES ON EMOTIONS INSTEAD OF FEATURES
If you look at a couple of Apple ads, you might notice that there are no tech talks in them. Instead of telling you why an iPhone is better than any other phone, these ads show how it FEELS to own an iPhone—and what kind of person you will become when you buy one. Despite varying in mood and plot, all these ads carry one message: people who buy Apple products are progressive, approachable, and definitely not boring. And apparently, many people worldwide want to be like that.
2: APPLE’S BRAND IS CONSISTENT
Have you noticed how easy it is to imagine Apple products or the Apple brand if you think about them? That’s because they’ve put so much effort into not only making their branding prominent, but also maintaining its consistency over the years (even when it might seem pointless to do so).
Apple’s brand image is one that’s immediately identifiable and easy to remember. And this is also what helps all brands make the right impact. Consistent branding doesn’t simply help to build brand recognition—it also cultivates an authentic voice, encouraging your audience to trust and remain loyal to you. When a company doesn’t change its image for a while, it looks dependable and reliable to the audience.
Furthermore, it’s worth noting that Apple is consistent not only over the years, but also across cultures. While some brands might adjust their strategy, their designs, and their websites depending on the country they work in, Apple does no such thing—and still succeeds.
3: APPLE WORKS ON LOCALISATION
Yes, this might seem surprising, especially after the previous statement. However, they aren’t as controversial as you might think. Apple does retain their branding everywhere, but what’s even more important is that they work hard to evoke the same emotions and make the same impression everywhere. While the former can be achieved without any adjustments, the latter definitely cannot.
How does this work in practice? One of the most basic examples is their support service. No matter where you live, you can always get support in your national language when you visit Apple’s website. You’ll also get numbers and addresses of your local contact centres. The stores are another example. They might seem the same, but they do vary depending on location. Apple works hard to make them appealing to local tastes by tailoring them to each region, in terms of appearance, architecture, and customer service.
4: APPLE PAYS A LOT OF ATTENTION TO DETAIL
If you are a loyal iPhone user, you’ll know that its icons have a specific rounded shape. What you might not know, however, is that this shape is directly related to Apple’s overall design aesthetic. It might not seem worthy of your attention, but this is a clear example of the efforts Apple puts into designing its products. Furthermore, there are plenty of additional examples of the company paying extreme attention to detail. Why is this important? Because when you notice these ingenious flourishes, you realise how hard a brand works to make its products meet and exceed their own standards. And every customer wants to know that they pay for the best—i.e. products that are a result of meticulous development.
5: APPLE TRANSLATES AND TRANSCREATES
Did you know that the content on Apple’s website isn’t merely translated? They actually hire local translators and copywriters to do so. This ensures that the content won’t simply be easy to understand—it will be well-written and look natural to natives, and therefore more effective. The same goes for ads: they aren’t translated, but are instead transcreated by Apple. Let’s take this ad for example. It seems like a typical Apple ad. However, its Chinese version is slightly different and tailored to the country’s language and culture.
Apple tweaks its content to reflect cultural nuances, ultimately evoking the same emotions among its audience across different countries. And apparently, this really works. These seemingly simple strategies make Apple insanely popular and appreciated worldwide. But what’s most important to realise is that these tactics aren’t exclusive to one brand only. Of course, you’ll have your own brand, logo, and use case, but there’s still a lot to learn from Apple’s overall marketing strategy. You can easily include at least a couple of these factors into your own branding and content marketing to boost your consistency and global appeal. So, why don’t you give it a try?
