The Power of Branding: Apple

While " The Simpsons" might not always be the most intellectually stimulating television show, after watching an episode last week for homework I find myself questioning long standing assumptions. The episode may have exaggerated some elements of Apple inc. (as satires tend to do to their subjects), but it did raise some interesting questions about the power of branding and our (sometimes blind) devotion to them.

As we learned from the first chapter of "No Logo", the power of a company comes from producing a brand and emotional ties to the consumer. This commercial aired on television for the first and last time during the third quarter of the 1984 Super bowl. Everything about it feeds into the image Apple has been creating of itself. Individualism, rebellion, nonconformity. These themes have run through Apple commercials for decades. And with its commercials, Apple has been able to associate itself with all of these ideas. And as a result people buy these associations just as much, if not more so, than the actual products.

Take the ipod and iphone for example. No other mp3 player or phone has ever been as popular as those products that Apple released, even though there might be others that are actually better. Higher quality, more features, more cell phone coverage, etc. But those products will never be as popular as their Apple counterparts. Having and ipod (and now an iphone) is as much a status symbol as it is a product. They make you part of a group, an image, an identity.

All of this branding and careful crafting of an image has paid off for Apple. A lot. While most companies are reeling from this harsh economic climate, Apple has been profiting. In the fourth quarter of 2009, Apple posted a 47% increase in profits. And after the recent release of the iPad, and the new technological capabilities it holds, the future of Apple looks bright heading into the new decade.

It seems almost ironic that in our minds Apple is associated with individualism and nonconformity. If anything nowadays, especially on college campuses, you're almost more unique if you don't own an iPod and a Macbook. But that's the incredible power of branding. And perhaps awareness and a keen eye are the only ways to combat this powerful marketing technique that has engrained itself into our culture.

Works Cited:

The New York Times "Apple’s Profit Climbs 47% as Sales Gain"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYecfV3ubP8