Apple celebrated its 40th birthday recently. In those 40 years, the company has become one of the most globally recognised brands, launching products that break new ground and exceed customer expectations. We see it as the world’s best at creating consumer need and desire where none was present before.
This is why, when we advise brands on product launches and best practice, we’re quick to tell marketers to look at Apple. The company follows the rules that any product launch must:
- Clearly define the reason the product exists.
- Use a powerful, simple and flexible golden thread from which to hang the launch campaign.
- Provide strong storytelling.
Apple’s adherence to these rules is evident in the majority of its product launches. The iPod, for example, was launched with a mission statement: why should you put up with a Discman when you can carry a library of albums in your back pocket?
The iPhone provided the smartest, easiest to use phone in the world (no fiddly buttons, just power at your fingertips) and the iPad showed it was better than a phone or laptop for browsing and looking at content.
By highlighting why an Apple product should exist in a person’s life, the company launches products successfully on a consistent basis. It’s a process that Apple continues to take today. Take the recently launched iPhone SE and the smaller iPad.
Many had been critical of why Apple was launching a smaller handset, but it quickly put to bed any rumours that CEO Tim Cook had let the brand’s crown slip. The iPhone SE wasn’t simply a “me too” addition to the category; it launched with a clear customer insight – a genuine desire from customers to own a smaller handset.
30 million people, largely from emerging markets, bought an iPhone 5s last year due to its size and price. So Apple gave its customers the most powerful 4.5-inch phone ever at a more affordable price. The new line of iPads were also launched with a clear reason to exist: to become the ultimate PC replacement. The golden thread behind the launch and marketing strategy will be geared towards PC users who haven’t replaced their machine in five years.
Brands looking to imitate Apple’s launch success must adopt a clear and defined mission statement, which will become the golden thread. With this in place, it’s easy for customers to understand where the product fits in their lives – and everyone behind the product’s marketing and design to understand for what they’re working.
Built around both the reason to exist and the golden thread is the brand’s story. Apple knows its product is better than the competition, but it won’t try and convince the consumer with a battery of specifications and dry performance stats.
People want to know what difference the product will make to their lives and a story can take them through that journey. By explaining the challenge and how it was overcome in human terms, you bring people with you.
It’s a competitive landscape out there for any brand. For Apple to stay on top for so long shows just how great it is at staying current and launching and creating products.
George Roberts is client director at Five by Five
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