ODonohue 1

Cory ODonohue
Professor Bain-Conkin
Multimedia Writing and Rhetoric
14 April 2015
Apples Revolutionary Marketing Campaign:
The Ingredients for Success
An Apple a day keeps the doctor away. Many people in the United States appear
to live according to this motto. In 2012, half of all American households owned at least
one Apple product; of those fifty-five million households, the average home contained
three Apple products.1 Once a family buys one Apple device, more Apple products tend
to make their way into the home. People who own iPhones, iPads, and Macs, which are
among the most popular Apple products, use these devices every day. Undeniably,
Apples marketing campaign succeeded to create a brand name for the company. Today,
while the consumption of apples a day might very well be decreasing, the use of an Apple
a day is undoubtedly increasing. Apple inundated humanity through three ps:
penetration of society, presentation of merchandise, and perception of products. This
three-sided attack built the most influential and profitable company in the world.
Penetration: Apples marketing campaign originally reached the masses through
advertisements. Apples commercials are unmistakable. One of Apples original
commercials titled 1984 made a lasting impact even though it aired only once, during
the 1984 Super Bowl.2 Most people do not know who even played in the 1984 Super
Bowl or who won, but many people recall the most wowing commercial: 1984. Both
experts and viewers agree that Apples 1984 is the best Super Bowl advertisement of

1Gralnick,Jodi."HalfofU.S.HomesOwnAppleProducts."USATODAY.COM.N.p.,
28Mar.2012.Web.08Apr.2015.
2 Smith,Jacquelyn.ExpertsandViewersAgree:Apples1984IsTheBestSuper
BowlAdOfAllTime.Forbes.com.N.p.,30Jan.2012.Web.12Apr.2015.

ODonohue 2
all time.3 This is no mistake. Apples iconic commercials continue today. In one
campaign, Apple had silhouettes dancing while holding an iPod in front of a bright
screen. The white iPod was clearly and effortlessly identifiable. Around the same time,
first airing in 2006, Apple launched the easily recognizable Get a Mac campaign.4 Two
men, one representing Mac and one representing PC, had verbal debates that displayed
Apples superiority over the competition. Most recently, Apple produced tearful and
memorable commercials. In 2010, the Facetime campaign showed parents and
grandparents enjoying various, important life events such as key baby moments and
graduation over Facetime. The last couple Christmases, Apple aired a commercial with a
family member taping the family get-together on his phone. Francis Skipper, the
executive vice president of 451 Marking, argues, While Apple plays up the human
connection and lifestyle components of its brand, Samsung focuses on product features
and humor (usually at Apple's expense).5 Apple relates to its customers through the
advertising campaigns. The company does not bash the competition. Apple does not
want to say, but rather, wants to show how its products are superior. The companys
commercials use everyday examples to create a bond between the consumer and the
product, an aspect that the competition misses.
These advertisement campaigns caused the Apple brand to become well known
throughout the globe. In todays world, children are often the recipients of commercials.
Children have a tendency to crave technology and the coolest item on the market.
3 Smith,Jacquelyn.ExpertsandViewersAgree:Apples1984IsTheBestSuper
BowlAdOfAllTime.
4 Berman,Jillian.ApplesGreatestAds:TheFirstThirtyFiveYears(PHOTOS).The
HuffingtonPost.N.p.,06Oct.2011.Web.12Apr.2015.
5Dupre,Elyse.Battleofthebrands:Apple'smarketingdoesthejob;Samsungsisless
thangalactic.DMNewsNov.2013:42+.BusinessInsights:Essentials.ProQuest,n.d.
Web.12Apr.2015.

ODonohue 3
Skipper, the executive vice present of a renown marketing company, argues that iPhone
owners have a reputation for elitism, that only the cool people have these.6 Although
Skipper sees this as a negative, Apple desires this reputation. Apple wants its devices to
be the cool thing to have. In reality, this characteristic drives business. Many fewer
Apple products would be purchased if the company were merely average. The lit apple
on the front of a Mac or a silver apple on an iPhone is a symbol of elegance and prestige.
Much like the Cs on Coach handbags or the eagle on American Eagle clothing, the logo
represents a cool and fashionable product and brand.
Adolescents have fallen into this, Apples, marketing campaign as expected. In April
2014, a study concluded that over sixty percent of teenagers owned an iPhone.7 Many
more teenagers want an Apple product because their friends have them; of the thirty-nine
percent of teenagers who own an iPhone, sixty-seven percent claimed that they planned
to buy one in the next six months. Apple is one of the best companies at creating the
bandwagon effect. When a friend purchases a new iPhone, many times the discussion
quickly turns to an evaluation of Apple. At this point, the Apple name is kept in
everyones head. The name becomes commonplace. Hearing the Apple name and seeing
the apple logo on products might very well cause the non-iPhone user to switch to an
iPhone. This scenario appears to happen quite often.
Presentation: Apple displays its products to the world unlike any other company.
Steve Jobs, the face of Apple, pioneered the revelation of products that is unique to
Apple. His presentation captured audiences around the world, while media outlets
6 Dupre,Elyse.Battleofthebrands:Apple'smarketingdoesthejob;Samsungsisless
thangalactic.
7"U.S.TeensFavorIPhone,OtherAppleProducts,StudyShows."NYDailyNews.
DailyNews,09Apr.2014.Web.08Apr.2015.

ODonohue 4
constantly covered the event from start to finish. No other company competes with
Apple in this regard. Windows tried to replicate Apples success with such an event for
the Windows Surface; to say that the technology within the tablet failed is an
understatement. The presenter had to run behind a counter to exchange the tablet with
the glitch. Everyone in attendance knew that Windows was attempting to reproduce
Apples signature event. By having the technology crash, Windows not only failed as a
corporation but more importantly, Windows allowed the competition, Apple, to become
even more superior. Apple devices are not perfect. They do have their glitches as well,
but unlike Windows, Apple never fails in the national spotlight when it all counts.
Furthermore, every Apple store is unlike any other place of purchase. Besides
Windows stores, most computers besides Macs are bought at stores such as Walmart or
Best Buy or online. These types of stores are not devoted solely to computers and any
specific brand. With toiletries, video games, food, and clothing around, customers at
Walmart easily get distracted. At the same time, Sony, Dell, HP, and Windows are right
next to each other in the store. This causes customers to split their demand over several
computers. Apple displays its products differently. The Apple Store has only Apple
products. No competitors are present to distract the customer. Moreover, the experience
at the Apple Store is unique. One of the many, on-hand Apple workers greet the
customer. These workers are not only able to find the right product for the consumer, but
they can also fix any mishaps in products. Nick Wingfield from The Wall Street Journal
states, Analysts and customers have praised Apple store workers for their fluency in the
company's products. A highlight of the stores is the genius bar, a section where technical

ODonohue 5
experts help customers fix problems with their Macs and iPods, often free of charge.8
Somehow, all Apple users end up in the Apple Store. Whether purchasing a new device,
learning how to use it, or repairing an item, Apple found a way to draw the customer into
the store, allowing them more time to look at and potentially buy an item.
In addition, the stores layout epitomizes Apple devices, especially the Mac. The magic
starts on the exterior of the Apple store: The big, large apple is unmistakable. A
consumer does not need to read Apple Inc. to know it is the store. This allows one to
recognize the store from far away. In fact, this apple is a universal symbol: No language
is needed to notice the Apple brand. Also on the exterior, glass windows allow the
strolling shopper to look into the store without any obstructions; no advertisements are
obscuring the onlookers vision. One glance inside, and the passerby is often drawn in by
the rest of the stores allure. Inside, the Apple Store displays the items on table, allowing
the shelves to be plain and clutter-free.9 The inventory is nowhere to be seen. Upon
purchasing a product, an Apple worker brings out the item from behind closed doors.
This creates a feeling of receiving a present, allowing the customer to psychologically
justify spending one or two thousand on one device. In addition, the store represents a
Mac through the material used to build it. The wood tables create a sense of elegance;
the metal walls produce a feeling of being inside a Mac and a sense of being sleek; and
the inability to see inventory and having a concrete, carpet-free ground creates a sense of
a clean product. Blair Kamin from the Chicago Tribune shares, It's the ultimate dream
of order Yet even if you know that the Apple store is doing everything it can to seduce
you with the illusion of a perfectly ordered, clutter-free computing world, it's one very
8 Wingfield,Nick.HowApple'sStoreStrategyBeattheOdds.WallStreetJournal,
Easterneditioned.May172006.ProQuest.Web.13Apr.2015.
9 Wingfield,Nick.HowApple'sStoreStrategyBeattheOdds.

ODonohue 6
stylish seduction.10 The psychological effects that the Apple Store produces are many
times too much to overcome. This subliminal messaging by Apple is unseen by most, yet
they may leave the store spending hundreds, if not thousands of dollars because of this
practice. In essence, Apple has mastered the art of seduction.
Product: Apple has individualized their items, yet they are all synced and have easily
recognizable names. The operating systems Yosemite for Macs and iOS for iPhone and
tablets allow the family of Apple devices to communicate effortlessly. This project,
called Continuity, allows users to start a task such as a phone call, email, or text on a
Mac, for instance, and end the task on an iPhone or iPad.11 If customers see this
communication, he or she is more inclined to purchase another Apple product to make
this compatibility possible. If a Mac can easily communicate with an iPhone, many
people will not buy a Samsung Galaxy, for example, since it does not provide the same
amenities. The idea behind Continuity allows consumers to be more inclined to stay
within the Apple family of products.
Moreover, when purchasing any of the Apple products, the customer exactly knows what
the item is. Apple has specific names for its devices: Mac, iPad, iPod, Apple TV, and
Apple Watch. While some competitors have recognizable names, much of the
competition has what appear to be random names for their items. To illustrate,
BestBuy.com sells the Yoga 2 Pro 2-in-1, Lenovo G50, Lenovo Edge, and the
LenovoY50. These are names of Lenovo laptops, yet the differences between each
model are not clear through the name. On its website, Dell sells the 3000 Series, 6
10 Kamin,Blair.Tribune,architecturecritic."AppleStoreStylishlyReinforcesBrand."
ChicagoTribune:8.Jun292003.ProQuest.Web.13Apr.2015.
11 Chen,BrianX."AppleUnveilsIOS8andOSXYosemiteatDeveloperConference."
TheNewYorkTimes.N.p.,02June2014.Web.12Apr.2015.

ODonohue 7
Series, Education Series, and Rugged Series. The numbers mean nothing to the
average person. In order to know the product, hours of research must be conducted. On
the other hand, Apple has fewer variations of products and the differences are words, not
numbers. A MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro are the only variation of laptops
Apple has. For the typical Apple user and even the non-Apple aficionado, the words
MacBook Air easily conjure an image and the advantages of the product. Apple keeps
various models simple to recognize by refraining from adding random names or numbers.
In all, Apples marketing campaign has been successful because of the three ps:
penetration, presentation, and product. The marketing campaign has made Apple the
most successful company in the world. With the help of a nearly forty percent profit
margin on the 74.5 million iPhones sold in the last quarterthree monthsof 2014,
Apple had record breaking profits. The $18 billion profit in this quarter was the largest
ever for a public company. Adding this amount to the total reserves creates a $142 billion
reserve for Apple.12 According to USA Today, Apple is the second most profitable
company in the entire world, only behind the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China.13
All this profit has increased the value of Apples stock exponentially. Since 2003,
Apples stock has increased sixty fold, and since the summer of 2013, in a year and a
half, Apples stock has more than doubled. Apples legacy has already been established.
Apples marketing campaign will not go away and will continue to make the company
more profitable every day.
WorksCited
12 ApplePoststheBiggestQuarterlyProfitinHistory.BBCNews.N.p.,28Jan.
2015.
13 Hess,AlexanderEM,andThomasC.Frohlich."TheMostProfitableCompaniesin
theWorld."USAToday.24/7WallSt.,25Oct.2014.Web.13Apr.2015.

ODonohue 8
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HuffingtonPost.N.p.,06Oct.2011.Web.12Apr.2015.
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<http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/03/technology/applewwdcupdatemac
ios.html>.
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thangalactic."DMNewsNov.2013:42+.BusinessInsights:Essentials.
ProQuest,n.d.Web.12Apr.2015.
<http://bi.galegroup.com.proxy.library.nd.edu/essentials/article/GALE|
A355151841/fe30c0be789d9fba76c215b7a394772e?u=nd_ref>.
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productsushomes/53827254/1>.
Hess,AlexanderEM,andThomasC.Frohlich."TheMostProfitableCompaniesinthe
World."USAToday.24/7WallSt.,25Oct.2014.Web.13Apr.2015.

ODonohue 9
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%253A%252F%252Fwww.forbes.com%252Fsites%252Fjacquelynsmith
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thebestsuperbowladofalltime%252F>.
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Easterneditioned.May172006.ProQuest.Web.13Apr.2015.

ODonohue 10
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