The intention of this paper has been to investigate why certain products become

cultural icons. Thediscussion is delimited to consumer products of technical

character with a strong relation tocontemporary culture. To reach our objective
we have conducted a case study in the form of a culturalmarketing analysis of
Apples iPod, by studying its cultural meaning for consumers and the factorsbehind
its immense popularity.Among the success factors identified is Apples strong
brand image of creativity, innovation andimagination, which has been well
transferred to the iPod. It was the community of Mac users thatcreated the initial
hype around the iPod, but through a deep connection to contemporary
popular culture, the iPod community has expanded with new groups not before
targeted by Apple. The iPodcommunity broadly exhibits traits of a brand
community, which increases perceived quality, brand loyalty, brand awareness
and brand associations.Through advertising and design, Apple has successfully
implemented the three levels of emotionaldesign into the iPod: The aesthetics of the
iPod, characterized by simplicity, provides an example of avisceral design, formed
according to values inherent in us as biological beings. The visceral designalso
comes out in the advertising where the all-white iPod stands out as a naturally
beautiful object. Inaddition, the advertising works at the reflective design level, and
connects the iPod with the conceptsof energy, joy, style, and youth culture.
Moreover, the iPods high usability is consistent with the concept of
behavioural design.The identity of the iPod, as created by the producers, has been
well mediated to consumers. However,this identity is multifaceted and provides
interpretive flexibility, which has contributed to its success.The iPod has acquired a
market position with wider connotations than being just an mp3-player. Ithas also
established a close connection with pop-cultural trends and become a
symbol for newconsumption patterns of music in modern society.
INTRODUCTION
Prior to 1979, portable music for private listening did not exist. Younger people could
be seen carryingaround so-called Ghetto Blasters, which were large
cassette players with a handle. The word portability then had an entirely
different meaning. In 1979, SONY released
The Walkman
, a cassetteplayer that came to redefine the meaning of portability and eventually
became a pop-cultural icon.During the last three years, the interest for portable mp3players has grown explosively. On November 18th 2002 Apple released the iPod,
which can be seen as the new generation of portable systems for playing music. The
iPod is a portable digital storage device with the main function of being a musicplayer
for mp3- files. The product has had a great impact on the market and is now a much
sought-after item among music lovers, Mac-fanatics, and people looking for
the latest, cool gadgets. TheWalkman became a part of our cultural universe and
the iPod might eventually be able to make thesame claim? But what exactly is it that
has made these products so successful, where does their popularity come from, and why
do people choose them?
1.1 Problem
The question posed in this thesis is why certain products become icons of
contemporary culture. Our discussion concerns a specific kind of category, namely
consumer products that have achieved aniconic status, a strong connection to
contemporary culture and that are mainly of technical character.As stated in the
introduction, an obvious artefact of comparison with the iPod is Sonys Walkman,

butother examples of iconic products might include the Volkswagen Beetle or the
Mini. They are not onlyexamples of effective marketing but have become symbols of their time.
1.2 Purpose
The intention of this project is to investigate our research question by doing a case
study of ApplesiPod which can be seen as a representative example of this type of
products and study the factorsbehind its immense popularity. To do this, we will
conduct a cultural marketing analysis of the productand investigate this artefacts
connotations and its cultural meaning for consumers.The purpose of this report is not
to come up with guidelines for how to develop a successful productwith an iconic
status, but rather to investigate one representative example of this category. We
believethat many of the ideas put forward and conclusions drawn in this paper also
can be applied to other products in the identified category, but not all of them.
Furthermore, the conclusions drawn will not beapplicable to just any brand or product
but merely provide an example of why one such product hassucceeded. Every brand
or product is different with unique characteristics and separate histories thatneed to
be taken into account.
Demarcations
In order to increase the validity of the research conducted in this study, the
obtained results andconclusions are delimited to consumer products of
technical character with a strong relation to contemporary culture. Even for this
very specified category though, the conclusion cannot be said tobe of universal
application. Furthermore, this analysis concerns primarily the US market
and our sources are mainly American, although the European market and Sweden
(where our focus group wasconducted) has partly been studied as well.As described in the
Method chapter below, the iPod is analysed in reference to issues concerning
theApple brand, marketing and consumption, within a theoretical framework
of these research areasconsidered important in regard to this particular product.
As this paper is a cultural analysis, focus ison connotations associated with the iPod
from a consumer behavioural perspective. Hence, the topicsof concern will not be
discussed from a strategic perspective but rather in an investigative
andconsequential way.
3.2 iPod
Most of us agree upon the idea that the iPod is a product of the time we live in. The
factors that madeit come into being are related to the technology behind the product,
but also to movements in modernculture and Apples creative capital.The iPod,
together with other models of portable mp3-players, is looked upon as a
technologicalbreakthrough by music-listeners of the world. The file-sharing
technology founded by Napster laid theground for an historic era of music-distribution
when the world of music consumers hailed free musicfor all! The need of making
downloaded music easily portable was created, and what eventually hasmade the
product category of mp3-players (of descent memory capacity) viable is that data
storagediscs have become small enough for this use. In the case of the iPod, its
capacity/size ratio is amongthe highest in the market, which attests Apples capacity
to put together top-of-the-line technology.
The iPods slim design and high technological capacity are more or less obvious
features, but it is alsoa socially constructed technological artefact resulting from a
hype dating back to the days of Napster
1

.In the wake of the iPod, Apple has launched the service iTunes, which is an interface
for downloadingand playing music. This is clearly a way of adding value to
the core product, but also possiblylegitimating the product after the
controversial Apple advertisement with its rip, mix, burn slogan.Moreover,
the iPod stars in American rapper 50 cents P.I.M.P. music video. This is
clearly aconscious choice, but why is it an iPod we see and not a just any mp3-player?Apple
has a reputation for its capability of innovation, product uniqueness, and being able
to thinkoutside of the box. In our opinion these are major factors for
success and the reason why their products cut through the clutter of consumer
electronics. Besides satisfying the basic functional needof listening to portable music
the iPod also represents something more; it provides unique value in theform of
certain emotional benefits.
Focus group of iPod users
The group consisted of four persons between the ages of 21 26 years, all students
at the RoyalInstitute of Technology, Stockholm. The focus group was carried out at
facilities of this school on June10th 2004. We realise that this is a very homogenous
group, looking at the total population. However,we did not try to put together a
constellation like this but tried to think of all iPod-users we knew of.This group might
be representative of iPod users in Sweden.
Connection between PC-users, Mac-users and iPod-users
Two of the group members were long-time Mac-users; they saw the iPod as a
natural extension of theM a c - s y s t e m
they are already using. They bought it as soon as it was released and one
of themembers had even upgraded to a second iPod during a one-year period. For
these two members thebuying decision did not come from an interest in the product
category of mp3-players but from the factthat Apple released an mp3-player. These
two users saw
no distinction between the iPod and Mac interms of lifestyle, concept or users; its all
Apple.
The third group member was a PC user and bought the iPod for its functionality
compared to other mp3-players.The fourth group member was a PC user when buying
the iPod but has now converted to Mac. Thisshows as evidence for a success in
Apples strategy to use the
iPod as a tool to make people consider Mac computers as an alternative to PC
.
About the iPod in terms of functional benefits
An important argument for all group members was that they saw the iPod as being
superior to other mp3-players in terms of function with its small size combined with
large storage space. One subjectsaid that when I first bought it, it was mainly for the
cool look, but when you start using it, it just getsbetter and better.Two group
members have had to call the Apple support due to problems with the iPod. They
wereboth extremely happy with the treatment from Apple who simply picked up the
broken iPods and sentback new ones
18It was stressed by some participants that the iPods big capacity/size ratio and its
full integration withthe rest of the Mac system were the main reasons for buying it.
About the iPod in terms of emotional and experiential benefits
The iPod was described with the words:

clean, good-looking, reliable, freedom, cool, status, it makesyou happy, typical

Sony product, classic Apple product, user-friendly, neat, an image
thing,realization of the self, reflects the Apple-identity
3
.It was said that if the iPod would be of another brand (e.g. Sharp) with everything
else unchanged, youmight not have paid attention to it. It was also said that
no other brand would come up with the iPod.
When asked to compare the iPod to other owned artefacts the iPod was
the most-liked one for everyone, in one case together with another artefact (an old
camera). For example everyone said thatthey were much more affectionate towards
their iPods than their mobile phones.
About iPod users
When the group was asked to describe the typical iPod user, they said that the
typical iPod user is thesame as the typical Mac user who was described as:
Conscious,
they are into interesting things, have a stronger relation to their computer
[than do PC-users], clubkid, DJ, designers, architect,aesthetic person, Know whats
going on, Music-interested people, urban people
4
.
The group was asked if they knew of any iPod-users that were not young males with
a special interestin technology as themselves. One member responded, Yes,
my friends dad has one. Hes anarchitect with the immediate answer from
another group member Thats because hes an architect.Apples strive to be
perceived as a brand for creators and innovators has clearly succeeded within
thisfocus group.
6.1.1 Aspects of the Apple Brand
There is little disagreement among marketers that Apples branding strategy has
been a successfulone. Former Apple marketing executive John Sculley says, People
talk about technology, but Applewas a marketing company (Wired News 2002).
Marketer Marc Gobe, author of the book
Emotional B r a n d i n g ,
takes this point even further and says, Apples brand is the key to its
survival. Its gotnothing to do with innovative products like the iMac or the iPod
(Wired News 2002). We do not shareGobes extreme view of the Apple brand but
think that to be able to keep the creative, innovative,rebellious myth living, Apple has
to perform in the long run. However, we realize that it is emotionalbenefits that
really differentiate Apple from competitors in the marketplace. Apple takes
part inextremely technology-driven product categories where computer capacity
doubles every 18 months
5
.For consumers to be able to relate to the ever-increasing clock frequencies, storagespaces, memorycapacities and so on, they need something easier to grip, something
concrete, and something morehuman. This human touch is something that
shines through the companys major advertisementcampaigns: In 1984
Apple gave power to the people through technology and in 1997 Apple
sitethemselves as a tool for creative people to break through and change the world.Apples
positioning of being an outsider, underdog or rebel is nothing new, but a fundamental,
ever-existing concept just like life, death, brotherhood or dominance. To

build a brand of such superior strength as Apple, timeless concepts like these
can be used. To succeed, careful respect has to bepaid both to the core values and
competitive advantages of the product itself, but it is also of utmostimportance how
a brand relates to the social surroundings (Holt 2003). Throughout the
history of Apples branding strategy, strong rebellious myths have been created
around the brand. The solutionto societys pressure to conform yourself to the public
measurements is to be strong in yourself andsay no. Dont let the world change you;
change the world. Think different.
6.1.2 Apple and iPod
When our focus group was asked questions whether another company could have
come up with theiPod, answers were that it is a typical Apple-product and that most
other competitors could not comeup with a similar product. The only other mentioned
company was Sony, who clearly has a reputationof being an innovative brand. We
are convinced that it takes a company of Apples creative heritage toproduce a
product like the iPod. As mentioned before, technology alone does not tell the full
story
20behind the iPod, it is something else that has made it differentiate from the rest of
mp3-players. It hasbeen given a design that seems to fit right into most stylish
contexts, from top Hip-Hop videos to a co-branding campaign with the sleek
Volkswagen New Beetle. The iPods appearance is one of the mainreasons for its
success, with a slim line look that has managed to attract people who had not
thoughtabout purchasing an MP3 player before. Throughout Apples history,
superior design and usabilityhave been key points for survival more than trying to
compete with price or performance. This traditionof considering the consumer in the
first place, to create a product that fits the needs of the consumer isthe foundation
of the Apple-philosophy. Through experience, Apple has created an
organizationalculture and built up a creative capital that makes them unmatched in
this way of working. For the firsttime Apple applied this accumulated experience on
another product category than computers, and outcame the iPod. Another way in
which Apple has created incomparable added value to the iPod, wasby making it fully
compatible with the existing Apple world of computers through hardware,
softwareand wetware
6
. The key feature of this integration is the iTunes interface for downloading and
listeningto music. It is a seamless connection between the iPod, computer and an
online music store wheremusic and music videos can be browsed and
instantly downloaded. It became the first legitimate music downloading service
and is viewed as a success in the business. For example, at 99 centseach, one million
songs were downloaded during the first week (NY Times, September 7, 2003).
6.1.3 The Apple Brand Community
The consumers of Macintosh computers are often used as an example to illustrate
how dedicatedconsumers can be towards a brand and the iPod consumers show a
similar kind of brand dedication.At the release of the iPod, the foundation of the iPod
community was laid by Macintosh users, whichwas testified by participants of our
focus group: Two users said they
see no distinction between theiPod and Mac in terms of lifestyle, concept or users; its
all Apple
. Moreover, it was said,
the typical iPod user is the same as the typical Mac user

. However, as the iPod-market has matured, groupsoutside of the Mac community

have joined the iPod community one example is youths, which isdiscussed later in
this report.We have applied the three markers of community stated in the
Brand Community
article (Muniz andOGuinn 2001) on the iPod. A note worth making is that we
consider Apple, Macintosh and iPod all asseparate but undoubtedly overlapping brands.
Consciousness of Kind:
Members of a brand community note a critical demarcation between usersof their
brand and users of other brands. In the case of iPod this would include all the ways
iPod-usersare differentiated from users of other mp3-players. In most contexts we
have encountered the iPod in,it has been referred to as something set apart from
other mp3-players. For example NY Times (Feb 15, 2004) writes about how
behavioural patterns change in New York because of the iPod not because
of mp3-players. As stated above, large parts of the Mac community have become
part of the iPod community. The Mac community is well known for clearly
differentiating themselves from others, for example through different online Web
communities (Muniz and OGuinn 2001, pp. 418-419). It follows that this is also a
natural characteristic of the community of iPod users. One user saysIts a society
within itself Youve got your biker community, your hip-hop community,
and nowyouve got your iPod community. (
NY Times
February 15, 2004)
Rituals and Traditions
: Typical ways in which rituals and traditions strengthen the culture of a
brandcommunity are to celebrate the history of the brand, to share brand stories or to
share consumptionexperiences. A well-known brand story that Macintosh users like
to tell is the Mac immunity, whichtells about times when IBM computers were
plagued by viruses whilst there are no existing viruses for Macintosh computers.
Another way the Macintosh community celebrates the history of the brand is
byshowing nostalgic pictures of old classic computer models.The history of the iPod is too
short to find a wide celebration of it. However, some other strong ritualsand traditions
can be found. An example of a consumption experience that is unique for iPod
usersare the so-called iParties that are coming up mostly in London and New York.
APT Club in New York(http://www.aptwebsite.com), BarTwenty3 in Nashville,
and Nambucca in London (http://www.ipod- dj.com/playlist/) all host iParties. On
these nights, the turntables are replaced by a set of iPods andh o s t i n g i D J s
with names like iMoon and iMickey spin on
t h e i r i P o d s (http://kr.typepad.com/music_business/images/iPartyEmailer.html).
The interesting thing about thesenights is not that Djs play music from a digital
source which has been done for quite a while now but that everyone can bring
their iPod, plug it in and be the iDJ. Voluntary Djs get to stay up either for a set period
of time or until they get booed off the stage in an old-school rap battle fashion. This
isnothing that Apple officially has anything to do with although it does not seem
impossible that Applewould push for these types of events to create word-ofmouth effects among the right people.However, at the end of the day it might
not matter, iPod users still take part of this unique consumptionexperience, which
reinforces the iPod brand community.
Another example of how iPod users share consumption experiences is by sharing
pictures of their iPods on public online photo galleries

(http://galleries.ipodlounge.com). IPod users show their iPods indifferent geographic

locations from all continents around the globe. Popular ways to display ones iPodis
together with another object (e.g. a puppy, another Apple product or
another personal favouriteobject), together with a person (e.g. a baby or a
womans body in bikini), or most popularly - in theforeground of a well-known
tourist attraction (e.g. the Eiffel tower or the Disneyland) or
beautifulscenery. The practice of sharing pictures of ones iPod from all
over the globe is particularlyinteresting, looking at Muniz and OGuinns definition
of a brand community that states that it is a non-geographically bound community.
Users of the iPod obviously feel part of a global community andenjoy sharing, viewing
and commenting on other members pictures.

6.2.1 Target Market

An obvious target market for the iPod is that of Macintosh users, but Apple
is also breaking newground by releasing a product for an open system. Some
experts mean that the choice to make theiPod compatible with PCs is a long-term
strategy to sell more Macintosh computers. This is somethingthat Apple chief
financial officer Fred Anderson testifies. He says We believe the Music
Store for Windows will lead to more iPod sales and generate more Mac sales in the
future (Macworld DailyNews 2003). The logic: By making PC-users buy an Apple
product, and maybe also use the iTunessoftware/service to listen/download music,
they might see Macintosh as an alternative when buying acomputer. The identity
of the new iMac G5 is clearly an elongation of the switching strategy. It
ispositioned as the computer counterpart to the iPod (www.apple.com). By making
the iPod a productfor an open system like mp3, new segments are opening up.
Traditionally, Apple has been working inclosed market-spheres of creators, designers
and schools, but now they are also targeting what isprobably the most attractive
target audience of all: Youths. It is mostly in the American market thatApple is
making this new positioning claim through advertisements and celebrity
endorsementsrelating to Hip-Hop culture. Evidence that Apples new positioning is
a successful one is that it is found on second place of the list of must-have-products
among U.S. school kids.
6.2.2 Competition
The most apparent competition is constituted by the expanding range of mp3players. In comparison,the iPod is at the high-end of the spectrum when it comes to
price, performance and design eventhough competitors are catching up.
However, we think that the iPod can enjoy some first-mover advantages the tangible part of any gadget can be copied, but not the non-tangible
ones. For example the iPod has pre-emptied the position of connecting with
celebrities and Hip-Hop culture. If other mp3-players will do the same they will be
viewed upon as followers. A conscious strategy fromApple is that in all contexts the
iPod has been referred to as the iPod and not something like Applesnew mp3player. A proof that the iPod has been able to clearly differentiate itself from the rest
of mp3-players, is that according to a survey made by youth attitude analyst LookLook over what cool newgadgets have been heard of, the iPod is on second place
while mp3-player is found on place number six (
Macworld Daily News
2003)

Moreover, the iPod also competes in a relevant way with a range of

product categories. On thementioned list of must-have products the iPod
competes with picture-taking mobile phones, limitededition sneakers and palm pilots.
It seems to compete for spending-money more with other productcategories and
status symbols than other products of the same category (i.e. mp3-players). This
canalso be observed in our focus group results. For most of the participants, the
decision to buy the iPoddid not come from a primary interest in the mp3-product
category. Instead, they bought an mp3-player because the iPod came out.
6.2.3 Promotion
An equally important dimension as the design and usability of a product is the
promotion of it. If thecompetitive advantages of the iPod are not well communicated
to the public, they virtually do not exist.The initial buzz about the iPod was created by
the community of Mac users around the globe (Munizand OGuinn 2001). Most of
these surely heard about the iPod through community websites and word-of-mouth
long before it is was officially promoted and released. We have used Normans
Emotionaldesign model when looking at the promotional activities for the iPod. As
stated by Norman Advertisingcan work on either the visceral or the reflective level
(Norman 2004, p.87).One advertisement consists of the iPod against a plain
white background. This is obviously astatement made by Apple: iPod is the hero
and need no other connotations; it is strong enough initself. A conscious effect of this
is that every individual connects the product with different meaningsthrough
personal semantic associations. The iPods semiotic meaning
consequently obtains amultifaceted character and its polysemism provides the
consumer with interpretive flexibility. This admore alludes to the iconic status already
possessed by Apple as a company and tries to extend thisstatus to the iPod. If we
look at this ad from the perspective of Normans emotional design model, itclearly
tries to speak to the viewer on the visceral design level. Norman takes up iMac as an
exampleof visceral design and the iPod is right on the same track. In this ad, the iPod
itself is not alluding to acontext to create Halo effects, but instead addresses the
viewer directly at the biological plane as anaturally beautiful and desirable object.
Another advertisement for the iPod shows silhouettes of people dancing
against monochromebackgrounds of different colours. This advertising line is
consistently found on the Apple homepage,on iPod packaging, on TV, on billboards
and in magazines and it is the only iPod advertising campaignon a larger and global
scale. The moving picture versions found on the Apple homepage and TV
areaccompanied by music by for example American rap group Black Eyed
Peas. The all-white iPodclearly stands out in the stylized, minimalist imagery,
fuelling the black silhouettes with energy and joy.This ad consistently goes along with
the iconic theme of the first one, even though more hints aboutthe iPods
personality are given through music and dance. From the perspective of
NormansEmotional Design theory, this advertisement line is attaching a consistent
image to the iPod at thereflective level. Advertising working at the reflective level is all
about message, about culture, andabout the meaning of a product or its use. As
apart from visceral design, which directly affects theemotional plane of a consumer,
and behavioural design, which is about how a product actually works,reflective
design is about what cultural meaning is transferred to an object from a context. In
this ad,key concepts that connect with the reflective aspect of the iPod are energy,
joy, minimalism and style.

In the Pods Unite print- and TV campaign, Apple co-brands with another iconic
brand: Volkswagen.The deal is to get a free iPod with your New Beetle: What is
interesting about the campaign however,is not the deal but the choice of partner. In
an article about the campaign, Alison Overholt talks abouta marriage between two
classic underdog brands and A psychographic match made in
heaven(Fastcompany 2003). President of strategist consultancy ReasonInc Marc Babej comments theiconicity of the two brands on Brandweek.com
(www.reason-inc.com/pdf/Brandweek_0603.pdf): thebest ads for VW and Apple
feature the product in front of a plain white background. A Beetle or aniPod is unique
anything else would distract. The Beetle and the iPod are icons of two
generationsand by building a bridge between the two, a symbiotic relationship is the
result: the Beetle acquires apiece of modern pop-culture and the iPod connects with
an established cultural icon.
The iconic uniqueness of the iPod, and its differentiation from regular mp3-players
can be further observed through its distribution. In consumer electronic
stores, the iPod is not placed next to the crowd of other mp3-players, but exhibited in
its own showcase
7
Other than pushing the iconic appearance of the iPod, it also associates
itself with a number of celebrities in different ways. It can be seen in music videos
by American rapper 50 Cents and RnB-artists like Mary J Blige and Jennifer Lopez.
Neil Strauss of
The New York Times
(Sep 7, 2003) writes:The rapper and the women are dressed all in white, a perfect
match for the sleek white design of theiPod, which has exactly as many close-ups as
50 Cent does in the P.I.M.P. videos opening scenes.In the US, hip-hop and RnB
culture is closely linked to youth-culture in general and Hip-Hop culturehas a trendsetting influence among young people. This can be witnessed in the American
Billboardlist of most sold songs, which holds a significant number of songs belonging
to this category of music.For example, at the time of the release of 50 Cents P.I.M.P.
video, nine out of ten songs on the listwere hip-hop/RnB singles (October 2003).
Other well-known celebrities spotted with the iPod are David Beckham and Madonna.
That this is aplanned strategy could be further witnessed at the release of iTunes for
Windows in San Francisco,where Steve Jobs talks with Bono, Dr Dre and Mick
Jagger via webcam
8
. Whether it is a question of paid endorsements or not is difficult to find out, seen from
the artists point of view, the iPod is likely tobe a cool item of choice, with an
inverse endorsement effect; the artist acquires the positive connotations
associated with the iPod. Conversely iPod acquires some superstar associations that
areunheard of in the world of mp3-players, and hardly matched by any other gadget.
In the U.S., the iPodhas mostly connected itself with celebrities of the world of Hiphop. Like most other things in the caseof iPod, this is no coincidence.
6.3 Consumption
6.3.1 iPod as a cultural artefact
Analogous to the Sony Walkman as described by Du Gay - the iPod, seen as a
cultural artefact canbe defined as something that is not only a part of our culture; it
has also acquired a culture of its ownwith particular meanings. These meanings
have mainly been created through the representationalpractice of
advertising and how the product has connected with pop cultural themes.

Some of theconnotations the iPod has come to be associated with so far are youthculture, technical gadgetry, andtrend. But what is more important, the iPod also has the
associations normally linked to Apples brand.
6.3.2 Perspectives on consumption
If consumption is seen according to the production of consumption theory,
as introduced by theFrankfurt School, this would imply that the iPods meaning
already has been defined by Apple and allconsumers have the same perception of
the product. In addition, it would mean that all consumershave the same needs in
relation to the iPod. We would like to put emphasis on the
productspredestined meanings and call attention to their impact on
individual consumers. The producers behind the iPod have tried hard to
inscribe meanings into the product and succeeded well in positioning it among
consumers, which agrees well with this theory. Nevertheless, Baudrillards notionof
semantic meaning created from use and consumers individual interpretations is
highly relevant inthis case: people use it differently depending on their separate
needs even though their interpretationof the object very much has been
influenced by the mechanisms of cultural mediation such as marketing, design,
and advertising (Du Gay et al. 1997).
6.3.3 Consumption and the formation of identities
In addition to an objects use value Baudrillard also argues for an identity value. In
this way the iPodcan be interpreted as an indicator of social and cultural
difference and subsequently work as amedium of communication in itself. As
noted by Slater (1997) the meanings involved in consumptionare shared but
individual preferences form within consumer cultures as well and through
culturallyspecific forms of consumption we not only produce but also reproduce
cultures. Our focus group sawtheir consumption of the iPod as a way of reinforcing
and fulfilling their own self-image. It reproducedtheir own identity by sharing the same
associations that they perceived in themselves.To facilitate consumers expression of
individual identities, accessories are available to accompany theiPod. Besides
cases in different colours, famous designers have made their own cases so
thatconsumers can further strengthen their personal preferences, taste, and lifestyle.
There are also other accessories to fit sports enthusiasts, handbag with builtin speakers and much more. Apple alsorepresents a lifestyle of its own and the
use of the companys products becomes an expression initself. For instance, many
professionals working in creative fields of work use Apple. These users canthen be
said to reproduce the Apple culture and take part of its associations.
6.3.4 Consumption as status symbol
Slater also explains how certain artefacts and their consumption can work
as status symbols bymeans of imitating high status groups life-styles. This can be
observed in the way that rap artists actas pop-cultural icons for street-culture.
However, we believe that our focus group is more or less representative for
Swedish consumers view of the iPod, whereas the street-culture phenomenon
ismore abundant in the US.
6.3.5 Consumption and needs
According to Maslow, once basic needs have been materially fulfilled, the
cultural aspect of consumption manifests itself and the meaning of things becomes
more important than their functionaluse to meet a real need. One might ask oneself:
what constitutes a real need? Can the need to carryaround 40 GB of music in your
pocket possibly be categorized into one of these? Slater (1997) arguesthat culture
constitutes the needs, objects and practices that make up consumption. In this view,

theneed for mobile storage space and music has existed for quite some time; the
Walkman and Zip-drivetook care of that. However, with the iPod these needs
are being redefined and reinforced; thepossibility to keep this much information in your
pocket has not been there before.
The iPod represents different things for different people, depending on
which needs it fulfils. Theseparate meanings people attach to it can be seen as
different semantic networks. A sharp contrast ishere discerned between the Apple
loyalists and younger people influenced by street-cultural trends.For the former group
it is almost a question of fulfilling basic needs, whereas for the others the
artefactmainly acts as a luxury good. As seen in the focus group the iPod was merely
a natural choice of purchase in capacity of an Apple extension. Advertising
consequently has added other meanings; it isno longer a matter of just listening to
music, the significations have extended to aesthetics, trends, andstatus. It should
here be stressed that when asked what the most important factor behind
purchasewas, our focus group in unison concluded that it was the functional benefits
in terms of capacity anddesign that were most decisive. However, it was also pointed
out that if another company than Apple,like Sharp for example, had made the iPod it
might very well have surpassed their notice. The productwas also seen as something
expected by Apple and described as a typical Apple product. What ismore, we
believe that an integrative approach is necessary when analysing the reasons for
purchasedecision where the Apple trademark, advertising and design all
work together to form the overallimpression.
6.3.6 Advertising and the construction of meaning
The sub-cultural analysis conducted by Willis and Hediges whose results
supports the view of consumers as cultural experts who use artefacts to
form identities explains Apples marketingcampaign directed towards hiphop as a trendsetting sub-culture. Whether the iPods existence in music
videos by 50 Cents and Mary J Blige, is product placement or not so far remains a
secret, butthe aforementioned artists, as well as The Black Eyed Peas has high
street-culture credibility in theUS, which Apple most certainly is aware of.
Furthermore, through the association of iPod with pop-cultural icons, Apple surely
hopes to extend this association to become part of the iPod itself.
6.3.7 Transformation of meaning
Material and cultural artefacts meaning constantly undergoes a
transformation through a processtermed Production of meaning. The iPod has
taken on a different meaning now than at the time of itslaunch. The first iPod users
were Apple fanatics, technical gadgeters and people with a deeply rootedinterest in
music. Along with recent ads appealing to a younger audience by alluding to streetculturaltrends, a new market segment not targeted by Apple before has given the
product an altered meaning.Youth attitude analyst
Look-Looks
research suggests that the iPod and Apple's market appeal isabout to move
beyond Apple's traditional constituencies among professionals and the middle
class(Macworld Daily News Sept 5, 2003). One theory is that Apple first noticed the
fetish-like obsessionwith the iPod among certain pop-cultural idols and then followed
up this trend by further consolidatingthis image.
6.3.8 The Future of iPod

The iPod has pre-emptied a position in the market that gives it a strong competitive
advantage. WithiTunes, Apple has obtained media-synergies and established
a strong foothold in the market that
34consists not only of mp3-players, but also of other cool gadgets. In the US, the
iPod has had greatsuccess among consumers and is a much sought-after item. In
Europe however, marketing effortshave not been as great, which we think has been
for the detriment of Apple, and on this side of theocean we believe that the iPods
commercial success is still in its initial stage, where most owners sofar belong to the
category of innovators/early adopters. However, sales are gaining momentum andwill
probably continue to rise. In Sweden the iTunes feature of downloading music is for
example stillnot available to consumers. On the other hand, the Windows edition of
the program has boosted iPodsales. A threat to the iPod is the second version
of Napster, which is industry-sanctioned and consequently legal. This edition of
Napster provides songs in a new Windows media format that is notsupported by
iPod.The music industry and related technologies are changing fast, which put
products in a vulnerableposition in relation to market forces. However, these
changes make other, human factors moreimportant. Consumers need
something easy to grip and relate to in the clutter of technological gadgets.
This is where Apples brand and marketing has a major significance.
CONCLUSION
The question posed in this thesis is why certain products become icons of
contemporary culture. Toanswer this question, we have conducted a case study in
the form of a cultural marketing analysis of Apples iPod, which can be seen as a
representative example of this type of products, and studied thisartefacts cultural
meaning for consumers and the factors behind its immense popularity.Many of the
results and conclusions obtained in this paper can probably be applied to other
productswithin the identified category of consumer products of technical
character with a strong relation tocontemporary culture. However, the
conclusions are not universal and should be applied with care.Most of all, this report
provides an example of why one such product has succeeded. Furthermore,
our analysis has mainly concerned the US market.One of the keystones behind the
iPods success is the Apple brand. Ever since Apples foundation andthe introduction
of the first Macintosh, the company has succeeded in maintaining the
associationsand myths around the brand where creativity, innovation and imagination
have been keywords. Thesesame myths and associations were passed on to the iMac and
now lately the iPod.From day one the iPod was surrounded by the Apple aura; the initial
hype around it was created byMac users who also laid the foundation of the iPod
community. This community of loyal consumersthen expanded when groups outside
the Mac community who had not been targeted by Apple beforewere attracted,
mainly through association of the product with pop-cultural phenomena in
Americanyouth-culture. The only ones that can give a product an iconic status are the
consumers. The unbiasedopinions, acts and statements of people on the street are
far more credible than any profit-drivenorganization and this is where the
uniqueness of the iPod lies. The iPod community, consisting of alliPod users, creates
meaning for the product; the way people use, talk about, wear and act with theiPod
affects its image. The community also reinforces the iPods perceived
quality, brand loyalty,brand awareness, and brand associations.Through advertising
and design, Apple has successfully implemented all three levels of
Normansemotional design model into the iPod. The aesthetics of the iPod,
characterized by simplicity, soft linesand timelessness, provides an example of a

visceral design, formed according to values inherent in usas biological beings. The
visceral design also comes out in the advertising where the all-white iPodstands out
in the stylized, minimalist imagery as a naturally beautiful object. In addition, the
advertisingworks at the reflective design level, and connects the iPod with the
concepts of energy, joy, style, andyouth culture. Moreover, Apple has a tradition of
considering the consumer in the first place and duringthe development of iPod,
emphasis was put on usability by creating a product that would fit
theconsumers needs. This is consistent with the concept of behavioural design.
36People are different, and even though a product or an ad from an objective point of
view might lookthe same, consumers will still make individual interpretations
of them. Producers try to encodeproducts with certain meanings, and for some
consumers these meanings will coincide with their ownimage of the product but not
for everyone. The more people who interpret the producers intendedmessage in the
right way, the more successful the positioning of the product will be. In capacity
of consumers we use artefacts to reinforce our own identity and transfer
their associations andconnotations to ourselves.The identity of the iPod, as created
by the producers, has been well mediated to consumers. However,this identity is
multifaceted and provides interpretive flexibility, which has contributed to its
success.The fact that the iPod was placed second on 2003 years list of
most wanted gadgets amongteenagers (with mp3-players on sixth place) proves
that it has acquired a market position with wider connotations than being just an
mp3-player. The iPod has established a close connection with pop-cultural trends
and become a symbol for new consumption patterns of music in modern society as
acontemporary cultural icon. Technology is changing faster than ever and predictions
are hard to make,but Apple has clearly shown their innovative capacity and
gained competitive advantage by pre-emptying a position on the market for the
iPod. Rivals have introduced similar devices and the tangiblepart of any gadget
can be copied, but not the non-tangible ones. When the pace of
technologicalchange is constantly accelerating, consumers need something they can
understand and relate to.