Ok. So you are immediately going to lump me in with all the Apple crazies. Guilty as charged. However, have you ever asked yourself "why" we exist. I think we all have our reasons for getting up early Saturday morning to buy what some would call an "overpriced" big iPhone. Let me list you some of mine. Maybe it will help you to create that kind of devotion from your customers.
1. Unspoken Needs - This is a phrase that comes from The Ritz Carlton. It means to understand what your client wants before they know themselves. Apple does this better than anyone. I wasn't sure if I wanted an iPad. Really questioned what I would do with one. Until I sat down on my couch and realized just what I was missing. Browsing the apps, a book, or the internet with the iPad, is so different than a laptop. Yet it does more than a book. It is a casual digital experience. Something I will use after work. Read a digital magazine. Organize quotes in a digital book. Things I never really thought about. I trust Apple because they seem to understand me as a consumer. Then they deliver almost every time.
2. Marketing - I believe that everyone of us "wants" to be marketed. We love hearing a story that fits our world view. It's why people always believe their hair stylist, dentist, or doctor are the best. We want to think we already have it figured out. Apple makes me feel that I am a part of a community of people who love technology. That they are not just building gadgets, but they are producing art. So you say I am a victim of marketing, while I believe I am a beneficiary of it. I guess it's all in how you see it.
3. Early Adoption - Most people believe early adopters do it to be the first to have it. I guess that is part of the appeal. I would like to think I do it more for me. I think we are more like technological explorers who test the landscape for everyone to let them know if it's worth making the journey. Call it a justification, but I am sticking to it. All in all I like the experience of trying things early then spreading the good or bad news to everyone else.
The lesson I take away from Apple is that people want to have a relationship with those that offer goods and services. They want to know that those companies "get" them. That they care and are passionate about what they do. Once a company builds that kind of trust with their customers. The customer will do or pay almost anything to get their hands on it. Just look at me, my son, and the nearly 600 other crazies in the picture above. Don't worry. It was worth it :)
I look forward to your review of the iPad after a week of using it. It looks pretty cool, and I like your description of it providing a 'casual digital experience'.
Posted by: Tyler Jorgenson | April 05, 2010 at 01:36 PM