Communication Without Words: How Utilities Can Become Visible to Their Customers (original) (raw)
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2020
Relatively little attention has been given to the process of evolution of Apple from a disruptive brand towards a morally and culturally invested company. Specifically, there are few studies on Apple identity and advertising. Furthermore, how organizational and brand identity interact and how identity change can be facilitated through mediated communication are not yet fully understood. This thesis aims at understanding the evolution of Apple's communication through commercials over the past 36 years. By linking together advertisement and organizational identity change, the thesis investigates how Apple managed its corporate identity through the lens of organizational identity. The goal of this thesis is, thus, to answer the following question: How and why has the organizational identity of Apple evolved from being a disruptive brand to a moral and culturally invested brand, while preaching the same ideals through advertisement? The thesis applies semiotic analysis and critical discourse analysis to 14 of Apple's audiovisual commercials, from 1984 till the present day, to generate a detailed overview of how Apple has evolved its corporate identity through advertising. The use of this multimodal methodology uncovers the (in)consistencies in the flow of meaning construction as it allows us to analyse the discursive strategies in the process of identity construction. Accordingly, the visual corpus is first investigated through semiotics to disclose any hidden discursive regimes of meaning, after which the cumulative findings of the overall corpus outline the process of identity construction and change throughout the timeframe of the corpus. The results reveal that the construction and expression of the Apple organizational identity are done through the use of the discursive regimes of utopia and dystopia in two very distinct ways. First, the discursive regimes of technological utopia and dystopia are used as strategies to push the world forward towards technological utopia and technological integration. Second, the discursive regimes of societal utopia and dystopia are used to portray Apple's technology as tools to create a better world, shifting the discourse from technology/innovation driven to humanitarian. These two strategies reflect the shifting social tensions surrounding the technological stigma of personal computing within the domestic sphere. With its focus on the usability of technology, Apple has managed to usher in the era of the technology-infused society as we know it today. Due to their capable advertisement campaigns, Apple has dismantled the anti-technological discourse through the use of technological utopianism and dystopianism as discursive strategies to market their products.
The Inc.redible risks of using myths! or how Apple has maintained different
2015
Myths have been used for a long time; to tell a story and to teach something. However, it is not until recently it has attracted attention in the marketing field. Communicating through myths contributes to a stronger relationship with customers and the customers buy a brand's products to consume the myth. One of the greatest difficulties with the use of myths is to maintain the myth credible over time. The aim of this research has been to study how successful brands can maintain credibility of their myths. In this study we conduct a case study of one successful brand, Apple, to obtain a deeper insight of how a brand can maintain the myth credible. This has been analysed together with a theoretical discussion, mainly with a cultural strategy approach. Hence, we compiled a model that link the case study together with the theoretical framework, which is our contribution on the subject. The result shows that the myth needs to permeate the entire organization, the brand needs to be consistent with the myth and deliver what the myth promises over time. This study provides a deeper understanding of why it is important that the myth is credible and how credibility can be maintained. For a brand to succeed with this, a constant high level of dedication to the myth is demanded.
Selling cool: a visual analysis of Apple's brand identity
2021
Apple Inc. has positioned itself in the minds of consumers as cool and innovative by carefully creating and curating a brand identity by highlighting experience, disruption, and contrast. This research explores how Apple has harnessed its brand to convey to consumers that its products are cool and innovative. Based on literature looking at the impacts of product design, branding, and conveying innovation, this visual analysis explores how Apple uses unique design to convey an image of product innovation, and how it conveys product innovation through video advertisements. It looks specifically at some of Apple’s iconic campaigns; 1984, Are You Gonna be My Girl, and This is Your iPhone. Taken as a group, the analysis of these campaigns suggests how Apple conveys a cohesive brand identity and presumptive product innovation and how it denotes innovation with the branding aesthetics in its advertisements. By focusing on its brand image, radical design, and user experience – rather than t...
Information in Launch Messages: Stimulating the Adoption of New High-Tech Consumer Products
Journal of Product Innovation Management, 2013
This research investigates how the adoption of new high-tech consumer products can be stimulated by communicating product-related information in launch messages. In an initial pilot study, the authors find that for making an adoption decision, consumers require different types of product-related information, i.e., technical information, financial information, and personal/social information. In three experiments, the authors then examine how adoption intention and behavior is affected by communicating these information types. The first experiment shows that communicating personal/social information results in the highest adoption intention. This effect is moderated by the way in which the information is represented in the message. Adoption intention is highest when personal/social information is communicated in an abstract manner, while financial and technical information are most effective when communicated in a concrete manner. The second experiment shows that the effects hold for actual adoption behavior. In addition, visual imagination is found to mediate these effects. In the last experiment, visual imagination is directly manipulated by thematic priming and has a direct effect on adoption behavior. The results emphasize that activating the imagination in a product-relevant situation stimulates adoption behavior.
Journal of Economics and Social Sciences" Application of consumer concept in the Apple Company
For any firm today in the constantly changing and extremely complex market conditions one of the sure strategies is to find (much more important to create) a concept that will be clearly different from anything else already existing and compelling so competition is no longer relevant. It might give a company a chance to attract the always-busy customers' attention and take a place in his mind with a continuous flow of information going through. The adoption by a business of various forms of customer concept related marketing objectives and philosophies helps them better serve their clients and typically increases their overall reputation and success. Consumer concept focuses on satisfying client needs over those of the business that produces the goods and services they consume.
Marketing high tech products: lessons in customer focus from the marketplace
Academy of Marketing Science Review, 1998
Nystrom (1990) described high tech markets as marketing dependent and technologically driven. Unfortunately, there is evidence that this linkage is not often recognized by organizations (Gupta, Ray and Wilemon 1985). High tech markets are characterized as complex. In addition, they exist under rapidly changing technological conditions which lead to shorter life cycles (Davidow 1986) and the need for rapid decisions (Bridges, Coughlan, and Kalish 1991). The importance of speed in high tech markets is driven by increasing competition and the continually evolving expectations of customers (Doyle and Saunders 1985). All of this is compounded by higher levels of risk for both the customer and the producer. As a result of these dynamic market conditions high tech companies frequently rely on a product focus (Dugal and Schroeder 1995, Marcus and Segal 1989) driven by innovations in technology rather than by the needs of the customer. This failure to incorporate a customer focus is often compounded by an absence of attention to the critical role which the diffusion of innovation plays in successful product launch. As illustrated by the three cases presented in this paper, the outcome of a product focus is often a product launch which does not live up to its technological promise. The launch of Philips’ CD-I, Apple’s Newton, and Sony’s BetaMax, illustrate the critical role which the diffusion of innovation process plays in successful high tech product offerings. In each case, the companies rushed their products to market and failed to combine a customer focus with an understanding of the diffusion process. These examples provide specific lessons for managers today that can be used to insure that managers achieve the right blend of market and technology. First, rethink the first to market mentality. Is it really imperative to be first in the market? If it is not, attention should be placed on perfecting the value package and taking this opportunity to develop a "complete product" for the consumer. While some innovators rush to try the first product on the market, your company can be improving the performance of the product and improving the marketing mix. When introduced, your product will fulfill the promises made during development. Second, though a common phenomenon, managers should not fall into the trap of assuming that customers are useless in the product development process and skip marketing research. Developing successful high tech products requires working closely with customer to identify their problems so that technologies can be identified which provide solutions. Third, target the market carefully by identifying an accurate profile of consumersconsumers most likely to purchase this product. Knowledge of the adopter categories can be useful in determining the most viable market segment. Fourth, take advantage of the role that innovators and early adopters in socialization of the product. Satisfying these two groups can greatly affect whether a product receives positive or negative word of mouth. And finally, rethink the target market as the product progresses through adoption. Just as the product changes over the course of its life so too will the appropriate market. Readjust the description of the target market and pay close attention to the differences in the groups. For example, innovators and early adopters may be excited about a "new" product but early and late majority will want reassurances that risk is minimal and the product will do what is promised (Rogers 1962). The marketing concept is intuitively appealing, and there is ample evidence of the critical role it can play in product acceptance. However, Philips’ handling of CD-I, Apple’s of the Newton, and Sony’s experiences with BetaMax are reminders of the difficulties in implementing a customer focus when a firm has become technologically obsessed. While being technologically driven is essential, managers must remember whose perceptions of superiority ultimately lead to product success. It is imperative that the customer deems the product "superior".