This post comments on a classmate’s blogpost by Rodrigo Rejas called

Simplicity…Apple’s key core value

In this article, Rodrigo speaks about how Apple’s marketing team is one of the best in the world. It uses its clever techniques to position itself in the market as the industry innovator. On a recent commercial highlighting the new Ipad Air, Apple uses the analogy of a pencil, a simple yet powerful tool, to portray the value of its product.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9gLqh8tmPA

Gadget critics argue that since Steve Job’s death, Apple may have lost its innovative touch; however, none of this matters because of how Apple’s innovate image is still intact its consumers perspectives. Ken Segall in his book, Insanely Simple, mentions how Steve Job’s obsession with simplicity has driven its success and has created this valuable image for the company. As the commercial above compares the Ipad with a pencil, Apple demonstrates its excellence with clever advertising. It portrays how the Apple gadgets are easy-to-use like a pencil, but powerful enough to help anyone from an astronaut to a student. In the end, there is no surprise that Apple has created break through products that have changed the industry completely. However, it has maintained its dominance in the tech industry through products that stick to the principle of simplicity. Therefore, like Rodrigo concludes, it is Apple’s simplicity and usefulness that make it so appealing for the consumers to purchase its products.

References:

Link to Ken Segall’s Website

Nike offers nothing new to the market. It sells footwear, sports apparel, equipment, accessories, and so on and so forth. It is not the only company in the world that provides consumers with such commodities, yet it possesses brand power that is unrivaled by most. Why is that?

This is because Nike was never in the business of selling shoes, or any sport apparel for that matter. Nike, on the other hand, cherishes sport and appreciates great players. It goes beyond the functional needs of a product and creates value in the eyes of its consumers by respecting exceptional athletes. In its advertisements, the emphasis is given to the players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, and Ronaldinho more than the product itself. This clever strategy fulfills the psychological needs of every consumer. Furthermore, it attracts our attention through the consumer behavioral principles such as the Liking Principle, Authority Principle and Social Validation Principle. Therefore, there is no element of luck involved in its success. Nike’s sincere passion for sports is felt in its brand image and this is the distinguishing factor that makes each Nike product worth buying!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPkyPdubqDs

Image Citations:

Marvin. “Rhetoric and Civic Life.” : Write The Future. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Nov. 2013.