The Cult of Apple – Part 2: We Are Family
The first blog in this series on Apple’s success at creating an increasingly strong global following—an obsession—discussed how Apple consumers are able to establish a unique social identity by identifying themselves with Apple products. IPads, iPhones, iPods, MacBooks are all means to stand out in a positive way, to belong to a family. So aside from wanting to establish an individual identity, Apple users are able to establish a familial, group identity. The products aren’t merely a way for their owners to create custom app collections; they’re the small connection that suddenly links you to a huge, wealthy, and powerful family—the Apples.
Indeed, once a member of this family, company events become family reunions; corporate announcements become a source of pride; and family reputation becomes a matter of personal responsibility. Likewise, celebrating the arrival of a new iPhone for the members of the Apple family is like celebrating the birth of a new sibling or relative. The days that lead up to an Apple product debut are just as—if not more—exciting than the countdown to Christmas or summer vacation or election day.
Of course, the people at Apple are no fools; they know that their customers/relatives have a special relationship with the company and its products, and make good use of that knowledge. Perhaps this kind of relationship between the company and consumers is why Apple users as so patient in awaiting remedial tech support, as was the case with Siri and battery problems with the iPhone 4S and the antenna problems with its predecessor.
The strength of the bonds in this particular family is such that Apple users are aggressively loyal to the brand name. Again, though this may be due to other factors like the products’ reliability and limited need for computer repairs, or as previously discussed, identity formation, it is also largely due to the sense of belonging. Which is why you’ll often notice (or know from experience) that owning one Apple device usually leads to owning several others. One obstacle to this trend might be the expensive nature of such a commitment, but even with that, Apple loyalists are constantly on a quest to rid themselves of their un-Apple-like devices and make the full transformation. Naturally, the folks at Apple know this and are more than happy with it.
Ultimately, belonging to a family, albeit a technological one, isn’t a bad thing. It certainly works well for Apple’s wallet.
The series’ next blog will depart from discussing the socio-psycho dimension of Apple’s success and turn temporarily to discussing Apple’s technology.
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Filed under: apple, Computer Support, tech support