October 28, 2009 | Category: Branding | Tags: rebranding

If your company is suffering from a lag in sales and ambivalent customer support, there is a lot to learn from computer giant Apple. There was a time just a few years ago when Apple computers were poised to become a relic, an artifact of their pre-Windows success. Microsoft and companies that used their programs dominated the market for both hardware and software, making Apple’s insistence on doing things their own way seem outdated and even fatal. However, rebranding and creative marketing pulled Apple out of this slump.

Entering the nineties, Apple was the largest computer company in the world. However, competitors began to take over the market. The company’s brand was less than shiny and the products were viewed as narrow and unsophisticated in a market flooded with ever newer technology. Apple responded with one of the most dramatic brand overhauls in the history of the computer industry.

The colorful Apple logo design was replaced with a plainer, colorless one. Products were made to look clean and, often, monochromatic white, making Apple products recognizable enough to become a status symbol. This minimalist look was like modern art for the new generation, appealing to computer nerds and sophisticates. Apple, in essence, took on a fresh, hipster persona, one that many people liked enough to pay a little extra. Advertisements such as the famous “I’m a Mac” television commercial drove home the picture of Apple corporation as a young, cool friend.

However, Apple’s appearance wasn’t the only aspect of the company that was rebranded. Apple began emphasizing the unique culture of their company. Apple supports worthy charities, encourages volunteerism in their employees, and generally creates an atmosphere of creativity for its workers. It may not be the first company to do these things, but it is one of very few that makes its corporate culture part of its overall branding. This only enhances the image of Apple as a cool, modern friend.

One key part of Apple’s branding lies in the impression that they are somehow ‘different’. Their carefully cultivated exposure of company culture along with their purposely distinctive appearance are both aimed at giving customers the impression that they are somehow getting more when they buy an Apple. Many people ascribe positive motives and attributes to Apple that they would never credit to another corporation. This allows Apple to flourish as one of the more expensive computers in a value-loving market.

Apple has not just a following, but a cult of dedicated buyers who would never dream of buying from a different software company. Once close to bankruptcy, this technology company now boasts several best selling products such as the IPhone and the IPod that have not just rallied fans, but changed the way Americans approach the interaction between technology and their lives. Few brands have as much prestige and pull as Apple, but just a decade ago this was not the case. Rebranding has made this company larger than the sum of its products and services, large enough to be a symbol of counterculture for everyone who buys into this iconic brand.

By the way, I wrote this post on my iMac!