Think DIFFERENT: What makes customers willingly pay for this brand's offerings despite a relatively high price?

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Think DIFFERENT: What makes customers willingly pay for this brand's offerings despite a relatively high price?

“Think different.”

Many people, especially tech-savvy consumers, are familiar with this slogan. Created in 1997 by Craig Tanimoto, a former TBWA Art Director, this tagline reflects the core principles of this leading tech giant:

APPLE .

According to Tanimoto,  “Think different”  is the company’s response to  IBM ’s  “Think”  slogan. Additionally, he says it’s cool and interesting to use Apple’s tagline to recognize some of the world’s “most different-thinking people.”

Apple Has Always Been Different

Throughout its existence, Apple’s products have always been renowned for being DIFFERENT. With a mission statement to  “bring the best user experience to customers through innovative hardware, software, and services,”  the company continues to create innovations that revolutionize the tech industry.

How has Apple shown ways of being different throughout the years?

Thanks to these kinds of ads and the use of various marketing platforms, Apple expanded its reach and got the attention of numerous consumers around the globe.

1. Through its unique and iconic marketing campaigns.

   As an approach to being different, some of Apple’s powerful marketing campaigns won awards for showing uniqueness in the past 10 to 20 years.

   Here are some of these campaigns:

   This TV commercial was an allusion to English writer George Orwell’s 1949 novel,  “Nineteen Eighty-Four,”  which described a dystopian future ruled by a televised Big Brother.

   In the ad, Apple used an unnamed heroine to represent the coming of the Macintosh as a means of saving humans from conformity. This garnered TV viewers’ attention worldwide and became part of  The Clio Awards ’ Hall of Fame in 1995.  The Advertising Age  also added the  “1984”  ad to its list of 50 greatest commercials.

   This ad showed various customers letting loose to their favorite songs on their iPods. The commercial was soundtracked by musical groups  U2  and  Black Eyed Peas .

   “Silhouette”  became one of Apple’s most-remembered marketing campaigns because it helped the company capture the attention of consumers around the world.

   This commercial featured actor Justin Long playing the personified version of the Mac, and humorist John Hodgman as the personified version of the PC.

   Apple created this fresh and unique marketing campaign to help people get to know the Mac much better.

   This ad showed off the video-capturing and editing features of the iPhone 7 Plus and was the first in a series of more heartfelt and emotional campaigns from Apple.

   After airing in September 2016,  “Romeo and Juliet”  set the standard for the company’s sentimental technology ads in the years that followed.

   In this ad, Apple took a different approach in its partnership with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to promote the HomePod.

   Here, The Rock was seen depending on Siri to power through the day, and it added some much-needed humor to what would otherwise be a straightforward campaign. This was one of Apple’s most-entertaining campaigns ever!

   • 1984   (1983)

     This TV commercial was an allusion to English writer George Orwell’s 1949 novel,  “Nineteen Eighty-Four,”  which described a dystopian future ruled by a televised Big Brother.

     In the ad, Apple used an unnamed heroine to represent the coming of the Macintosh as a means of saving humans from conformity. This garnered TV viewers’ attention worldwide and became part of  The Clio Awards ’ Hall of Fame in 1995.  The Advertising Age  also added the  “1984”  ad to its list of 50 greatest commercials.

   • Silhouette   (2003)

     This ad showed various customers letting loose to their favorite songs on their iPods. The commercial was soundtracked by musical groups  U2  and  Black Eyed Peas .

     “Silhouette”  became one of Apple’s most-remembered marketing campaigns because it helped the company capture the attention of consumers around the world.

   • Get A Mac   (2006 - 2009)

     This commercial featured actor Justin Long playing the personified version of the Mac, and humorist John Hodgman as the personified version of the PC.

     Apple created this fresh and unique marketing campaign to help people get to know the Mac much better.

   • Romeo and Juliet   (2016)

     This ad showed off the video-capturing and editing features of the iPhone 7 Plus and was the first in a series of more heartfelt and emotional campaigns from Apple.

     After airing in September 2016,  “Romeo and Juliet”  set the standard for the company’s sentimental technology ads in the years that followed.

   • The Rock x Siri: Dominate the Day   (2017)

     In this ad, Apple took a different approach in its partnership with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to promote the HomePod.

     Here, The Rock was seen depending on Siri to power through the day, and it added some much-needed humor to what would otherwise be a straightforward campaign. This was one of Apple’s most-entertaining campaigns ever!

2. Through its game-changing iPods and iPhones.

   According to an article from  Medium , introducing the iPod and iPhone was one of Steve Jobs’ best moves. Why?

   These products brought—and still bring—the highest profit to Apple! Additionally, while there are other smartphones and mp3 players created by other tech companies, the iPod and iPhone manage to stand out with their easy-to-use features.

   For instance: The real advantage of the iPod is its integration with iTunes. So, unlike other mp3 players that require users to manually drag music files into digital folders in their devices, iTunes allows users to sync their music automatically to an iPod. All that’s left for them to do is listen to their favorite songs.

   Meanwhile, what makes the iPhone different from other smartphones is that the iOS is user-friendly and simple to use.

   Think about this: Since a wide range of tech companies manufacture Android phones, these devices have a lot of inconsistencies because each brand has to look and feel different from one another.

   On the other hand, since Apple is the only iPhone manufacturer, they maintain uniformity in all its products, and this leads to user-friendliness.

3. Through its satisfying customer services.

   Apple is known for delivering high-quality products and services. Aside from that, the company ensures customers get the best experience, be it the way they shop in stores or the way it feels to unbox a new Apple device.

   Simply said, the brand knows how to delight its customers beyond simply meeting their expectations. In fact, loyal customers eagerly await for the company’s new products and are willing to pay premium prices for them!

   This shows that Apple effectively differentiates itself from other brands and is able to fulfill customers’ needs in a way no other brand can.

According to  Professor Joel Litman  and  Dr. Mark L. Frigo  in the book,  “Driven,”  part of Return Driven Strategy’s Tenet Two (Fulfill Otherwise Unmet Customer Needs) is  being different —a natural state of successful, high-performing companies.

However, being different should NEVER be a company’s goal in and of itself. As Professor Litman and Dr. Frigo wrote in their book, it is better for a company to focus on customer needs and fulfill those needs in unique ways than be entirely different and be bankrupt.

Take a look at how Apple demonstrates this tenet in its products and services…

By building an image of a premium brand that never compromises on quality and technology, the company retains its existing customers despite keeping a relatively higher price than other brands.

This characteristic enables Apple to have high earning power levels and gain a competitive—and different—edge over its competitors.

We hope you enjoyed reading today’s topic!

Remember: Being different also occurs spontaneously. It is a by-product of having done everything else right in your business and marketing strategies.

With a correct approach to fulfilling otherwise unmet customer needs, you’ll compel customers to pay based on the value of your offering. This means regardless of how cheap or expensive your product or service is, they willingly pay for it because it makes their lives better.

… and the result?

Your brand will not only gain a competitive advantage over other businesses but also attract more loyal customers that will help expand your firm’s reach.

It’s time to start thinking differently about your business’ strategies and offerings!

Hope you found this week’s insights interesting and helpful.

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Jay Abraham  is one of the US’ top-paid marketing consultants. Aside from being the Founder and CEO of  The Abraham Group, Inc. , he is a sought-after conference speaker and author of some of the best-selling books on copywriting and marketing.

Learn more about  this important copywriting tip  in next week’s article!