Gagaga
CONSUMER MARKETS AND CONSUMER BUYER BEHAVIOR
Apple: The Keeper of All Things Cool
Synopsis
Thanks to Apple’s deep understanding of consumer behavior, the Apple brand engenders an intense loyalty in the hearts of core Apple customers. Ask loyal Apple fans why they buy the products and they might tell you simply that Apple’s products work better and do more or are simpler to use. But the truth is, Apple buyer behavior is a part of the buyer’s own self-expression and lifestyle—a part of who each person is. Apple users are characterized as independent thinkers, innovators, and ahead of the crowd. Apple’s obsession with understanding customers and deepening the user experience has led to products that are imaginative, irreverent, pleasing to the eye, and fun to use. The same goes for its stores, which are clean, simple, and oozing with style. Apple stores are not just places to shop, they are gathering places that encourage lingering. Apple’s tech support is second to none and the brand leads the industry in customer satisfaction. The consumer love affair with Apple is as good for the company as it is for its users. All this has produced amazing sales and profit figures. Over the past five years, during terrible economic conditions, Apple’s sales have tripled, profits have increased fourfold, and the company’s market capitalization has gone up 34-fold.
Objective
The story above tells about how the many levels of factors that affect how customers feel about, buy, and, consume products. The goal is to show that the reasons customers’ buy the Apple brand go way beyond functional product attributes. Apple has fostered an almost fanatically loyal fan base by creating a total product, service, and use experience like no other.
Discussion Questions
• How do Apple users differ from PC users or Blackberry users? How does Apple’s brand image differ from competitors’ images?
• Why are Apple users are so loyal? Think… Perhaps loyalty to
Apple: The Keeper of All Things Cool
Synopsis
Thanks to Apple’s deep understanding of consumer behavior, the Apple brand engenders an intense loyalty in the hearts of core Apple customers. Ask loyal Apple fans why they buy the products and they might tell you simply that Apple’s products work better and do more or are simpler to use. But the truth is, Apple buyer behavior is a part of the buyer’s own self-expression and lifestyle—a part of who each person is. Apple users are characterized as independent thinkers, innovators, and ahead of the crowd. Apple’s obsession with understanding customers and deepening the user experience has led to products that are imaginative, irreverent, pleasing to the eye, and fun to use. The same goes for its stores, which are clean, simple, and oozing with style. Apple stores are not just places to shop, they are gathering places that encourage lingering. Apple’s tech support is second to none and the brand leads the industry in customer satisfaction. The consumer love affair with Apple is as good for the company as it is for its users. All this has produced amazing sales and profit figures. Over the past five years, during terrible economic conditions, Apple’s sales have tripled, profits have increased fourfold, and the company’s market capitalization has gone up 34-fold.
Objective
The story above tells about how the many levels of factors that affect how customers feel about, buy, and, consume products. The goal is to show that the reasons customers’ buy the Apple brand go way beyond functional product attributes. Apple has fostered an almost fanatically loyal fan base by creating a total product, service, and use experience like no other.
Discussion Questions
• How do Apple users differ from PC users or Blackberry users? How does Apple’s brand image differ from competitors’ images?
• Why are Apple users are so loyal? Think… Perhaps loyalty to