Apple on the defense

After their iPhone discount PR meltdown, increasing virus problems and more and more users calling their Mac a lemon, here comes the tragic customer experience from an Apple Store:

"He (Ed.: the sales clerk) said he was working at the store while going to grad school. And, yes, he hated the job, it was a bore -- he hated the attitude, like selling Apple stuff was an honor; but really it was no different than selling shoes, except selling shoes paid more. He knew he was taking out his frustration on customers; he felt bad about it, but he assumed he would be fired weeks ago and that would be it. What does it take to be fired, he asked. Apple's supposed to be about customer service, yet they seemed to like he was acting like an a-hole, he said. That pissed him off even more. The hypocrisy. They wanted him to act cool, kind of above it all, it was part of the image. But not crossing the line (wherever it was that week), to the point of terrorizing the customers."

If you have a moment, read the whole story, it's pretty hilarious. And sad at the same time.

I don't frequent Apples Stores very often but there's a flair of arrogance and "We're better than the rest of you" in the air. This attitude was apparent during the iPhone discount meltdown, basically telling early adopters (Yes, me!) that they are suckers.

Apple used to be the underdog, fighting the good fight. Now, they're the big dog again since nobody regards Microsoft as an evil force anymore (Google is slowly getting comfortable in that role.). Customer service has always been Apple's weakest link (Don't remind me of all the blown iPod batteries and annoying calls to Customer Service). Not a big deal when your competitors are messing up but fatal when competitors are waking up. (Even though they still don't get it completely.)
Hopefully, Apple doesn't have to learn the hard way that a strong brand and exceptional advertising are just a small part of the equation.
Products and customer service are more important.

Start drooling

The iPhone Guided Tour is up. Enjoy.

Steve Jobs Powerpoint

Big images, few words, fewer bullet points: a perfect example for a good Powerpoint presentation.
Thanks to Guy Kawasaki for this.

Pirates of Silicone Valley

Steve and Bill at the WSJ event "All things Digital". Watch it until the end, it's a tear jerker.

Brand mashup

Brands are trying to find their soulmates and life partners. Ipod found theirs with U2 and Nike. While the remaining brands are still looking, some creative mind created a brand mashup. Apple visuals matched up Jaguar audio.
This might be the beginning of a new trend. Or just a one-off. No matter what, it's still fun.

What's love got to do with it?

Continuing the thoughts about brand/consumer marriages, I just re-discovered Tim Manners thoughts about the "vulnerable soft underbellies" of Apple and NetFlix in a Fast Company article.

"Apple won't let us do what is ultimately the most important thing. It won't let us easily change the damn battery when it dies... This is not the stuff of which undying customer loyalty is made. They have needlessly left themselves vulnerable to any competitor able to design something of comparable aesthetics and smart enough to let the consumer have life-and-death control over its battery.

The famous Netflix promise is that you can rent as many movies as you want each month for a flat fee. Well, not exactly. Netflix recently acknowledged that it slows down the rate at which it fills the orders of its heaviest users, a practice critics call "throttling."... As with Apple, it took a class-action lawsuit before Netflix would publicly acknowledge that it is giving preferential treatment to its newest -- and least loyal -- customers.

A strategy that punishes one's most loyal consumers is hardly sustainable."

Real branding doesn't happen in a fancy agency environment. Real Branding happens when your customers are frustrated, when they ask for your help, when they want cash in on your promise. Rather cut your marketing budget this year and invest in improving all touchpoints. In the end, media dollars don't pay for your services. Customers do.

Authenticy

In my latest Imediaconnection column I write about the importance of brand authenticity.
Clearly, we're more likely to tell our friends about an authentic experience. Authenticity is important.
But, how do we define authenticity?

I would argue it's about a deep-rooted point of view. Or, in marketing terms, a deep-rooted positioning. Without it, no brand can be authentic. Without it, you don't know what matters. Without it, you don't understand what you are. And what not.


In order to provide the most efficient service to his customers, Mr. Yeganeh (the original Soup Nazi) established a set of "rules" for ordering his soup:

Pick the soup you want.
Have your money ready.
Move to the extreme left after ordering.
Supposedly, if these rules aren't followed, the offending patron is denied service and sent to the back of the line.

Al Yeganeh personifies a deep-rooted point of view. A strong, coherent view of where his business needs to go is the bedrock of authenticity.
Chrysler was a stronger brand when Chrysler was run by a Chrysler whose opinions about Chrysler could overrule any marketing study.

Unfortunately, there are not that many authentic experiences out there. Virgin. Apple.
Starbucks? Oh wait.
No soup for you.