The Power of Jobs

Since his sad passing, there has been an abundance of news articles about Steve Jobs, and the blogosphere has gone crazy with obituaries, posthumous recognition of his life and achievements and, let’s be frank, much discussion about his failures too.  The best blogs give a balanced perspective of both such as Nancy Koehn at the Harvard Business Review.

The very fact that Steve Jobs transformed Apple’s fortunes in recent times is indisputable.  He adopted a mix of different marketing skills to appeal to the customers and resellers within his target market, and through a combination of innovative products, interactive product launches, simple but effective commercials, and the power of social media (just look at Apple’s YouTube channel to see how many views this has), Steve Jobs convinced us all to buy products that, some say, we didn’t actually need.  And we pay more for them too when compared to the plethora of cheaper imitation devices from the competition which, some argue, are actually better than Apple’s products.

Having innovative products is one thing, but it is exceptionally rare for them to sell themselves without making an effort to boost product sales.  The annals of time are littered with the failure of brilliant products because, despite what people may think, products don’t just walk off the shelves: first you need to convince the customer that they need to buy your product.

And this outlines the power of marketing.  Steve Jobs created such an unprecedented level of demand for his products that even with the reception issues that blighted the launch of iPhone 4, demand for the new iPhone 4S outstripped supply.  When launched, the iPad2 was also out-of-stock everywhere.  People couldn’t seem to get enough of Apple.  Whether this remains the case in the post-Jobs era remains to be seen and there are reports already circulating that demand for Apple’s products is waning (although there is an abundance of counter-arguments citing that this is not exactly true) and that this even started before Jobs’s passing.

Steve Jobs leaves a legacy behind for many reasons that are not just related to the products themselves: powerful marketing of Apple’s products generated the unprecedented levels of demand that we have all witnessed.  Without this, the revolution of smartphones and tablet computers would not currently be happening and the transformation of Apple’s fortunes and dominance would have remained a figment of Jobs’ imagination.

Steve Jobs is therefore an icon and Business Schools will be discussing thisgreat man for an eternity, and rightly so, but behind every great product, not only is there an innovative genius, but a powerful and successful marketing engine.

Welcome to the new world of marketing in the digital age!

Welcome to the World of Marketing!

We live in a day and age where we are constantly bombarded with information – there is simply no escape.  If you look around a crowded room, chances are that over 75% of the people you see will be using some form of technology; a tablet, a laptop, a smart phone (or smartphones), an iPod, a Kindle, or all of these!  Communication as an entity is changing and adapting daily, from board room meetings and paper advertisements to a world where people checkout at the supermarket using coupons they have accessed on their iPhone, and where conversations are limited to 140 character snippets.

So what, you may ask?  The world is changing, you get that.  But the question is, do you really?

According to The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), “marketing is the management process that identifies, anticipates and satisfies customer requirements profitably”.  But customers today have much higher expectations than they did ten years ago.  With anything they want at their fingertips (such as YouTube videos, music downloads, online shopping), and so many options, customers are pickier and more demanding.  It therefore takes a strong brand and marketing strategy to generate the customer loyalty that a company such as Apple has.

So get ahead of the curve and keep your company out of hot water.  Analyze the marketing approach you use today and challenge yourself:  Have you done thorough market research?  Are you selling to the right target market?  Do you have opportunities in other markets?  Are you utilizing the right modes of communication in approaching your customer?  If a potential customer Google’s your speciality, will your website pop up?

The work of a marketer is never over, and the best marketers listen to their customers, provide unquestionable information and quality and forecast change before it happens.  Good luck on your marketing path.  If you have any questions or would like me to help you with your marketing, please contact me today.