Personal Reflection on Apple’s brand communication

In the period between 27th April and 10th May Apple has been communicating with me through various channels including social media, website, television and YouTube. This essay explores apple’s communication efforts and how this psychologically affects my behaviour as a customer. The focus is to evaluate the brand’s communication techniques and how those techniques affected me. One thing I have realised about Apple’s communication strategies is that the company never stops marketing. Whether I am online, watching television or just scrolling through my social media accounts, I somehow have an encounter with the apple brand, either calling me to some action, introducing a new product or just educating me about the Apple functionalities.

One of the most frequent ways I interact with the Apple brand is through website pop-ups. In most cases, I have had to stop visiting websites due to extraneous or bombarding popups. However, I have always liked Apple’s popups because their popups are not that much intrusive. Rather, they are personalized and connected to my motives for using the sites.

I also interacted with, or encountered Apple’s content through various social media platforms, but mostly Twitter because it is the platform, I use most. One of the most effective bits of this interaction is the ‘Tip a Day’ post that the company runs, which helps me not only to appreciate Apple products because I learn about features that I might have not known about but also helps me interact more with the brand. As an Apple user, these tips help me to interact better with the gadgets, even if I was not proactively looking for such information. Besides, it gives me the perception that the company is not just concerned with making sales, but instead, they also want to help clients to tap into their product’s full potential.

On Facebook, Apple constantly answers my questions whenever I raise them. Within the period between 27th April and 10th May, Apple answered more than six questions I had regarding a new Apple iPad I recently purchased. Simply answering my questions made up at least 80% of my interaction with them. In totality, posting their content and answering my questions is an effective way to market their products without neglecting their relationship with customers. It also opens a convenient channel for communication with the brand. Instead of me calling or visiting their store, I can get things handled by just a few Facebook texts. Appendix 1 illustrates some of the interactions I had with Apple’s communication on social media.

For marketers, the main aim of brand communication is to put something on the consumers’ minds, persuade them or make them develop a positive attitude towards the brand. To effectively persuade consumers, according to Voorveld (2019), it is important to carefully select the information to be delivered and to consider the context within which the information is delivered. For instance, the ‘a Tip A day’ post by Apple, helps to deliver the message that the company cares about how the consumers use its products and that it is ready to promote effective use of its products so that consumers can derive the best value. Similarly, by responding to consumers’ questions online, the company is demonstrating that its attentiveness and readiness to prioritise the consumer’s concerns.

The interaction with Apple has had different impacts on my perception and reaction to the brand, especially through my feelings, thinking and actions towards the brand. Saura et al (2019) defined perception as the process in which an individual receives and interpret stimuli before translating them into action. Apple seems to understand how consumers acquire and consume its information, helping them to develop effective communication strategies. Through the ‘a Tip a Day’ post as well as the rapid answering of customer question online are two effective ways of shaping customers’ perceptions of a brand, enabling them to have a different and better experience of the products. According to Andrei et al (2017), such effective communication strategies helps consumers to translate raw stimuli into meaning through sensation, attention and interpretation.

Sensation, also termed as ‘exposure’ Lalicic et al (2020), is the first step through which brand communication helps consumers translate communication into meaning. According to Casado-Molina et al (2019), it refers to the responses of sensory organs such as ears, eyes fingers and mouth; or response to environmental stimuli such as advertisement, colour, brand name or package. Through quick and frequent interaction with consumers through Facebook and website, Apple seems to understand consumer’s reaction to these stimuli and attract favourable attention from them. According to Gretry et al (2017), consumers tend to focus on certain stimuli and ignore others because they tend to ignore or miss on information, they are not interested in. In most of Apple’s communication through website popups none of them can be said to be annoying because there is a relevance between the content and the website one visits.

The first factor that can affect a brand’s exposure and communication is selective exposure, which is based on consumer’s first experience or their perpetual vigilance (Sharma & Varki, 2018). As per Anees-ur-Rehman et al (2018), consumers are more likely to acknowledge or respond to stimuli that are related to either their unconscious or conscious needs. The second factor that can affect a brand’s exposure or communication is an adaptation, which refers to the tendency to familiarize with certain sensations or accommodating certain levels of stimulation (Tarmanet al, 2019). As per Truman (2019), adaptation is a significant challenge to many marketers because consumers tend to not respond to familiar stimulus. This explains why advertisers tend to change their advertisements as regularly as possible.

Apple’s online communication is also effective in attracting consumers attention. From a marketing perspective, attention refers to the extent to which consumers’ respond to any stimuli that are within their level of exposure (Broucker et al, 2020). Apart from sensory sensation, attention is an important determinant of consumer perceptual process because it impacts various psychological factors such as consumer needs, personality, experiences, motivation and consequently, their purchase behaviour. As per Mediavilla, & Morillas (2018), these psychological factors explain how, for example, two different consumers can attend, select, perceive and comprehend differently to the same stimuli. Depending on the situation, an individual can devote different levels of their attention to a stimulus. For example, Apple has different visual identities within its online and television advertisements to provoke its consumers’ attention or interest before delivering more information on its website of social media platforms. Apple also uses other strategies such as countering negative advertising from competitors and buying large blocks of online advertising spaces (Herhausen et al, 2019). However, Wang (2019) argued that attention is determined by three factors namely the situation, the individual or the stimulus.

Apple also uses its brand communication to attract consumers’ positive perception of its product. According to Mediavilla, & Morillas (2018), interpretation simply refers to the meaning that consumers attach to stimuli. After paying attention or being exposed to stimuli through various means (e.g. website popups, constant interaction with consumers and social media advertising), the last step of the perception development process is the interpretation of any incoming information (Tarmanet al, 2019). Voorveld (2019) argued that interpretation is often psychological, and therefore tend to be individual. Similarly, Gretry et al (2017) stated that perception is generally a personal phenomenon. In that regard, the meanings an individual assign to stimuli is determined by the consumer’s interpretation, in which individuals tend to project their desires and wishes. That said, Apple’s interaction with its consumers through various platforms helps to create the perception among its consumers, which is a process where the information and how it is interpreted is influenced by internal and external factors.

One of the most significant outcomes of Apple’s brand communication is brand knowledge, which is a key resource in creating brand equity (Andrei et al, 2017). Apple’s ‘a Tip a Day’ post has helped me to appreciate Apple products because consumers learn about features that they might have not known about. As per Gretry et al (2017), there is a correlation between brand knowledge and consumer response, whereby consumers tend to respond more or choose products that they have a better knowledge of compared to those they do not have adequate knowledge of. Observably, Apple’s content on a Tip a Day’ post tend to adopt a structure and content that effectively influences consumer’s mind and what they think of the brand as a consumer. This corroborates with the associative network memory model, which considers knowledge as a network of connecting links with nodes that can either be information or concepts stored in the consumer’s mind (Anees-ur-Rehman et al, 2018). The following figure illustrates apple’s possible brand knowledge associations as proposed by Keller (1993).

Mediavilla, & Morillas (2018) defined brand awareness as to how strong a brand occupies consumers’ mind. It is also considered as the extent to which the consumer is familiar with the image or qualities of a brand’s services or products (Tarmanet al, 2019). Apple’s ‘a Tip a Day’ post has helped me gain more brand awareness of Apple products, a phenomenon that can be measured by recall performances and brand recognition (Anees-ur-Rehman et al, 2018). Because brand recognition and brand recall are elements of brand equity, it is plausible to claim that Apple’s constant communication and interaction with consumers through social media (Twitter) has significantly enhanced its brand equity – a primary objective of marketing strategies. Being informed of better ways of handling my Apple gadgets creates more awareness among consumers, which increases the likelihood of considering Apple when thinking about the iPad product category. Similarly, being more aware of the Apple brand (especially through quick responses to my questions about the products) has significantly affected decisions about Apple products – always looking for specification and features suggested during my interaction with the brand through Twitter and websites. However, Gretry et al (2017) argued that in some situations, a consumer might lack motivation or may not care about the product when they do not have enough information about a brand, and this can have a significant on product choice.

Constant interaction with the Apple brand on Twitter, Facebook and websites also impact on consumers’ perception of the company’s brand image. Voorveld (2019) defined brand image as strength, uniqueness and favourability perceptions that consumers have towards a product. The strength, uniqueness and favourability perceptions are largely influenced by brand knowledge, and this determines the differential response that constitutes brand equity (Andrei et al, 2017). During these interactions, consumers encounter the Apple logo, advertisement or colours, all of which contribute to a strong brand image. A positive brand image contributes to various forms of competitive advantages that exist in three forms. The first form of competitive advantage relates to current profitability performance, which for example is attributable to the increased effectiveness of marketing communication (Anees-ur-Rehman et al, 2018). The second competitive advantage that Apple can derive from its strong brand image relates to profitability longevity, which refers to brand loyalty and protection from the vulnerability of market crises. Lastly, the third form of competitive advantage that Apple can derive from its brand image relates to growth potential, which refers to its ability to introduce new products as a form of brand extension and as a strategy to increase positive word of mouth (Tarmanet al, 2019). The association that comes to in consumers’ minds when they think of Apple products refers to the company’s brand image. Due to skill brand communication and effective marketing strategies, Apple has been able to build a strong brand image that consumers associate with quality, reliability and effectiveness.

In conclusion, every technology company must communicate to present its products and services to customers. Apple is one of the companies that have effectively invested in brand communication. In the period between 27th April and 10th May Apple made a series of communication with its consumers, including the ‘a tip a day’ routine communication through Twitter, information pop-ups on websites, and responses to my questions on Facebook. These brand communication strategies have largely affected consumers’ perception of Apple as a brand through brand awareness, brand knowledge and brand image. While it is generally complicated to change a consumer’s mind, consistent brand communication can help develop consumers’ positive attitude towards the brand.

References

Andrei, A.G., Zait, A., Vătămănescu, E.M. and Pînzaru, F., 2017. Word-of-mouth generation and brand communication strategy: Findings from an experimental study explored with PLS-SEM. Industrial Management & Data Systems.

Anees-ur-Rehman, M., Wong, H.Y., Sultan, P. and Merrilees, B., 2018. How brand-oriented strategy affects the financial performance of B2B SMEs. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing.

Broucker, B., De Wit, K. and Mampaey, J., 2020. Brand Communication of Higher Education Institutions: a Call for Multichannel Communication Analysis in Higher Education Branding Research. Higher Education Policy, pp.1-21.

Casado-Molina, A.M., Rojas-de Gracia, M.M., Alarcón-Urbistondo, P. and Romero-Charneco, M., 2019. Exploring the opportunities of the emojis in brand communication: The case of the beer industry. International Journal of Business Communication, p.2329488419832964.

equality.

Gretry, A., Horváth, C., Belei, N. and van Riel, A.C., 2017. “Don't pretend to be my friend!” When an informal brand communication style backfires on social media. Journal of Business Research, 74, pp.77-89.

Herhausen, D., Henkel, S. and Kipfelsberger, P., 2019. One size doesn't fit all: How construal fit determines the effectiveness of organizational brand communication. BRQ Business Research Quarterly.

Herhausen, D., Henkel, S. and Kipfelsberger, P., 2019. One size doesn't fit all: How construal fit determines the effectiveness of organizational brand communication. BRQ Business Research Quarterly.

Karaosmanoglu, E. and Salman, G.G., 2019. Corporate brand communication in higher education. In Strategic Brand Management in Higher Education (pp. 91-117). Routledge.

Lalicic, L., Huertas, A., Moreno, A. and Jabreel, M., 2020. Emotional brand communication on Facebook and Twitter: Are DMOs successful?. Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, 16, p.100350.

Mediavilla, J.C. and Morillas, A.S., 2018. New discourses in Brand communication in Spain: Adaptation vs. Renewal of target audience. Comunicación y Sociedad, 31(2), pp.25-38.

Saura, J.R., Herráez, B.R. and Reyes-Menendez, A., 2019. Comparing a traditional approach for financial Brand Communication Analysis with a Big Data Analytics technique. IEEE Access, 7, pp.37100-37108.

Sharma, N. and Varki, S., 2018. Active white space (AWS) in logo designs: effects on logo evaluations and brand communication. Journal of Advertising, 47(3), pp.270-281.

Tarman, H.A., Soleh, S.M., Ari, A. and Rahmat, T.A., 2019. Leveraging brand equity by applying brand communication and forming city branding based on unique selling proposition (a case of crafts city). Int. J. Bus. Adm. Stud, 5(5), pp.74-83.

Truman, J., 2019. On brand: Communication center tutors as social media content creators. Communication Center Journal, 5(1), pp.134-143.

Voorveld, H.A., 2019. Brand communication in social media: A research agenda. Journal of Advertising, 48(1), pp.14-26.

Wang, L., 2019, October. Analysis on 5W Mode of Uniqlo Brand Communication in the Era of New Media. In 2nd International Conference on Contemporary Education, Social Sciences and Ecological Studies (CESSES 2019) (pp. 638-642). Atlantis Press.

Continue your journey with our comprehensive guide to Personal Branding and Sustainability in Marketing.