Insights from the queue, lovemarks and missed opportunities

It’s not everyday that a huge marketing machine like Apple has a big event in the Southern Hemisphere, and for me it was one of those unique moments where I could see a truly inspirational brand in action. Apple was opening the second biggest Apple Store in the world - Apple Store Sydney.

This store was two years in the plan and build stage and like most big openings there was a big dose of interwebs hype and media attention. Some people camped out in line for two days prior to opening, from right around the world, others queued for hours, some in the rain, just to be one of the first people through the doors of this remarkable lovemark.

I was one of the first 500 people through the door starting my time in the queue around the corner and down one street-block.  It was here I waited with many other Apple fans from around the globe.  Beside me someone who had come from New York City just for the opening of this store, in front of me a group of school kids excited to be part of an Apple event for the first time. At the ripe old age of 13 and 14 telling their war stories of when they got their first ipod and iBook.

It got me thinking about when I first started using the Apple Macintosh, over twenty years ago, before these school kids were even born! I remember getting goose-pimples down my arms when I first saw a Macintosh on TV and thinking “this is very different from the Apple IIe, it’s going to change the world”.

Not such a grand thought in the scheme of things, but for me as a 14 year old I realised my world was changing before my eyes. My school got a Mac only a few weeks later and my world changed forever.

A lot of people have been asking what it is that draws people, sometimes from the other side of the world, to an opening of a store. There are no new products on offer, and there were no secret announcements… just a free t-shirt for the first 2,000 people through the door.

Was I queuing for the limited edition t-shirt?  Yes… and no.

Did I queue to buy some product? Not today.

Did I go in the hope that there would be some secret announcement? Not really.

So why did I go?

I went to experience how Apple markets something like the Apple store. Unlike most, I went to experience the queue, just as much as the store.

Most sane people would not queue for street blocks, waiting sometimes hours in the rain just to see a new store. But this is no ordinary store. It’s an Apple Store. It’s somehow more special, more attractive and more deserving of the wait.

Perhaps it was how long we’ve had to wait for a store like this in Australia, perhaps it was the build up and plans under wraps, but never before have I witnessed this type of cult-like following for the opening of a store. It was all quite remarkable. Saachi and Saachi call brands like this a lovemark - a brand that exceeds beyond expectations of great performance. Standing in the queue taught me that remarkable brands can get people to do things out of the ordinary.

It showed me that smart marketers can tap otherwise hidden opportunities when these extraordinary events happen. Today I want to share with you three marketing observations and a missed opportunity.

While I waited in a queue I saw music stores, sports stores and even recruitment agents handing out flyers to the sitting ducks waiting patiently behind carefully constructed barricades. No message, no shared enthusiasm, simply an opportunity to hand out pieces of paper to people with no attempt to connect.

I saw others who served the crowd coffee from mobile vans. These people worked tirelessly to meet a need on a cold winter evening handing out free beverages.  There were friendly smiles and interactions and people were appreciative of the hot drinks. There was no hard sell, these people were offering free giveaway in the hope that people may remember their brand in future.

The best marketing I witnessed was from Nudie a niche crushed fruit juice maker - a quality product with quirky name that always makes me smile. They were handing out product by the handful to the waiting crowd. A small juice to take away the thirst, but what made it special was the extra step. They connected with the crowd. As they were handing over the bottled drinks they were smiling and sharing the enthusiasm. Their message was creative and hit the spot with the people who were waiting:

“Nudie loves Apples too!”

In a feat of carefully organised brand alignment, they met my need, and connected their juice brand with the buzz, excitement and brand of Apple.

Now, it rained on the opening night and what happens next is the missed opportunity.

Apple had umbrellas which were being carefully distributed to people waiting to get into the store.  Once safely inside, the umbrellas were recycled back into the crowd.  But what about on the way out, it was an entirely different story? You guessed it, no umbrellas.

For me it was a bit like the caring, the cheering and the love stopped when you walked out the door.

What a missed opportunity for Apple! They missed a huge opportunity to send a powerful message that they care as much about their customers as their customers care about them

What you may not have realised is that Telstra have their flagship mobile phone concept store right across the road from Apple.

Now imagine if Telstra turned up on the footpath with an umbrella for Apple’s departing customers. What message would that send?

It gets you thinking about the marketing inroads that are lost through a lack of agility and insight?

It just gets you thinking…

It’s all in the setting

When you find a fabulous and valuable gem - you want to wear it and show it off.  Some believe the more you see of the gem the better. The setting you chose makes all the difference.

We believe communication is like a rare gem. The way you communicate and market to your consumers is like the setting you choose for your gem.

A closed setting is the oldest and most secure, with the gem completely enclosed in metal

In an invisible setting, the mount disappears from view to reveal the gem in all its lustre. 

The closed setting is like the old school of approaching a consumer. It’s a more   secure way of getting your message out. You ensure your own needs are met, but sometimes at the cost of your consumer.

The invisible setting is more like the way we use new marketing. The power shifts from seller to buyer, and more of the communication process is on show. The consumer is empowered to meet their own needs.

We’ll explore this setting metaphor further, but let’s apply it to a real-life situation. 

On a Tuesday in March, in an office in Sydney, two people met to fix a problem. An internal business customer (BC) and an account executive (AE) met to discuss why business between them had come to a standstill.

The impasse had occurred because the business customer (BC) had decided to stop paying bills associated with their project until the delivery of service to their project, which was overseen by the account executive (AE) markedly improved.

 The conversation went something like this -

AE:  I want to discuss the problem we’re having with (..) so we can move ahead with the payment of the bills. 
BC: We’ve already discussed the problem. And we can only move ahead if you stop charging my budget for your mistakes and for work I didn’t receive. I told you that before.
AE: I think you’re over-reacting. I want you to be happy. How can I make you happy? 
BC:  Let me be very clear. You called this meeting so I expect you to explain a solution. I will not sit here to hear you repeat things you’ve already told me..
AE: We need to get on.  I’ve noticed you get angry very easily these days. The reason for the delay in (…) is because of (…).
BC:  You see, that is something you have already told me. Until you actually fix the problem I see no reason to be talking.

The meeting ends.

This is a shortened version of the meeting. But we stop it here to have a look at what is happening.

AE attempted to assuage the other without directly addressing the problem(s) and the reason for the meeting. AE’s language is seasoned with personal judgements and emotional language. AE needs to maintain a status quo of control in the relationship. They need to have good relations and are comfortable with processes that have worked in the past and are likely to spin their version of the situation. 

BC only hears repetition obfuscation, delay tactics and defence. BC wants a solution to the problem(s) identified. They are not interested in relationships. They are prepared to stop all dialogue to get the point across. BC is comfortable with the impasse until they are heard. To make their point, BC stopped payment of bills, because he knew this would cause the pain required to get the attention of AE.

These two approaches are very different. Collision is inevitable. It’s interesting to us because they epitomise increasingly divergent ways of marketing and communicating. 

AE represents the closed setting. This approach is one favoured by someone communicating or marketing from a position of power.  The power is the traditional type characterising market dominance and market monopoly. AE is happy with his one-size-fit’s all approach to service delivery with minor tweaks.  AE is not happy having to service each customers’ needs individually.

Those in the closed setting rely on processes, low accountability and loyalty to a consistent brand. They value the power base over the product and/or the customer. This is old school of marketing - advertising on television or print or radio. The strategy is geared to a broad, faceless market base. The customer isn’t heard or seen. It’s a numbers game about moving large numbers of average products to average people; the broad brush is aimed at a large market segment.

BC represents the invisible setting. This approach is characterised by limitless choice and customisation. This is more like the marketing global environment created by the world-wide-web. Consumers in this invisible setting are overtly disloyal to brands that don’t deliver to their specific needs. The consumer places a higher value on accountability and relevance. Variation and differentiation in products that meet highly specific needs is the new game.

The invisible setting is expansive and full of discovery. Consumers in the pursuit of need get online, discuss online, dig and blog their preferences, influencing others to their way of thinking. This is the influencer network that is based on a single repeatable user experience. If they don’t find what they need with one product they’ll pursue another. Those who use the invisible setting have grown to expect choice and variation. They are used to shopping around in a global market of nearly unlimited options. 

What does this mean for us as communicators?  Well, the power you once held may now not be relevant. Your average product may not hold up in the new online global economy.

To get the setting you want we suggest you consider these elements of design.

• Truth telling is the nature of the game. You are going to be held accountable in this new searchable environment.
• Customisation will make your market bigger overall
• The nature of the exchange is all. The points of differentiation about how you deliver will matter. What the interaction is like and what it “feels” like doing business with you will be an integral part of your brand. 
• The methods of advertisement have changed. Today the micro-niche and intimate is relevant. Your product is more often selected from personal encounters.
• Influencer networks means marketing has become a democracy. Single voices become choruses. “I dig what you digg, and all those that digg me will dig you”.