Building a Brand with a Thousand Songs IPOD
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HOME >> Building a Brand with a Thousand Songs YOURIMAGEHERE3 Building a Brand with a Thousand Songs By Laura Pasternak = 300;ad_height = 250;adYou know you need a brand.
But do you know that one of the mosteffective ways to grow your business is to build on that brand?
In a world of short attention spans and rapidly changingtechnology, building your brand is crucial to your survival.
Themost successful companies understand its importance.
Here's onebrand building success story:Music to Our EarsDo you have an iPod?
It seems everywhere you look today, someoneis plugged into Apple's portable digital music player.
Thecompany knows its audience and shrewdly builds its brand aroundit.
As a result, Apple has sold more than 59 million iPods sincetheir inception in late 2001, with 6,451,000 sold in the fiscal2005 fourth quarter alone.
In fact, iPod's branding and subsequent popularity have resultedin 220 percent growth of the units over the previous year's samequarter.
How did Apple do it?
Finding the Right iNameApple's premier product was the Macintosh computer.
As theinternet grew, Apple shortened the computer's name to iMac.
Thenickname represented the personal computer's ability to deliverall the features needed to connect with the Internet.
The namestuck.
Over the years, the company introduced numerous products.
However, none have been as enormously popular as the iPod.
Coincidentally, iPod's target market was being born during muchof the company's growth in the late 1980's.
Today, this keyaudience has been dubbed the iGeneration.
The iGeneration has been a boon for iMac, and subsequently,iPod.
The company has helped define a "culture" around itsbrand.
The seemingly simple 'i' not only grew to establish thebrand for the company but also drove the development of a hostof 'i' products like iPod, iTunes, iChat, iMovies, iBook andiSight.
Today, the company's brand reflects the attributes ofbeing high-tech, "cool" and creative - exactly what its productsand messaging have attempted to convey.
Creating a Halo Effect.
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And a Thousand SongsAlthough the iPod is both Mac and Microsoft Windows-compatible,Apple's branding created a 'halo effect', subliminallyreinforcing brand loyalty in its Mac users as well as convertingnon-Apple users.
Today, iPod continues to dominate the industry,with more than 90% of sales in the digital music market forhard-drive players and over 70% of the market for all types ofmusic players.
Next, iPod created a tagline, "A Thousand Songs, in YourPocket".
You know exactly what the product delivers based on thetagline.
Moreover, the tagline is catchy and more likely toresonate in the mind of the consumer.
Along with it, iPodcreated a simple, yet powerful image.
Silhouetted people againstbrightly colored solid backgrounds dance to music via the iPod.
The images are strikingly simple, but effectively andprominently focus on the contrasting white iPod and accompanyingwhite headphones.
See the white hand-held player and headphonecords, think iPod.
When set to music, the images evoke emotions in the consumer.
The classic rock songs iPod uses in its advertisements bringback memories of places, people and times in our lives.
We allrelate to dancing with abandon to our favorite tunes, and thedesire to let loose and dance resurfaces at the sight of thesilhouetted dancer.
iPod knows these ads will influence the consumer's psyche.
Webuy for emotional reasons and then rationalize the purchase withspecific benefits like iPod's small pocket size, convenience,cool colors, easy navigation, expanded memory, etc.
Building Buzz and Momentum with U2Apple could have stopped extending its brand after its initialsuccess.
However, the company knows that good branding continuesto build on buzz and momentum.
Apple expanded its brand onseveral levels.
First, they introduced special edition iPods featuring theimmensely popular rock group, U2.
The campaign was two-fold.
U2was able to promote its latest CD "How to Dismantle an AtomicBomb" along with its first single, "Vertigo".
Apple was able togenerate buzz, and sales, by introducing a special edition U2iPod in black.
Next, Apple created an ad campaign featuring U2silhouetted against a bright, solid-colored backdrop singing"Vertigo".
The ads were highly effective and precisely targeted at iPod'sdemographic.
If iPod is cool enough for U2, then it's coolenough for me.
They generated plenty of buzz and sales continuedto grow.
Additionally, the ads tapped into the emotional aspectsof a consumer's decision-making process to reach the repressedrocker in each of us.
Expanding on your brand to reflect growth and to keep consumersinterested is part of the ongoing process of evaluating andbuilding your brand.
Apple understands this and has begun tocapitalize on the iGeneration's thirst for ever-changing, moreadvanced technology by releasing other iPod versions includingthe Mini, Shuffle, and most recently, Nano.
The newest iPod willhold 15,000 songs, 25,000 photos and 150 hours of video.
Again,it taps into the consumer's psyche by continuously introducingnewer, better and cooler versions of predecessors.
The companystill utilizes cultural icons to tout the product as well, withthe latest ad campaign featuring the rapper, Eminem.
Apple also brands iPod in conjunction with iTunes, its music website where iPod users can purchase and download songs for lessthan $1 a piece.
The iTunes web site also enables users todownload pre-released songs, making its appeal even strongeramong the iGeneration.
Partnering to Build Brand Awareness.
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and SalesToday, Apple is partnering with automakers to continue buildingand extending its iPod brand.
Working with car manufacturerslike BMW, Nissan, Volkswagen and Volvo, Apple and its new autopartners will "create seamless integration between your car andiPod.
" iPod-ready head units, self-install options andprofessionally installed interfaces are available for select2005 and 2006 cars.
Apple touts these after-market carintegration solutions as a way to customize "your ride,iPod-style".
Japan is integrating iPod systems into their 2006Nissan, Mazda, Daihatsu, BMW, MINI , smart and Alfa Romeo lines.
Such partnerships expand iPod's geographic reach and certainlyits commercial exposure.
Building Brand One iProduct at a TimeBrand is a work in progress, always evolving.
You've got tocheck the market's pulse on a regular basis to get a reliableread on your brand's value and adjust it accordingly to keep itfresh and in front of the consumer.
By continuously leveragingyour brand equity--be it through businesses, musicians, themedia, customers, employees or the public--it will grow strongand powerful, and will surely resonate with your audience.
So, are you building on your brand?
If not, it's time to look atyour brand with fresh eyes.
Considering the who, what, where,when, why and how of your brand and target audience is anongoing and essential process.
Who are your customers today(they might not be the same customers you had five years ago)and who can you partner with to leverage your brand?
What haschanged with your customers and what are their needs and wants?
Where is the industry going today, five years from now, tenyears?
When should you leverage your brand and when should youwait?
Why do your customers buy your brand?
How has the worldand your business changed over the years and how should that bereflected in your brand?
As we become a more global market, with shorter attention spans,building brand is critical to your longevity.
Build your brandthoughtfully and its value to your customers, partners andshareholders will increase.
That alone will be music to yourears.
About the author:Laura Pasternak is President of MarketPoint, LLC, a brandmanagement firm that helps businesses improve results byidentifying, integrating and managing customer-driven brandequities and strategies.
Visit www.yourmarketpoint.
com or call 1.
866.
21POINT to learn more.
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