Is Apple Losing It’s Social Media Mojo?
When it comes to cultivating a thriving culture of fanatics about your brand, Apple is the poster boy. The brand has inspired countless books, blogs, long lines, and even shaved heads. The only question is, can Apple still stay cool even as it goes mainstream. But with PC market share at over 20%, the most popular smart phone, Jobs’ future leadership in question, and skipping out on Macworld, it looks like the company may lose the culture that defined it.
“Think Different” used to resonate with users because customers were in fact different. Only a small percentage of computer users had Macs and often those users, like Apple, were creative types under appreciated for their ingenious work. You see, Apple was the underdog, slighted by a legacy stolen by an inferior clone, Windows. And like a modern Moses the company delivered their users to a promise land of higher computing principles.
But as the brand reaches ubiquity, the company is diluting its cache. Buying Apple used to be a point of distinction. Now it’s default.
While this isn’t bad for the bottom line, Apple’s going to have to get used to opperating on a shorter leash. Fanatics who used to cut the company slack won’t be as likely to lift a finger in its defense. When buying Apple is no longer “different”, it stops being part of our social identity. When it’s no longer part of our identity, there’s no brand and your product is pushed to differentiate on features and price. No more $400 million worth of headlines.
It’s this time, if any, that Apple needs to hold its loyalists closest.
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