Apple: Perhaps the only brand that consumers own

Brand signifies value and that's one reason why people spend more to buy a branded product. You can think of Sony, Nike, Benz, Ford, Xerox..... In some cases like Surf, Xerox, the brand has become the commodity.

You could still get a quality stuff from an unbranded product but it is not assured. With a brand you are assured of quality.

Brand loyalty differs from brand to brand-- I have seen some people buy only Levis as none others are perceived to provide a better product in Jeans. But their loyalty will switch to a better product once an innovative product is launched in the market.

Until recently, brand loyalty was strong in newspapers but that too due to force of habit rather than lack of better offerings in the market.

Why is Apple different
Binu Alex, Director of Commodity Online Group in an offtrack column on Apple had explained the reasons why his day begins with Apple and ends with Apple. My son Darshan Sreekumar, wrote in my blog taking exception to some of the statements made in the Commodity Online article.It drew violent protests from some readers using iPhone and several other Apple products.

What was objectionable was my son's observation that most buyers bought iPhone to 'show off' that they are in the big league in society. His comparison with some of the better features of Android was met with the response, Android is a copy or a clone while Apple's operating system is original.

I intended to write this a follow up only to high light a couple of things which have been firmly established in management and marketing theory. The other day one of our family friends, Shaji Sir asked me why are people spending so much money on brands. I tried to briefly tell him why this is happening. For one thing brand denotes quality but an unbranded product can still give you quality stuff at a lower price but there is no assurance or guarantee in this regard.

A simple lesson in Marketing theory now well accepted in management circles points out the motivation to purchase a product by the consumer. It is dependent on four factors: One the real image of the consumer as perceived by him, the image that he wants to project in society, thirdly society's real view of the consumer and the image the consumer thinks the society has of him when he purchases a particular product.

From this it is quite clear that our choice of a product or brand is not just dependent on its utility but on the perceived value it can bring to us in society and attendent benefits that may accrue.

A CEO owning Mercedes Benz  and another owning Honda City are perceived differently by the society in terms of success, achievements, company profile, attitude, and several other factors.

Apple the brand consumers own
Now I come to postulate a theory that perhaps Apple may be the only product which is really loved and owned by the consumers. I think Apple has done a clever mix of psychology, superior design, technology features, innovations in such a way that a user ultimately becomes to much identified with the product. It is almost like two people falling in love-- lot of oxytoxins that create good feeling for the user is created even its logo, design and looks. In the case of most other brands, the ownership rests with the company and the company is owned by several share holders.

In the case of Apple, it is foremost owned by the consumers (although they may not own a share) who have really fell in love with it that even a criticism about the product can hurt its sentiments. It is just as when you are in love, you perceive your partner to be the paragon of ulitmate virtue and beauty, beyond compare. Apple brand owners are not all interested in a comparison with Android because for them Apple ios is beyond compare.

I still believe much of the marketing theory I outlined above with respect to a consumer's choice of a brand holds for Apple as well. No one can deny it.But the success of Apple is having created an intelligent, beautiful anbd innovative partner for its customers such that they have been hooked to it.

Why buy iPhone, when you have better options??

by Darshan Sreekumar.

The apple iPhone, is pretty much like its name. It’s just an apple. People prefer to buy apples instead of bananas or gooseberries (which are much more nutritious) just because the apples look cool and are expensive. Same way, people prefer to buy apple Inc. products because they look cool and are expensive. There are many companies like Sony, Nokia, HTC, etc. which offer way better phones with bigger, sharper displays, better durability, faster processors, and better cameras, all at a much lower price. However, due to the iPhone’s high price and cool looks, it has become a sign of wealth and style. This attracts buyers from all sides. Personally, I prefer Sony Xperia Z1 over an Apple iPhone 5, because the Z1 is bigger, faster, user friendly, more durable (water, dust, and shock resistant) and is comparatively less expensive. The iPhone is not durable. All it takes is a strong bump, and the next thing you know, you're picking up iPhone pieces from the ground. Another main demerit of iPhone is its connectivity issues. You can’t send to/ receive from another non-Apple device via Bluetooth.

iPhone’s Wi-Fi hotspot can be accessed by another Apple product only . This is a quite a disadvantage when other phones in the market can connect to, send to, and receive from, any other device (except Apple products, of course). The other day, I was looking at Nexus 5 and Moto G, both from Google. These phones look cool, are lightning fast, and have crisp displays and mind blowing cameras. However, the mere fact that they are not expensive puts them behind the iPhone. What most people look for is something to show off with. When you have an iPhone, it highlights the fact you are rich enough to afford an expensive iPhone.

Think about Micromax and Xolo, which make cool phones at low prices, but aren’t noticed because they are not “popular”.

Google’s Android OS, used by many smartphone manufacturers today, is much more versatile, user friendly, and can perform more activities than Apple’s iOS.

The iOS has its limitations and cannot be customized beyond a limit, unlike Android which has no limitations, and can be customized to any extent. The only advantage of owning an iPhone is that you can show off. Nothing more, nothing less.

If anyone asked me to recommend a mobile phone manufacturer, I’m pretty sure my answer would be “Go for Sony, Nokia, HTC, Google or Samsung. But definitely not Apple”.

Please note: I mean to criticize no Apple products other than iPhone. I find iMac, MacBook, and iPod very useful, sensible, and impressive.

This article was written by my son, Darshan, who is a 15-year old high school student... an avid music enthusiast, learning drums, guitar, and vocals. He also has a passion for photography, technology.