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Friday Jun 08, 2007
Patrick Bedics Apple Culture
Apple Culture
Apple is working to create a culture of its own, as compared to a global one. The company does not find itself caught up in researching what the consumers would be interested in the present, but what they are going to want and even need in the future (Elkin, Kim, & Stanley, 2003, p2). They are trying to build a culture that involves everyone that is willing and able to participate, but only a culture that allows Apple to be the mode of communication.
The means, through which Apple is attempting to achieve this connected culture, resembles that slightly of Empire. This may seem like a stretch to compare Apple to Empire, but there are some overlapping characteristics of both that are apparent. Apple is trying to guess ahead of what people will want, and direct all of their marketing to focus on how they will recognize that fact. Similar to the idea of Empire, because both are ultimately trying to have people?s thoughts on how they should act or what they need to become second nature (Hardt & Negri, 2000, pp31-32). Apple is already successful in this area, and that can be seen in devoted consumers of everything Apple. These people already have it instilled in their head that Apple makes the top products, and they will continually devote themselves and their money into the company as they see fit. This is not to say that Apple is creating zombie customers, but the thought of buying Apple has come all to naturally for them.
The idea of always thinking on a global scale rather than in a domestic state of mind is still placing an edge on how far you can take your company because you are seeing the world in a singular sense (Featherstone, 1990, p2). Apple appears to leap over this idea of broadcasting themselves as a globally driven company by pushing the idea that they are a lifestyle that can be adapted internationally (Elkin, Kim, & Stanley, p1). Consumers do not seem to look at Apple as a huge company as much as they see them as a company that seems to understand what they like and how to manufacture that. Alice Elkin, Tobi Kim, and Hank Stanley make a great point with their quote, "In a tech business where two or three giants have become global dominators, still the underdog Apple resonates with consumers across generations and international boundaries" (2003, p1).
In the International Herald Tribune, an opinion editorial was talking about the company and said, "If Apple succeeds in hooking millions of consumers to the iPod and retains them, then it can be the gatekeeper of global culture" (Tripathi, 2006). This kind of statement perfectly ties together the ideas that Apple is trying to get at. But instead of the idea of a global culture, they are working to establish the Apple Culture.
REFERENCES
Elkin, A., Kim, T., Stanley, H. (2003). Apple transcends as lifestyle brand, Advertising Age, 74(50) 1-2.
Featherstone, M. (1990). Global Culture: An introduction. In M. Featherstone (Ed.),
Global culture: Nationalism, globalization and modernity, 7, 1-14.
Hardt, M. & Negri, A. (2000). "Preface" (pp.x1-xvii) and Part I (pp. 1-66), Empire. Cambridge, MA, and London, England: Harvard University Press.
Tripathi, S. (2006). Taking on the iGoliath, International Herald Tribune. Retrieved on June 6, 2007, from http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/04/07/opinion/edtripathi.php
Posted at 09:34AM Jun 08, 2007 by BEDICS, PATRICK in General | Comments[2]
I strongly agree with the point being made in this article. I could understand how some individuals whom are not business savvy can frown upon apple and claim that they are trying to take over the world with a so call ? Apple Empire ?, but in my opinion it is just good business. Hence the term I-tunes, I- chat, and the biggest one I-life. Apple is a leader in technology due the bells, whistles and extras that are included with their products. However from a smart/conscious consumer standpoint you have to separate the luxuries we want from the necessities we need. A lot of apple products are fun, colorful, lively, and interesting, but not a necessity. Apple, up to this point, has not recreated the wheel, or the microwave; they have just projected some neat products to a technologically savvy generation. No disrespect to apple what so ever, and I say that genuinely as I sit here a peck clumsily on my I-Mac keyboard that I absolutely had to have last year. But I could have easily turned around a typed this comment out just as fast and effectively on my Sony Vaio which runs on a Microsoft OS.
Posted by J Preston on June 08, 2007 at 01:29 PM EDT #
You did a good job with your essay. And you made a lot of really good points. It was interesting when you were talking about apple making products that people will want and need in the future. That particular point reminded me of a story I saw the other day on some news network. It was talking about how they found that with every i-tune transaction apple was getting a lot of other personal info from consumers as well. That might be something interesting to look into. Also, I was a bit confused as to whether this apple empire would be global empire as well, considering you were saying they wanted to more or less defy the global empire and create their own. Maybe consider discussing where this apple empire will be existing: worldwide or more central to the U.S.
Posted by Tisha on June 08, 2007 at 02:05 PM EDT #