Steve Jobs: excellent maker of consumer electronics – but not a God
In this guest post, Adam Ferrier reckons that the world got a bit carried away with the death of the man behind Apple.
The Naked office is a reasonably fun and happy place. On the whole it’s free of workplace bullying, and most people clock in and out at a reasonable hour. However, recently something happened that caused great upset to our staff – it was beyond our control and very worrying. There were group emails sent around with messages of condolence, and perhaps even a tear or two. However, it wasn’t just our office – the same scenes of morning could be seen right across the world. What happened?
Well…. Last week a very good manufacturer of consumer electronics died, Steve Jobs.
After his death The Economist describes Steve Jobs as a man who “Stood out in three ways – as a technologist, as a corporate leader and as somebody who was able to make people love what had previously been impersonal, functional gadgets.”
Could not have said it better myself.
We are living in a world where there is an unparalleled outpouring of grief for someone who has made us fall in love with our PDA’s, computers, and MP3’s.
What the fuck?
I could be wrong but I think this is the first time a manufacturer of consumer electronics goods death has caused so much distress. The reason why I want to bring this to attention is not that Steve Jobs doesn’t deserve to be lauded for his achievements, he certainly does.
However, it’s what this outpouring of sentiment says about us that I worry about. Why are we so upset that someone who made us fall in love with electronic gadgets has died? Here’s a possible explanation.
I’ve long held the view that Generation Y (and even more so Z) are the least marketing savvy generation to ever walk the planet. They are increasingly inept at deciphering marketing spin from genuine value for money. Further, they espouse that ‘authenticity’ and ‘transparency’ are crucial for successful marketers. Yet if the brand is strong or cool enough they are happy to overlook a dodgy manufacturing back end that may exploits human rights. People are being trained to love consumerism, and the younger we are, the more developed the country they are living in, then the more complete the training has become.
We are being trained to want excessively, and the London riots are a shiver inducing example of what can happen when you make a generation of people desire what they can’t have.
We are bamboozling our younger members of society with unadulterated messages of consumerism to the point where a person who, “…was able to make people love what had previously been impersonal, functional gadgets” (The Economists words not mine), is revered in the space that should be saved for human rights campaigners, politicians who make the world a better place, providers of world peace, and scientists who have eradicated disease.
Even our broadsheet newspapers are confused – describing Steve Jobs on the front page of Saturday’s paper as “The man who changed mankind” (I bet the sub-editor who wrote this is under 30).
As I write this on my MacBook Pro and use my iPhone to look up references do I feel a twinge of hypocrisy?
Not in the slightest.
I enjoy my Apple products to varying degrees. My MacBook Pro is easy to use but crashes all the time, my iPhone I persist with even though it just doesn’t work as a business tool, and my iPad sits in a top drawer – same place its been since a week after a bought it a year ago. However, I also get satisfaction and frustration from other consumer electronic products too. The point is, no matter how cute Apple products look, and how well they work (or don’t), they are not other people. They are not world peace. They are not the cure for cancer.
Steve Jobs was obviously a brilliant man, and I respect his business, the jobs he’s created, and the products he’s given birth to. Yet at the same time I worry about our society becoming so consumption focused that we misattribute the makers of consumer electronics to being the equivalent of modern day gods.
So for an alternative point of view on consumerism have a look here. In the meantime, how about a little perspective?
Adam Ferrier is founding partner and consumer psychologist at Naked Communications
Great post. Can I have your iPad please Adam?
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Excellent piece. The unbridled outpouring of “grief” last week was quite disturbing.
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Mr Ferrier, I salute you.
I wrote my piece within a few hours of Jobs’ death. Shortly after it was posted, I began to feel an uneasy sense of having become caught up in the sort of hysteria that marked Princess Diana’s death. I genuinely think the man achieved some exceptional stuff, as a technologist and marketer, but philanthropy and concern for humanity were notable by their absence from his work. Cool guy, not a saint.
I watched as perhaps ten percent of my Facebook connections changed their avatars to the Jobs/ Apple tribute logo. I walked past the Apple store where people had left piles of flowers and manky apples.
As with Di’s death, I had the same troubling feeling that people were attaching profound significance to a figure who simply shouldn’t hold that place in their emotions.
I could bang on about Jungian archetypes, but I’d sound like a dick, and I think that wouldn’t fully explain the fact that the heart, or soul, perhaps, has somehow fallen out of our society, and we seek to replace it with shiny things and remote ‘celebrities’.
It’s a bit earnest for this hour on a Monday, but I can’t help thinking even a tenth of this sentiment or desire to connect – if applied to our communities (local and globally)- might achieve wonderful things. Time to hit cmd-opt-shift-tab-delete..?
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I was all ready to slam “another Adam Ferrier rant”, until I found my Gen Y self agreeing with him. Dammit. He’s right.
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Hmmmm “The man who changed mankind”, as long as you lived in a first world country and could afford the price premium on the products.
Edward Jenner, Alexander Fleming and Plato are men who changed mankind.
Nice to see a rational perspective on Steve Jobs’ impact.
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Hi Rory,
No problem are you in Sydney, Melbourne or other?
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amazing that people outpour ‘grief’ over the loss of steve jobs because they’ve spent money on some of his products but show such apathy in other more significant societal areas.
i guess ‘changing mankind’ is producing a computer with a metal case, or a phone that has a touchscreen. great devices sure, but hardly vaccines that cure disease.
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Adam to say Apples success in the last 10 years has been a result of cool/strong branding and dodgy human rights for their production workers is being a bit economical with the truth.
The ipod, iphone, ipad and MacBook Pro all revolutionised their respective category from both a performance and design prospective. Apple have successfully taken the focus away from technology and are one of the few organisations focused on building products not just marketing messages around insights
PS – Sadly I am pushing the wrong side of 30 so don’t fit into the Gen Y category
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I’m a Hobart lad Adam.
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Great stuff!
Now do Don Bradman.
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Kind of missing the point about the way he delivered on communication, he took a brand that was falling to pieces and put the product and a real reason to exist at the centre of that brand.
He wasn’t a god to most people, but he should be to the marketing and advertising world. He did what every so called guru is chatting about right now, put a reason to believe at the centre of the brand and then created a product and service that every person wanted to talk about..
I don’t care about the products, I care that as an industry we have lost someone who truly did the right thing and created (at times) the largest company in the world by getting the true essence of marketing. To make people believe.
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it’s a fundamental error to attribute Apple’s success to marketing. They had some good marketing, some bad, some terrible, but there wasn’t some magical mind-bending marketing that turned TV viewers in slavering consumers. They were simply well-designed tools that allowed several generations of people to be able to actually use their computers – a profound achievement that people who focus on the marketing side seem to be missing.
The impact of Job’s work on empowering disabled people to be able to use computer devices was immense. http://www.wired.com/epicenter.....isability/
Also, lastly, a large body of Apple accolades are coming from people who are in their 40s, 50s and 60s. That’s not Gen Y.
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So you’re in the business of facilitating brand worship and when people react accordingly you call them stupid?
I love this whole trend of “too-cool advertisers” like you and Todd Sampson always biting the hand that feeds. How does it feel up there on your pedestal? Dizzying?
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Thanks Adam for waking up sleepy minds, again…
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Hi Cashing in.
Fair point – and not one missed on me every time I comment in this space.
Please read the linked article at the end of piece for an alternative suggestion. Also, I think preaching from the inside is potentially just as effective as preaching from the outside (although it does feel like I’m pissing in a very large pond – i.e. makes little difference at all). Email me directly if you want to talk further.
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Steve Jobs was responsible for a lot more than you give him credit for. His influence spreads far greater than the few products you have purchased in the last couple of years.
If you purchased an iPad and don’t know what to do with it, it sounds like you are the one that is ‘inept at deciphering marketing spin from genuine value for money.’
Please don’t make uninformed assumptions of whole generations.
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This is the best article I’ve read in a long time. I get sick of people making him out to be a on par with Mother Theresa when at best he’s a modern day Henry Ford.
Michael Jackson changed the world with the music he created but he also got up to other things that would see most people on the planet locked up in jail for the rest of their lives.
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I’ve read this post three times now and I still can’t work out your point, Adam. I think it goes something like this:
‘We shouldn’t grieve him. But we should laud his achievements.”
“Training people to love consumerism is wrong.”
“My MacBook doesn’t work properly and I didn’t think through the iPad purchase.”
“Apple products don’t cure cancer.”
“Steve Jobs was a brilliant man.”
Well, no real argument there on points 2 to 5, although I think you picking on Jobs to rail against consumerism seems opportunistic at best and vindictive at worst.
Finally on point 1, here was a guy who wasn’t an over-payed football player, an anorexic model, a childish politician or a depressingly vacant pop star. He was an intellectual, a designer and someone that had the ability to not just the way we see consumer electronics, but the way we use those to communicate and create.
I think its incredibly sad and nihilistic that you’re critical of emotion directed to someone we wish our children could grow up to be.
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This is quite possibly the most cogent piece of analysis I’ve ever read on MuMbrella. Brilliant. Adam, please more! Flesh it out to 1,000 words and fire it of to the opinion editor at The Age. Please!!!!
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Agreed Adam. Not only are they/we bamboozled into consuming excessively (one could argue that’s been going on for a while), Jobs’ ‘gadgets’ are also the conduit by which we’re more regularly getting off on the dopamine squirts that neuroscientists have identified come from endless hits of info, meaningful or otherwise, that we’ve increasingly become addicted to. Double whammy.
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Steve Jobs may not have cured cancer or devised world peace, but he did contribute to culture – something just as valuable.
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For those inside and outside the marketing arena, Jobs delivered new benchmarks across the whole offering – Bang & Olufsen / Louis Vuitton for the masses, if you will.
At the product level – “it just works” – now anyone can use a PC; at the service level – “exceed all expectations” – we’ll treat you as a human; at the marketing level – “selling the sizzle” – no reams of specs and features and buttons, just simple benefits elegantly delivered.
The emotion felt seemed to be more a fear that no-one else could do it as well. The fear of the rise of the trite alternatives. This isn’t true of course, but Jobs knew well that punters are appalling at seeing the future. He isn’t essential to that future. He just showed what could be done if you understood customers.
All that said Adam, to buy a device and not know why; to buy a device that doesn’t fit your work needs; to have a device and not seek support to fix it. Well that’s the problem with idiotproof – nature makes better idiots. 😉
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Hi Adam,
I see very few of us under 30 something media professionals who see world beyond what media shows them. This is a classic example. Media all over the world hailed Steve Jobs as Mahatma Gandhi of technology but honestly, what did he do apart from creating a few good products. Dont get me wrong his products are awesome, but did he change the mankind? How? Very few people realise that the technology Apple unveiled existed with other companies in some form or the other it was just great marketing and business including design that gave Apple the first mover advantage in the marketplace.
Look forward to some more articles with a different POV, Adam.
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The real story is in the link Adam refers to simply as ‘here’. It is great to see some strong ethics out there. I get referred to as ‘The Nun’ – so very happy there are others!
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Thank fuck someone is speaking some sense at last!
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Great article Adam.
I get so tired of hearing about how Gen Y are the most marketing savvy generation ever – I agree with you that it’s the opposite! (and I say that as someone on the cusp of Gen Y and Gen X).
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Hurrrrr durrrrr. Me like shinies. Me thro monies. HURRRRRR! GET SHINIES! WAAANNNNNT! HURRRRRRDURRRRRRR!
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And there was me being all unpopular for articulating much the same a few hours after the world went into mourning.
Thanks for the sanity check Adam.
Stig
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Humanitarian perspective:
Bill Gates: Donated 1 billion + to eradicate diseases like Polio in the third world
Steve Jobs: 100k political donation
Will we make this big of fuss when Gates passes? ‘Great man’ etc…
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I find it amazing when ‘creative people’ find a way to criticise their peers (or more appropriately, people that should be considered a creative inspiration)… Expecting people not to have a reaction to his death is ridiculous. Fair enough, some people go a little bit OTT (learnt that one off a Gen-Y’er), but that’s out of a fairly large group of individuals – hundreds of millions of users.
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I’m with Simon, Steve Jobs was a man who had focus and clarity of purpose and who achieved great things across many areas – consumer electronics, design, marketing and business in general. I’d like to see Adam stack this supposedly over the top response to that of the death of Michael Jackson.
And agree with Cashing In on the holier than thou rail against consumerism……Adam are you the same guy who does work for McDonalds? How do you reconcile this with your position above? How many client meetings have you opened with your dream to rid the world of rampant consumerism before the conversation switches to the new feature on their line of widgets designed to move a shitload more units?
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Your perspective is missing a rather large dimension. Jobs’ death has touched people because of his personal story, his passion, and the way those attributes are embodied in the products he created.
Jobs’ is a self-made man who dropped out of college to save his adopted parents from being bankrupted. He started his business in a garage and wanted to change the world by building things that improved the way people lived their lives every day. He was ousted, helped create one of the world’s most brilliant film studios, and then rose from the ashes to resurrect Apple. He even defeated cancer, albeit temporarily. He was a perfectionist, incredibly engaged and committed, and someone that got out of bed most days with unwavering purpose. So the story goes anyway.
That passion is what’s reflected in those ‘consumer electronics’ and something most people, intuitively or explicitly, experience. There is an emotional connection to their inventor which is perpetuated by the way Apple markets itself and speaks to its customers. It’s not rational. Apple does not play in that area, neither did Steve Jobs.
I find it puzzling that a psychologist and marketer has chosen to cynically gloss over that pretty obvious connection. Being contrarian is sometimes interesting but can also be just plain lazy.
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One could have been mistaken for thinking he had cured cancer, rather than died from it. (A point well made by a letter writer to SMH, whose name I can’t recall but deserves all the credit for)
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Finally some perspective on this ridiculousness. We are all looking for someone to inspire us, so smartly Apple has capitalised on our ignorance. Let this inspire you instead https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WibmcsEGLKo
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Wow! A well thought out, well articulated, original thought. And bang on the money. Great food for thought, thanks Adam.
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Should I mention Pixar? Which wouldn’t have existed without him?
Oh and Adam here’s a link to my blog which lists a whole bunch of apps that you can use for your iPad for work purposes: http://kiltforhire.com/2011/03.....e-an-ipad/
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@ David your response is extremely compelling, and helps explain why Steve Jobs should be regarded as a brilliant man, and his death seen as very sad. Both of which I completely agree with. However, I believe that part of the outpouring of grief has been because Steve created much loved consumer goods. Indeed it was the article in The Economist that got me thinking – as I quote their piece twice.
My argument is not whether Steve deserved the praise or not, but rather what it says about our society that would hold a manufacturer of consumer electronics in such high regard. Would it have been as high if he had devoted his life to B2B products or industrial engineering? I don’t think so – I think a large part of the hoopla is because he made cool shiny things to buy. That’s my point.
To everyone else pro or against what Ive written it’s fantastic to have such well argued points either way. @HilYID I needless to say I find your point particularly salient.
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Well said David. We need to remember how individuals interact with the brand and products. These devices certainly have improved the lives of many; they are not only intuitive and easy to use, they also facilitate an individual’s ability to be creative and produce creative work. When you consider how this empowers and inspires the individual, you begin to understand the affection for the brand and Jobs.
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A brave post Adam. Kudos.
But surely there is an error in there … that your MacBook Pro crashes all the time. All my Apple-phile friends insist that they do NOT crash. And they also DON’T get viruses. Sssshh … don’t mention OS X Leopard either.
Do you know what the smartest thing Jobs ever did was IMHO? I reckon it was when he talked his way into touring Xerox’s Palo Alto Research Centre (PARC) and saw the first mouse and GUI, he then rushed back to Apple and abandoned all current software development and got everyone working on the Mac OS. Game over. Only Jobs could see the potential that Xerox missed seeing.
Mind you it could also have been the deal to get Samsung chips for the iPhone and getting the touchscreen software thrown in as part of the deal (for three years I thought – maybe that is why the patent lawsuits are currently flying).
His genius was in being like a bower-bird in collecting all the shiny bright-blue things and putting them all together into something brighter and shinier than anyone else could possibly have imagined. That, and his ability to simplify things to be easier than intuitive, and his unfailing eye for design.
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Zig while others zag, right Adam?
You are a psychologist (yeah?) and I would have liked to read your analysis from a psychology perspective, not just the usual consumerism this, consumerism that.
Why did people cry when Lennon or Cobain died? They were musicians and well-known personalities. So? I guess just like Jobs, they had inspired people and were missed, until someone just as inspiring replaced them.
Of course Jobs wasn’t a God, but who is/was? Why did he inspire so many people to start a business and strive for excellence, rather than mediocrity? Why did so many people compare him to innovators like Edison and Ford?
His pursuit of innovation transcended technology or any other single discipline. The current and next generation of tech, business and advertising students will read about him and his approach to building businesses and designing, developing and marketing outstanding products (rather than just advertising the hell out of mediocre products) in their textbooks.
Obviously, I’m a fan. Did I cry? No. Do I hope we will see more people like him? Yes.
I hope you will follow up with something more interesting because I really think your expertise should allow you to analyse last week’s events more objectively.
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Adamn you’re a shrink, how do I tell someone I admire that he could possibly be developing a messianic complex. Do I point to his Jesus lookalike (including crown of thorns) photo worthy of the most transcendental Giotto fresco? Do I mention the unassailable title he’s anointed himself with -Global Head of Behavioural Science- who would dare argue with such a worldly scholar? Do I mention his deep, deep concern for (or anger at) the whole of humanity – for not reacting emotionally the way he thinks they all should. Do I mention his irritation at more successful aspirants to messianic status. And what about appearing as one of the happy band of corporate pick-pocketers-giving-away-their-tricks on Gruen. Ok, last example was a bit of a stretch. In fact it’s all been a bit of stretch.
But Adam, all I’m saying is, I do like people like you who vocally take a perverse view of things to question assumptions. I do it frequently. But I don’t need a behavioural science degree to realise that every breathing, eating, shitting, shopping human has a duty to bring some joy. It’s the price of being alive. You’re analytical, do a misery-offset calculation. Offset how much joy Steve Jobs brought with how much misery he caused. Even factoring in your London riots, if you really want, I foresee he’ll come out misery-neutral to say the least.
P.S.I knew you weren’t the real ad messiah by your picture. When the real deal real comes back to blow all the bullshit away, I’m thinking he’ll look a bit more like a young Singo:)
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There was a similar reaction to Diana, and let’s face it she did about as much for world peace as Jobs did. Hell, mobile cameras probably saved more lives than a campaign against land mines (both laudable) – the bigger point here, perhaps missed by you, Ferrier, is that people have this emotional, visceral reaction when certain public figures die young (ish). I have never understood it, but a lot of people have it; maybe it’s just that a large group of people across the entire spectrum of society have the same reaction and that amplifies it… Perhaps its when the people doing the sying embody something we can relate to or would like to relate to…
The media is ALWAYS guilty of hyperbole and the truth about Jobs (changing the world vs selling stuff) is somewhere in between, where it always is.
And as to the statement about this generation being materialistic and falling for marketing, well, who’s being naive here, mate ? 😉
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Did someone mention Mother Teresa?
She has been exposed as a fraud who le children die who would have lived if they had gone to hospital. This while she attended the best clinics in the world flying by private jets. She received millions in stolen money. She supported the fascist Franco in Spain and the Duvaliers in Haiti.
Steve Jobs is not a God but surely a Saint as defined by the catholic church.
DB
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Adam, I agree with your major point he wasn’t a ‘god’. Other thank Daisy Duke I can’t imagine who alive today is.
But, I do agree with David (32).
I also think people like that the guy backed himself. In a world run by cookie cutter MBA’s and accountants he didn’t make the cheapest products possible. He made the best thing possible. People can tell. Dell was the old business model – Apple is the new.
He also didn’t research the life out of everything. He backed himself and his staff. How many companies do that these days?
He placed a small number of very big bets. Release one new phone not 134 like a lot of the competition. The product line is pretty small and simple.
He also made beautiful objects, ads and packaging. You want to live in an right-brained world? Music, theatre, art lift all our souls and somethings so do Apple products.
He also turned the retail world on its head. Look no further than JB HiFi etc. He invested in expensive locations, took a lot of effort to recruit the right staff and train them well. Count the number of staff at an Apple store vs normal retail. He sees people as an investment not mealy a bottom line cost to be cut to the bone. Who else does that these days?
Quotes – he will be quoted for years. “It’s better to be a pirate than join the navy.”
I suggest watching his Stanford speech to students in ’95.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1R-jKKp3NA
He was rich beyond belief but understood the way of the world and that being the richest person in the grave yard was not winning.
In the Fortune 500 there are 499 companies largely run and structured one way and one that isn’t. Guess which one. He has the competition and business schools stumped.
He took complicated stuff made by boffins and made it so we can all use. My 72 Dad, a PC user until a few moths ago and largely left behind by technology 20 years ago, now uses an iPad to keep in contact with his Grandkids. It’s remarkable to watch.
His company also perfected and popularised the apps store. So now a 14-year old kid with a good idea can distribute his software globally from his bedroom without requiring huge corporate backing, marketing plan or financial infrastructure.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/.....10023.html
And don’t forget Pixar etc.
God? No. Magical? Bold? Inspirational? Transformational? A one off?
Yes.
That’s what we’ll miss.
Long live the pirate.
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saw this guy talk at the Opera House two weeks ago, and I’m now not such a fan of his….http://www.smh.com.au/technolo.....1l0ne.html
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Steve Jobs destroyed sonic quality in music.
And you admired the problem Adam, not too much WHY in your piece.
As in WHY people poured out the emotion. How it was a result of how
Steves brand was managed and grown.
A couple of reasonable points, but a few lazy, contrarian generalizations to match.
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I have two things to say about Steve Jobs. Firstly he surely the only CEO anyone has ever cared about. I don’t know about you, but I couldn’t even name another CEO.
As for his skills as a marketer, watch this video. http://wndr.mn/f5nc It sums up what marketing is all about in just six minutes.
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The world reacted to Steve Jobs not because he went, but because of the way he did. Which was undoubtedly sad, and unexpected.
The world reacted to Lady DIana and Michael Jackson in the same way. The common thread in all these deaths was the fact that they were unexpected – and took us by surprise.
We all knew Steve Jobs was suffering from cancer we just didn’t know the disease was in its final term.
I see nothing wrong with a bit of grieving for a man who is arguably one of the the greatest inventors of our time. I can’t help wondering whether some of that grief is linked to a feeling that we may never see another radical product like the iphone, ipad or even itunes again!
That may well be the real tragedy people are playing out in their grief.
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Some of us aren’t sucked in by the vortex of making a man who was a brilliant marketer and businessman into a god. And some of us are surprised by the reaction we see and scared by the robotic nature in which people are reacting . On the day of his death, social media platforms ran wild with comments about him ‘changing mankind’. I, like Adam am feeling a little confused by these types of comments. I wish he did use his creativity, money, intelligence and ability to inspire to change mankind (imagine what he could done with some of his attributes, instead of making lots of shiny products which are cool to place on your desk during a meeting, or give you easy access to buy music (from who!). I’m pretty confident people are just jumping on the bandwagon of ‘it’s cool to love the man who created Apple’, and finally someone has posted a reality check. Thanks Adam
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Uh huh – I’m picking up what you’re laying down Adam Ferrier. Steve Jobs adoration or not the world is changing and the rise of alternative consumption or maybe better still ‘positive consumption’ that you reference in the link to that piece is underway. I know this first hand – things like Garage Sale Trail are testament to it and are all about positive consumption, connectedness and adding a more evolved layer to the idea of “what can I buy”…. would be interesting to know if your clients get that?
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Jobs wasn’t a god – I think – if gods existed that is. I wonder – is this stating the obvious? And, does ‘excellent CE guy’ underplay the psychological significance of his contribution? Jobs created a brand and marketed its value proposition so well that it is encoded into our brains. He was so effective at creating a brand which delivered on its value proposition that SUBLIMINAL EXPOSURE TO THE APPLE BRAND EFFECTS HOW PEOPLE THINK (happy to share the empirical work supporting this). Creating a brand that affects us without our knowledge – not godlike, but cool.
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You should probably stop looking at porn on your Macbook Pro. It will stop it from crashing and give you a reason to use your ipad.
Great Article though.
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Well done Adam. My clear fav’ is the transparency blinkers many people choose to wear.
Steve.
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Your wrote: “I enjoy my Apple products to varying degrees. My MacBook Pro is easy to use but crashes all the time, my iPhone I persist with even though it just doesn’t work as a business tool, and my iPad sits in a top drawer – same place its been since a week after a bought it a year ago.”
While that kind of ambivalence doesn’t disqualify you from offering a reasoned opinion, it certainly does reveal something of the quality of your reasoning. Why do you still possess these items which don’t work for you, then use it as evidence of the ordinariness of Jobs’ achievements?
Donate the unused iPad to a school who could really use it, or to a pilot friend before Qantas gives him or her one to use in the flight deck instead of kgs of Jeppeson charts; or to Jetstar as they roll out their iPad-led IFE system?
As for the crashing Macbook, if true, it’s a logic board issue and you need to get it to an Apple store for review – you know, those places which consistently get the highest ratings for customer service.
I would have expected from a psychologist a deeper level of inquiry and curiosity into the world-wide phenomenon we have witnessed regarding Jobs’ passing, rather than a “WTF” quality of blog entry. I can see them anywhere, anytime but I expect better from Mumbrella.
Les Posen
Melbourne Australia
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I completely agree with Adam’s reservations on the over the top eulogising of Jobs though slightly countered by a number of articles that have pointed out his dictatorial management style (The Economist), opposition to philanthropy, overly competitive zeal, and the claimed human rights exploitation of workers in China.
Adam’s concerns about the over exploitation of consumerism and the social consequences, in particular for Generations Y and Z, are well founded and the basis of the London rights may stretch to other countries in the future.
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What Everyone Is Too Polite to Say About Steve Jobs
http://orchology.com/post/1121.....steve-jobs
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The best explanation for the outpouring of grief re Steve Jobs that I’ve read so far has been from a Gawker commenter, AnotherBob. it can be found on this page: http://gawker.com/5847124/steve-jobs-is-dead – Excerpt: “When someone famous dies, we lose a bit of our past — and in so doing, recognize that we’re moving closer to our own deaths.”
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Steve Jobs aside, you have made an interesting point about the differing generations relationship with their electrical goods. I happily live without a washing machine, TV, or fridge. I would even divest myself of my sewing machine if it came to it. If I could only keep one thing it would be my MacBook. It is desirable, useful and personal. I need it. It is my power pet and my only link with my family and people in my small sphere of influence. When one genuinely downsizes and declutters then “less is more” design is the key factor.
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Has anyone considered whether those grieving for Jobs extend outside the social media/advertising/tech engineer world?
my mum wasn’t that upset. nor my neighbour. let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
i hate to think what would happen if zuckerberg died an early death. imagine the outpouring of emotion – the guy would be credited with inventing basically everything around socialisation, liberating the liberated and giving us all a reason to live, not to mention farmville and poking.
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Adam, in response to your response. I get that you’re questioning modern society and pointing out how a ‘gadget guy’ could only be so revered in a world that’s drunk on consumerism and narcissism.
Your statement ‘I think a large part of the hoopla is because he made cool shiny things to buy.’ is not insightful or surprising. People are touched by things that affect them personally… go figure. That’s not a symptom of a self-centered out-of-touch society, it’s the human condition. Of course no-one would care if Steve Jobs invented cool industrial machinery. But he didn’t. He invented something that is embedded in the lives of more than 100 million people every hour of every day.
You may be repulsed by that notion, that’s fair enough, and I can understand why the infiltration of personal electronics into every space of life is unsettling. However, if I were you I wouldn’t be questioning the world’s infatuation with Steve Jobs. I’d be asking myself why I spend my days flogging more of the devil’s devices for businesses like Sony and Telstra.
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Noone cried when Rodney Dangerfield died. That gets to me.
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I do understand these points–he was not Gandhi, he did not cure cancer or bring world peace. I too was a bit surprised by the degree his death seemed to strike the entire world. I was more surprised however, that I was just as struck. Jobs was in fact more than just a maker of “good electronics”, he completely changed the way interact with the world around us. The way we listen to music, the way we think of animation, the way we communicate with others; it’s difficult to find someone who wasn’t affected by what he created.
The fact that he didn’t just make products, he set the standard for them, is what made him such a prominent figure. But it’s the philosophy he shared that made the world feel like they lost a great visionary.
In a 2005 commencement address ay Stanford, he said every morning he would ask himself “‘If I were going to die today, would I still want to do what I’m about to do?’ And if the answer was no for too many days in a row, I knew I had to change.” Yes, the world may have rose-colored glasses on for Steve Jobs, but it doesn’t change the fact that he inspired a lot of people with more than just an iPad.
A college dropout of working-class parents, who has been fired from his own company, who already fought cancer, who was so passionate about doing what he loved, he was able to revolutionize the industry, and in the turn, the world. He may have not saved lives, but he left his mark not just a “maker of good electronics”, but as someone who practiced what he preached.
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This headline is such a loaded statement. First of all, I don’t know that anyone is really treating jobs like a god, and this headline implies that anyone mourning him IS treating him like a got and is therefore ignorant and (god forbid) probably just gen y. this dude contributed a lot to modern pop culture, and he had an epic personal story – people love that shiz – let them! Having said that – I always a fan of a balanced argument and it’s good to see another opinion out there
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If my Mac Book kept crashing, I’d get it fixed or replaced. My iPhone finally allowed me to sync mail/diary/phonebook without any hiccups and my iPad allows me to work in cafes with ease.
Anyway imho, this slightly dated little video (excuse the sound) captures a lot about Mr Jobs’ genius and why we will miss him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmG9jzCHtSQ&feature=player_embedded
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Thanks for participating in this. Thanks especially to the people who opened my eyes a little more to who the man Steve Jobs was and his personal story, it makes his achievements even more extraordinary.
However, this article remains more a piece about us than him. Our worship of shine and design, and the increasingly tough time we’ll have rebutting their seductive powers.
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Adam,
The piece shouldn’t really be about us though. The point is that we don’t mourn Steve Jobs because he brought us the gadgets that ‘give our life meaning’, but because he revolutionized our world and did it with a genuine spirit, passion, and enthusiasm. iPods will still be made. If that was all people cared about, we wouldn’t have seen the outpouring we did. You can’t put Jobs name in the article and point to the world grieving for him and say it’s not about him. The mourning was about him. Jobs as a person. He really was more than just a gadget maker. That is why the world will miss him.
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I wonder if the love we have of shiny objects is directly related to what we’re missing in our lives in other ways? Adam knows that the human way is that there are certain needs we need to meet to feel, well, human. If we don’t get these things in resourceful ways we get them in other ways. Psychologists have proven that for years in studies in social behaviour.
I wonder if the need we’re fulfilling by the focus on gadgetry is a sense of connection? There’s a community within each brand that is like a tribe with which we associate. The modern world has little other outlets to connect at the same depth and so we find ways like sharing gadgets, following certain brands, football or to rally against the tall poppies or for and against a cause.
Connection is expressed in different ways with different social psychologists – belonging, community, love.
We find it even in blogging about gadgets and Steve Jobs I guess. ;o)
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Sure, it’s not like Apple had a massive impact on the way we think about and access music, the internet or content in general. And while we’re at it, can people please stop banging on about Johannes Gutenberg? He was no philanthropist either, and to be honest I find the ‘gadget’ he invented a bit clunky.
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Adam
After some reading, I find I must disagree with your central premise. I discovered that Steve:
– Created new worlds and environments (iTunes, App Store)
– Was born into a non-traditional family
– Appeared periodically to adoring followers
– Was loved and hated with equal passion
– Always wore the same garb in public
– Miraculously took Apple from near bankruptcy to world leader
– Was the subject of books and essays and films
– Told great stories
– Inspired odd behaviour from fanatic followers
– Embarrassed or punished those who didn’t meet his high standards
So,
From a review of history and this evidence, it seems that he was a god.
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You want to know what made him that little but different from the majority of CEO’s and why people admired (not worshipped) him?
Have a read of this little interesting story about how Vic Gundotra took a call from him one Sunday afternoon:
https://plus.google.com/107117483540235115863/posts/gcSStkKxXTw
“One Sunday morning, January 6th, 2008 I was attending religious services when my cell phone vibrated. As discreetly as possible, I checked the phone and noticed that my phone said “Caller ID unknown”. I choose to ignore.
After services, as I was walking to my car with my family, I checked my cell phone messages. The message left was from Steve Jobs. “Vic, can you call me at home? I have something urgent to discuss” it said.
Before I even reached my car, I called Steve Jobs back. I was responsible for all mobile applications at Google, and in that role, had regular dealings with Steve. It was one of the perks of the job.
“Hey Steve – this is Vic”, I said. “I’m sorry I didn’t answer your call earlier. I was in religious services, and the caller ID said unknown, so I didn’t pick up”.
Steve laughed. He said, “Vic, unless the Caller ID said ‘GOD’, you should never pick up during services”.
I laughed nervously. After all, while it was customary for Steve to call during the week upset about something, it was unusual for him to call me on Sunday and ask me to call his home. I wondered what was so important?
“So Vic, we have an urgent issue, one that I need addressed right away. I’ve already assigned someone from my team to help you, and I hope you can fix this tomorrow” said Steve.
“I’ve been looking at the Google logo on the iPhone and I’m not happy with the icon. The second O in Google doesn’t have the right yellow gradient. It’s just wrong and I’m going to have Greg fix it tomorrow. Is that okay with you?”
Of course this was okay with me. A few minutes later on that Sunday I received an email from Steve with the subject “Icon Ambulance”. The email directed me to work with Greg Christie to fix the icon.
Since I was 11 years old and fell in love with an Apple II, I have dozens of stories to tell about Apple products. They have been a part of my life for decades. Even when I worked for 15 years for Bill Gates at Microsoft, I had a huge admiration for Steve and what Apple had produced.
But in the end, when I think about leadership, passion and attention to detail, I think back to the call I received from Steve Jobs on a Sunday morning in January. It was a lesson I’ll never forget. CEOs should care about details. Even shades of yellow. On a Sunday.”
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“My argument is not whether Steve deserved the praise or not, but rather what it says about our society that would hold a manufacturer of consumer electronics in such high regard. Would it have been as high if he had devoted his life to B2B products or industrial engineering? I don’t think so – I think a large part of the hoopla is because he made cool shiny things to buy. That’s my point.”
Perhaps rather than seeing this view of society as a view of somehow diminished society, maybe we should take the non judgmental route and just accept that our society has changed in such a way THAT someone who created consumer electronics is held in such hi regard.
Rather than assuming that this means we have become shallow, we could assume that our culture has changed in fundamental ways and have a closer look at those.
It’s easy to bemoan the next generation as worse than the previous, in fact so easy, it’s happened since the year dot. Fact is, the majority of people have always been sheep and this is not a bad thing, because without the dead wood, what would society float on?
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Henry Ford is revered and he made cars–polluting, traffic-causing, obesity-contributing cars. He changed the world, made it smaller, opened up possibility for so many with a physical object. The point is that Jobs’ job was secondary, it was the fact that he actually did “think differently” that made him a figure worth noting.
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Ok I’m leaving now. Here’s an alternative POV given to me by Mike. It’s an interesting perspective. http://www.american.com/archiv.....-no-edison
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Nice article, and I mostly agree. I’ve become very aware that the extra enjoyment from using my new MacPro has also led to an increase in daily time-wasting.
I would however refine the comment that new generations are less marketing savvy. Many of the most Apple obsessed people I can think of are well beyond middle aged, and it’s due to more than the ease-of-use attraction. My 60 year old father and mother are equally vulnerable to irrational ‘iPad desire’. Moreover, they waste just as much time as I do mentally consuming internet content most evenings.
But I agree -it’s the young people adopting these wants, attitudes and behaviours that do evoke the most concern.
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While I do understand your point about consumerism, decrying Jobs as a mere “excellent maker of consumer electronics” just demonstrates your ignorance of history.
As an aside, it may amuse you to know that the bulk of Job’s fortune was tied up in Disney, not Apple. In fact he was the largest single shareholder.
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Adam, I think it’s natural for people to grieve over someone they hold in high esteem. For most, Jobs was a visionary who had the talent and strength of character to bring his vision to life. The kind of person lots would like to be. To be so inspiring and die so young is tragic.
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I trust you will now be leaping onto your moral high horse at the start of every Naked pitch presentation from now on and proclaiming that we are “bamboozling our younger members of society with unadulterated messages of consumerism.”
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@Jamie Clift no argument from me. The guy was very good at what he did, and it’s very sad when people who inspire others die so young. The point of the article is about what Steve Jobs did that made him so inspiring to others. Of course this article has fleshed out a lot of positive attributes about the man – however, his biggest claim to fame is of course his ability to manufacture consumer goods that we ‘love’. My issue isn’t with him – its with us (you especially). I ask for perspective – that’s all.
@Joe Tulcott did he shun all material possessions too?
@finlon please read The American link – it puts his inventiveness in perspective
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Adam, I think you’re incredibly cynical, insensitive and slightly jealous.
But you’re absolutely right.
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Do you think it’s possible that Apple’s PR team laid the first flowers, played the first violins, so to speak?
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The internet has been declared a human right in some countries. Arthur C. Clarke said that the world would achieve true peace when two conditions were met. 1) free energy 2) instant, global, free communication.
Can you really deride computers as mere consumer goods when they have been so instrumental in changing the world into an’arguably’ better place?
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@Stephan Gyory we are really getting off the topic. Steve Jobs did not invent the internet. He was also pretty good at not giving away things for free. This article was not about Steve Jobs, it was about our obsession with consumerism (embodied in many ways by Apple…….). Please see above comments for very good arguments for and against this pov.
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Adam
you are tasked and get quite handsomely re-imbursed everyday I would imagine in creating a society that is becoming more and more consumption focused…that is what this whole industry is about, is it not – influencing, glorifying, promoting and selling to the masses (and niches) products that they probably don’t need?
We all need a little introspective to go with a little perspective.
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Here’s an alternative POV of Edison
http://flyingmoose.org/truthfic/tesla.htm
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http://loveisthemouvement.blog.....es-no.html
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@Amanda I can’t watch the video as my iPhone can’t play flash. Don’t know why.
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Shame on you for disrespecting the man after his death!
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@Adam. I am fully aware of what the topic is and that Jobs didn’t invent the internet. I understand your argument, but I don’t think I agree with it and you purposely miss my point.
Yes he very cleverly tapped into a base human urge but I don’t think that takes away from the achievements (not his alone by any means) and I don’t think the human race has ever existed without this urge to own/consume – we just have greater opportunities to do so now.
Yes Jobs manipulated it, many have, but in this instance perhaps people feel they got what they paid for, or even more than what they paid for by being part of something (again perhaps not real – but people do this all the time, it seems to make their lives worth living – take ‘god’ for example). BTW I am not saying I agree with or even like cults of personality, just acknowledging them.
I think you have entangled a few different issues here…
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Ok I’ve read the piece from The American – and I agree. When you think about inventions, Apple’s were definitely third-order, and in terms of essential living, far less important as inventions than Edison’s.
But when I think of Jobs I don’t think about product inventions. I think about communications. That’s the bit that Jobs revolutionized. There have been few people throughout history who have made us change the very way we think about communications, and I do believe Jobs was one of them. See here for a nice little piece on 3 Inventors Who Revolutionized Communications. http://bit.ly/nhBavW
Here’s a couple of key paragraphs:
…true innovation isn’t just about creating a new means of communication. Where people like Steve Jobs stand alone is in creating a new conception of communication: in fundamentally changing the way we view our relationship with one another and with the world.
AND:
The MacBook was not the first laptop computer, nor the iPhone the first cell phone, but it was Jobs who popularized the very idea of constant communication and connectedness. He envisioned a world in which people could carry around almost everything in their pocket, from music to GPS to email and the Internet, and in doing so, he became a cultural as well as a technical revolutionary.
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Great Article Adam,
For those of you who like to watch a program that sheds scientific light on the human brain, it’s response to seeing super-brands such as Apple (and many others) which in comparison are to that of being in church or giving praise to God, there is a 3 part documentary from the BBC called – BBC Secrets of the Superbrands.
The analogies and evolution of consumer behaviour over the present years is explored throughout the program in respect to global brands.
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Steve Jobs was effectively the world’s greatest quality controller
everything that has come from Apple was done to an incredible standard
dazzling products, intuitive software, intelligent retail, great interconnection between devices…
the retail story is possibly his greatest achievement – a wonderful product manufacturer becoming the greatest retailer in the world is amazing
our admiration for him is recognition of how hard it is to achieve excellence – over and over – in wildly different areas
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this is a great example of the (ongoing) impact of mr jobs http://mashable.com/2011/10/13/baby-magazine-ipad/
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Barry @ comment 12…
Surely you can attribute a fair chunk of Apple’s success to marketing? Everything in white? “i-everything”? Those cool ads on TV? The cult of personality around Mr Jobs and his product announcements? All marketing, and all had major impact IMO.
No doubt Apple make slick products, but I think downplaying the marketing angle is a mistake.
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What the main point that Jobs created successfully wasn’t the products themselves – it’s quite simplistic in the interface, technology and design when it first came out (exceptions to which is the iPod, that revolutionised music players); but Jobs did not exercise conventional marketing efforts to attract customers and most Apple products we’re of cheap quality and quite unreliable (to which product guarantees/maintenance contracts were provided).
However, Jobs had no message, no advertising, no agenda (paradoxically) and did not play with media outlets. This inturn created the hype for the succession of the Apple product-lines we see today. Word-of-mouth was Apple’s greatest marketing tactic.
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David. Apple is a MASSIVE spender on advertising. They are known for very very traditional marketing mix outdoor and tv primarily. There products are always massively advertised as, they were a consumer electronics manufacturer.
There products were good and created good word of mouth in the nerd community – but to make them mass market and ensure everyone bought the junk they advertised it wide and proud. There spend I think was around 7 million in australia last year. Lets say roughly 500 million all up around the world.
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Yes all that . . . but Apple stores do have the marvelous genius bar. There is an expectation that buyers who fell in desire with their ‘puter”, will want to give it the best ongoing love and attention. What other products are there like that!
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I’m not saying Apple does not utilize advertising – they have to, with use of their Apple stores otherwise… how would all you Apple Fans enjoy the continuous new products whilst speaking in vowels to each other?
The main point I was trying to make is the use of word of mouth and hype advertising (and product placement) was their main strategy above all promotional tactics. To the user replying to my opinion, $7M/500 in the whole scheme of things is nothing in comparison to their large product-line, market share and customer loyalty. Compare other competitive brands of Apple, and you’ll see their budget would be at least a few $100M more. Of course they will change their strategies for different products/segments but if you think about the brand you don’t think advertising.
And next time instead of intentionally mocking me whilst hiding behind my name, use your own, coward.
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Siri is another example of Apple’s success in popularising trends. They didn’t create it, they acquired it last year and packaged it with the 4S. Now the blogosphere is exploding with discussion about the funny things that Siri says in response to your commands etc – amazing publicity for their new phone with little investment (apart from the $ amount attached plus some work to “Applefy” Siri. People act like they’ve never seen or heard of voice commands on a phone before!
One of the comments mentions the Genius bar – does anyone else have a problem with the hubris of a company that calls their help desk a ‘Genius’ bar? The word ‘genius’ is being bandied about a little too freely these days methinks…
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PDA’s should be PDAs. Let’s rid the world of this common, but obvious error that is creeping into copy all over the world. It’s the new their/there!
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With out Steve job world would not be so advanced in technology. Just imagine 2o11 would be like 2oo1 😛 anyways nice article
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@ GUILTY
Genius Bar equals . . . fondly ironic methinks!
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Got to love a bunch of whiney Australians bagging out a guy who had just died. While the rest of the world is getting on with it we just try and chop everyone down to size. Adam, given your role you might be better off trying to add some of Steve Jobs magic to your phone and electronic clients than have a go at someone who can’t defend themselves.
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@ Sam – Settle petal…
Adam’s article is a good article and if a little bit of reality is added to the general “OMG – one of the best people ever is gone!” media coverage of Jobs, its a good thing.
Jobs was a smart flogger of pretty toys – but as a person apparently he was more like many other CEO’s – i.e. a dick
Also he was not charitiable despite being richer than Croesus and was happy to have his products made in such bad conditions that the factory had to install anti-suicide nets!!!
And being egalitarian and not fawning over someone is part of what makes Australia great
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Sam, please read the article before posting. Don’t think I did (or would) say anything disparaging about S Jobs. The post is about us – not him.
“Steve Jobs was obviously a brilliant man, and I respect his business, the jobs he’s created, and the products he’s given birth to. Yet at the same time I worry about our society becoming so consumption focused that we misattribute the makers of consumer electronics to being the equivalent of modern day gods.”
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Very insightful piece Adam … thanks for your time and effort.
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Peter at 55 and Sammy at 103 – Steve Jobs was a very private man. Unless you are privy to his tax returns you have no idea how philanthropic he was. Bono actually praised his charity contributions recently in the New York Times.
Many rich Americans give anonymously (the Bible says it’s more noble if you care to read it). Perhaps he did? There is rumour not long ago a $150 million donation was from him.
Also his wife Laurene is heavily involved with a number of non-profit organisations. Do you think she may have his ear?
It’s too easy to bag someone you really know nothing about these days.
Let’s hope you’re keeping up your tithing fellas! Keep us posted on your impact on the world.
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This post is refreshing particularly for two reasons: It represents a practical and humanistic look at Steve Jobs/his death and the reaction to such and it shows that you can be a Consumer Psychologist and still CARE about people, about society and about values and human worth.
I do think that Steve Jobs should get a bit more credit than you’re giving him here (and I really dislike most apple products) but the fact remains; his death held a mirror up to society and sadly only a ‘few’ didn’t like what they saw.
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