Why do people lineup for Apple product releases?
People lineup for Apple product releases
The OS for Apple Enthusiasts
Apple is one of the most successful and most-loved brands in the world, so it might seem a bit cheeky to profile their enthusiastic fan base and offer suggestions. I mean, what could we possibly learn about the most sophisticated marketing machine on the planet that they had not already figured out themselves?
But we did it anyway. And the results are quite fascinating.
What we know about Apple customers comes from the surveys we conducted around the world to build our benchmark database. A lot of people used Apple as an example when we asked various questions about their favorite brands.
In other words, enough people voluntarily talked about Apple when they were telling us about their values, wants, needs, and expectations that we are able to see patterns in the noise. Of course, if Apple wanted a full Valuegraphics Profile for their target audience, what we’d find would be far more robust than this. What follows is like those little samples handed out in paper cups in the grocery store by people in pretend chefs’ jackets. It’s just a taste test, but it’s a very intriguing mouthful.
A Valuegraphics Archetype called The Adventurers figures prominently with Apple customers. All Archetypes can have several sub-types, and in this case, we found one that you could assign a rather clunky label to: the Materialistic Repeat Adventurers. But we choose to call them The Lineuppers, and here’s why.
As the name would suggest, these people like adventures, they like materialistic things that result from those adventures, and they like those adventures to happen repeatedly.
For example, standing in line for the new iPhone release is a materialistic adventure, and lining up every single time there is a new iPhone release makes it a materialistic adventure that repeats. You can see why the nickname I’ve assigned to this audience segment of Apple fans is The Lineuppers, but remember, lining up for a new product release is just one behavior this group would find appealing. Anything else that meets the criteria for being a materialistic repeat adventure would also work for them.
Compared to the general population, Possessions and Experiences are much higher in the Valuegraphics profile of the Lineuppers. In other words, the UX of finding and acquiring a thing is as important as the thing itself. If you consider the much-written-about efforts that Apple goes through to ensure the in-store experience is top-notch, and that even the tactile nature of opening a package is semi-spiritual, it makes sense that these consumers are attracted to all things Apple. They can’t help but be drawn to a Possession that is an Experience and an Experience that results in a Possession. It’s pure gold for these folks.
It gets curiouser and curiouser as we poke around a bit more in the data. The Lineuppers segment splits in two when it comes to why they are so Apple-fixated. One group is all about quality and functionality and the other is all about status. So, in a way, we have two sub-segments here, who both are loyal to Apple because for them it meets their values of Experiences and Possessions, but in different ways.
But here is an interesting Valuegraphics anomaly. These Lineuppers are very different from other Materialist Repeat Adventurers we’ve encountered time and again in various product categories because the value they place on Personal Growth is abnormally low (compared to the general population). They do not see Apple products as a means to an end. These are not tools to help them make better things or think bigger thoughts or grow in a personal or professional way. It’s about Experiences mingled with Possessions. Nothing. Else. Matters.
If our work had turned up Valuegraphics insights like this for any other company my advice would be quite succinct: do everything you possibly can to make your product feel like a treasured possession and find every opportunity to make all touchpoints feel like an exciting experience. I hope someone at Apple is taking notes, because..well...oh never mind. I was going to try for some sly ironic comment there, but clearly, Apple knows about these people and they have nailed it. On both fronts. But still, it’s nice to see data that backs up why something has been worthwhile, and why it works so well.
It might go without saying, but the other value that is enormously important to these people, again, when compared to the general population, is Loyalty. For me, it brings to mind the old saying that there are PC users and Apple enthusiasts, but no such thing as a PC enthusiast. It would be a fascinating Valuegraphics study to undertake and discover what Values are driving PC users to carry on carrying on.
Lastly, this is just one segment of the Apple customer base. But based on what I know about Apple as an outside observer, it sometimes seems like this is the only segment Apple fixates on. I wonder what other Valuegraphics profiles might reveal about the remaining segments of the target audience who have made Apple such a success?