Product selling will get you the next sale but brand building will get you the next 1000.
To often companies will focus all of their marketing on short term sales driven tactics to get an immediate return while all but ignoring the long term benefits of brand building. The difference between them is in delivering the message and having the patience to wait for the long term payoff.
This difference is best characterized in the mobile phone industry by Apple and Android. Almost none of Apple’s messaging for Iphones focuses on features or price, instead all of their content is designed to tell a relatable story that resonates with their audience. By contrast, whenever a new Android is released such Samsung’s Galaxy series, all of the marketing is focused on the innovative technology and features.
Despite the two brands being similar in price and despite Android having the arguably superior product from a technical perspective (Apologies to the Apple diehard fans, but it is true) Iphones are perceived as the superior option. So much so that there is an ongoing social narrative about the dreaded “Green” text message, even though the only reason Android texts are green is because of a limitation in the Iphone, not in the Android.
Make no mistake, this limitation is completely intentional. Separating the texts by color is yet another way for Apple to brand and differentiate itself and from a marketing perspective, it’s brilliant. It doesn’t matter that the “green” text isn’t actually an indication of an inferior product because the public believes it is and Apple has no motivation to correct that misconception.
Here are some of the tactics Apple uses that have helped be perceived as the “better” product
They focus on experience
Simon Sinek explained this best via the Golden Circle explanation. Generally, companies lead with the What approach which is focused on what they have – here is our amazing phone and what they want you to do – buy our product. While the what is the same for most companies, Apple does it differently by focusing first on the Why, then the How.
Apple’s mission statement embodies this
Why: Vision – We believe that we are on the face of the earth to make great products, and that’s not changing
How: Mission – Bringing the best user experience to its customers through innovative hardware, software and services
What: Because of this mission, we make beautifully designed and easy to use phones. Want one?
Their ability to lead with an emotionally driven why and how is ultimately why they are so much more effective in getting buy-in for the what.
If you haven’t seen Simon’s explanation of this, you should
This is why Apple has such a significantly better public perception despite having a product that is mostly similar to Android. It’s also why Apple is one of the largest and most profitable companies the world has ever seen.
While every company needs to make money and short term marketing can seem more lucrative for quick gains, understand that building a foundation of value will always win in the end.
Brand building takes time, innovation and consistency and PATIENCE, but it pays dividends in the long term.