iFruit
Truth- in advertising/hype, in customer expectations of exclsive value (justice, too)
Humaneness- fairness to all customers, not just late-comers, no consideration for loyalties, patronizing/contempt for customers
Stewardship- bad brand experience puts Apple in a poor light, uncharacteristic move for the company
Freedom/Liberty- infringement upon customer right/expectation to exclusively own product, apple rights to pursue high sales/stocks, customer freedom to walk away
Justice- value discarded, loyalists mistreated, rebate solution inadequate
PC users have hated Apple for ages. iTunes alone couldn't mend the rift, but coupled with the iPod, it seemed to work. The world loves the iPod, and no Mp3 player can compete. Apple's brand image with the iPhone had an amazing opportunity to springboard off of the love for the iPod, to bring over more and more PC loyalists.
And Apple did, but at what cost?
Who cares about the long-time Apple consumers when there are so many new customers to be had? Good job, Jobs. You got those customers, and you got the profits. You got lots of brand new, easily swayed and bought consumers, and you lost the diehards who would forever buy only Apple products.
These new consumers will always buy the best product on the market, which or may or may not be from Apple in the future. And the formerly loyal Apple-only consumers will now do the same.
Enjoy those long-term outcomes, Jobs. Enjoy.
Monday, September 24, 2007
A late start...
Does everybody matter?
Yes and no. While everbody should matter, and everbody does matter to somebody, no one matters to everbody, especially not the "little people" in corporate America's supply chains.
Realistically, those at the bottom of the chain, the workers and children in China and Mexico, are replaceable and matter little unless they can gain the publicity to bring a complaint against the company. Numbers and cameras can matter, though individual people do not.
It should be a value in PR to always remember these "little people" and their importance to the foundation of our company, to take responsibility and to act accordingly in their interests, too.
Whether this corporate responsibility is based on its intrinsic value to people or whether it is useful in gaining publicity and customers (Starbucks, anyone?), it at least helps to make things a little bit better for the people at the bottom.
Yes and no. While everbody should matter, and everbody does matter to somebody, no one matters to everbody, especially not the "little people" in corporate America's supply chains.
Realistically, those at the bottom of the chain, the workers and children in China and Mexico, are replaceable and matter little unless they can gain the publicity to bring a complaint against the company. Numbers and cameras can matter, though individual people do not.
It should be a value in PR to always remember these "little people" and their importance to the foundation of our company, to take responsibility and to act accordingly in their interests, too.
Whether this corporate responsibility is based on its intrinsic value to people or whether it is useful in gaining publicity and customers (Starbucks, anyone?), it at least helps to make things a little bit better for the people at the bottom.
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