In today’s global economy, there are many companies competing for the same customers with similar products. So what differentiates winners from losers?
If you look at the leaders in each industry, you’ll notice they share common characteristics of success, they’re typically more profitable, more innovative, and have more loyal customers and employees. But if you dive deeper, you’ll notice they all benefit from a disproportionate amount of influence because they know how to communicate who they are, and what they believe.
Communicating through beliefs and values is more powerful and memorable than any feature, size, color or promotion. When you look at a bitten apple, you think of simple, easy to use products with great design. A North Face jacket reminds you of the outdoors, exploration and environmental conservation. The Nike swoosh evokes great athletics and great athletes. While a white and green Starbucks cup triggers thoughts of consistent quality, community, and free internet access. The massive success of these companies is not a result of offering wildly unique products, after all, jackets, shoes, coffee and now even phones are widely available commodities. Like them or hate them, these companies are relevant because they’ve built strong brands that communicate their purpose, and make you feel.
If the strength of a company’s brand is measured by its ability to drive behavior and develop life-long customers, then throughout history few brands have been as successful as Apple. With hundreds of millions of iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks sold around the world, the enormous success of Apple’s brand is largely a result of their strong beliefs, well-defined purpose, and ability to effectively communicate with customers.
Apple was not always dominant, from 1985-1997 under the leadership of John Sculley, Apple added product lines, lost market share to competitors, and was on the edge of bankruptcy. When Steve Jobs returned to Apple as Interim CEO in 1997, he reduced their product offerings, decreased inventory, and impressed upon all employees the importance of communicating Apple’s core values (watch Steve Jobs “Think Different” internal meeting ). During a presentation to employees on September 23, 1997, Jobs said:
Marketing is about values. It’s a complicated and noisy world, and we’re not going to get a chance to get people to remember much about us. No company is. So we have to be really clear about what we want them to know about us.
Jobs went on to explain that all great brands require investment and caring to retain their vitality and relevance. And the way to do that is not to talk about product features, price, or competitors; but rather to communicate core values by telling customers why you exist, who you are, and what you believe.
Jobs knew the difference between what and why. To say Apple makes boxes for people to do their jobs better only addresses what they do. But to say why Apple makes boxes is much more powerful. Apple’s why, according to Jobs was:
Apple believes that people with passion can change the world for the better... And those people that are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who actually do.
To share Apple’s purpose, Jobs retained advertising agency Chiat/Day to create a television and print campaign. Their work resulted in Apple’s now iconic “Think Different” campaign honoring the people who think differently and help to push the world forward. According to Jobs, “It is what we are about. It touches the soul of this company.” Critically acclaimed, the campaign would garner numerous awards, including the 1998 Emmy Award for Best Commercial and the 2000 Grand Effie Award for most effective campaign in America. But more importantly, “Think Different” marked a turning point in Apple’s history, and initiated their return to market dominance.
Core values should not change. While all markets, products, distribution strategies, and manufacturing techniques change over time, the values that underlie how companies think, act and communicate should be fixed. Jobs understood this, and he focused Apple’s core values on product excellence, simplicity, and great user experiences. Still today, these values guide Apple’s strategic business decisions during product design, development, marketing, and support. And Apple’s customers understand and appreciate that when they purchase an iPhone, iPad, or any other Apple product, it will be beautifully designed, work seamlessly, and be easy to use.
In every industry, adherence to core values differentiates market leaders from their competition. Internally, the consistency of core values serve as guiding principles that dictate behavior and action, helping companies determine whether they’re on the right path to achieve their business goals. Externally, core values help companies cut through the noise when marketing, and communicate their beliefs and purpose with customers. In doing so, companies develop stronger customer relationships that result in repeat business, higher profitability, and greater market share.
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