Recently, I went to buy a mobile phone, and came out of the store with a computer, printer and MP-3 player.  Now, those of you that know me can confirm I’m usually a level-headed guy who doesn’t throw money out the window. So what happened ?

I recently became interested by the new Apple iPhone 3GS, because it contains a number of functions that I can see myself use on a daily basis; I was especially interested by the recently included video camera, which means I can now use it for a new project I’m working on. After lurking in the shadows for a while, I decided to go to the Apple Store to check it out. And there, it happened. Not only did I buy an iPhone, but I also sprung for a brand new Macbook Pro and a printer !

I decided to analyse what happened, and here’s what came out: Apple provides you with a brand experience that is more guaranteed to make you buy than the average carpet salesman in a Moroccan soukh …

Making Eye Contact

From the moment you enter an Apple Store, the world seems to be in harmony. I mean, aside from all the fresh-looking, uniformly dressed 20-somethings who seem to “hang out” there rather than work and the beautifully designed store, it all just … looks the biz.

Everything, from in-store displays over counters to on-the-wall projections says “Welcome to our world”. But it says so in a very subtle and enticing way: there is no hard-sell in sight, staff seem relaxed yet helpful and there is plenty of opportunity to “interact with the product”. In fact, at first, interacting with the product seems to be what it’s all about …

The first encounter

Inevitably, at some point you’re looking for some help (unless you just came in to check your e-mail, which is what plenty of teenagers seem to do). Staff members are easy to spot, very helpful and – most importantly – there always seems to be someone around to help you in a reasonable amount of time. Again, there is no hard sell: staff is confident about the product, and many are avid users themselves – with more than one telling me they made the switch from PC themselves.

What I found is that they’ll tell you the truth, and let you make up your own mind about whether or not you want to buy. In fact, just to show you how much they value your business, they’ll set up a personalized shopping experience – and that’s where it all comes together.

Getting Up Close & Personal

Let’s be honest here: where else but Apple (and possibly Tiffany’s) would you make an appointment to shop ? Well, I was curious to try it, so I did. According to Apple, ”Personal Shopping offers you free, uninterrupted time with a knowledgeable Specialist (note the “caps S”) who can give you a personal demonstration of any Apple product, offer advice, and answer any questions you might have.”

Sounds expensive (and from Apple’s perspective, it probably is) but the point is this: for an hour, Apple gets what is commonly known as “a captive audience”. In marketing terms, that is priceless. One by one, the “Specialist” answered all my questions, gradually taking away all my objections.

The Business End

Personal shopping over, I was free to go – I mean, no strings attached. Come and see us if you like, and if not, that’s fine too. So I did – for a day or so.

Next day, I went back and came out with more bags than a New York socialite shopping on 5th Avenue. And know what ? Unlike that bag you bought that was really not what you wanted, or the overpriced car you got talked into, I am slowly discovering the benefits of the Mac – no buyer’s remorse, no regrets. Simply put: the product delivers on its promise.

Post-play

From the Apple employee spending 15 minutes in a queue to my mobile phone company on his personal iPhone to the guy taking another 15 minutes making sure I was fully set for my rebates (what, you didn’t think I was that impulsive did you ?), they all made sure I was 100 % set before leaving the store.

Did I mention I just got an e-mail asking me to review my in-store experience ?

The Apple Experience

The point is this: Apple does an amazing job at marketing their product in an integrated and  fully reinforced way. They are experts at meticulously designing an experience that is sure to maximize the chances of you buying their products.

• 100 % On Brand - everything, from the people to the place to the product, at Apple is on-brand;
• Everything Seems To Revolve Around YOU - the entire shopping experience is designed to make you feel like you (the customer) truly are king;
• Five-Senses Experience - shopping at Apple is a five-senses experience, involving plenty of opportunities for touching, hearing, seeing, feeling and – perhaps in the future – smelling ?
• They walk their talk - the quality feel of the products, employee attitude and even the packaging all serve to reinforce an overall impression of luxurious cool and style;
• It doesn’t stop there - for a small fee, you can continue to enjoy the Apple experience: from one-to-one training sessions over specialized clinics to their MobileMe-platform, Apple strives to build an ongoing customer relationship.

Regardless of how you feel about Apple and their products, from a marketer’s perspective, they are extremely good at what they (need to) do: make myth and sell product.