Thursday, October 02, 2014

Values-Based Marketing - Is This Really What Apple Does?

One of my good friends on Facebook posted an interesting article about Apple's approach to marketing. The article focused on how Apple uses values to market its products. Moreover, how it uses a Values Theory to brand its products. A read of this study by Shalom H. Schwartz, from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem will give you a full comprehending of the the theory, and some of its applications to different groups within our society. But first, values, what are they?


I'd say that is broad enough to capture what values mean. The study, linked above, goes on to highlight how these values unite us in motivation. In other words, values are the construct for how we think of something, but we move based on a Value Concept. The chart below acts as an illustration to showcase how values compliment and conflict with each other. For example, Openness to Change has a polar (my word) opposite, which is Conservation. The underlying Motivation being Stimulation or Security. Those that have an Openness to Change are more likely to seek Stimulation and excitement. However, those with a Conservation Value Concept will look for Security. The study does a much better job at highlighting this, but the concept, at least to me, is clear: there are underlying motivations that drive our value structure.

A better definition of the Value Concepts are below:
  1. Self-Direction. Independent thought and action; choosing, creating, exploring.
  2. Stimulation. Excitement, novelty, and challenge in life.
  3. Hedonism. Pleasure and sensuous gratification for oneself.
  4. Achievement. Personal success through demonstrating competence according to
    social standards.
  5. Power. Social status and prestige, control or dominance over people and resources. 
  6. Security. Safety, harmony, and stability of society, of relationships, and of self.
  7. Conformity. Restraint of actions, inclinations, and impulses likely to upset or harm
    others and violate social expectations or norms.
  8. Tradition. Respect, commitment, and acceptance of the customs and ideas that
    traditional culture or religion provide the self.
  9. Benevolence. Preserving and enhancing the welfare of those with whom one is infrequent personal contact (the ‘in-group’).
  10. Universalism. Understanding, appreciation, tolerance, and protection for the welfare of all people and for nature.
So, how does Apple play in to Value? Let's start with the iPhone 6. The Splash page, at least to me, plays right in to Hedonism. Could "Bigger than Bigger" be anymore obvious? Power also comes to mind. The ad focuses my attention of the finality of BIG, as in it is so BIG that I really can't help by go right to my English degree and the phallicness of it all. Apple doesn't list features, it plays off of what you think is important - BIG! 

Value are unchanging, they are deeply ingrained in the psyche of us all. Norms and attitudes my change, but values move like shifting concrete (that is to say, they can move, but slowly). When I'm looking at my company's marketing, my next filter will be something similar to a values-based approach. In other words, what kind of customer is motivated by his/her values to purchase our software? What drives them to keep it, and advocate to his/her colleagues or peers?

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