When you think of Apple as a brand – you think of INNOVATION, CREATIVITY and SOPHISTICATED DESIGN, shaped in the simplest way. When you think of Apple, you think of a global brand. However, global brands are not created over night, but with consistency and a lot of strategic decisions that are taken with every single step.

In this particular case, apple managed to:

• Create products that most creators around the world want.
• Design a lifestyle that is enhanced by the versatility of their gadgets.
• Build a complex ecosystem that is interconnected in every single way.

And most importantly, they succeeded in creating an incredibly engaged brand culture.

Building a global brand takes years, organizing an outstanding event requires knowledge that is applied wisely, through a few strategic decisions.

Learn more about what stands behind an outstanding launching strategy and what you could consider when creating your own.

 

APPLE INC. – EVENT STRATEGY DECONSTRUCT – Based on the online launch on April 20th, 2021.

ANGLES:

1. Pre-suasion and how Apple FRAMES the mood of the AUDIENCE in creating a certain positioning for their products;
2. How they used the concept of MEMORY PALACE throughout particular scenes and event presentation;
3. How they enhance the BRAND CULTURE and reinforce the TRUST in their products;
4. How they create synergy between the BRAND and their AUDIENCE;
5. How they use METAPHORS and PLACES to enhance particular messages.

4. Pre-suasion and how Apple FRAMES the mood of the AUDIENCE in creating a certain positioning for their products;

There’s a very popular concept in the art of persuastion, that Robert Cialdini is talking in his books and it’s called pre-suasion.

Pre–suasion is the practice of getting people sympathetic to your message before they experience it. It’s about all the things that happens before you ask someone to say yes to your proposal.

Regarding this, below you’ll find the PRE-SUATION SCHEME in Apple’s April 20th event:

 

1. WORDS & PHRASES:

You’ve probably heard before that the words we use can frame how we think and act. Well, if you think about it in strategy terms, just imagine that the phrases and the words that a brand uses can frame its audience perception and buying decisions.

Apple manages to leverage this insights in an outstanding way and to emphasise this, take a look about how many times they have used certain WORDS in a 1-HOUR event and what are the PHRASES they use in their event script:

1) MOST USED WORDS:

2) USED PHRASES:

Apple Card Presentation:

• Our customers are loving all the benefits of Apple Card and we believe it’s the most successful credit card launch ever.
• iPhone 12 is the most popular smartphone in the world, and people love its amazing features.
• We’re so excited to introduce a new, gorgeous purple. / It looks stunning. / It’s absolutely beautiful.

Apple TV Presentation:

• Apple TV 4K is now built with the A12 Bionic, bringing a new level of performance that will be a MASSIVE upgrade to your TV.
• Apple TV 4K brings THE ABSOLUTE BESTentertainment experience to your home.
• The results can be DRAMATIC, with more natural colors and improved contrast making your TV look better than EVER.

iMac Presentation:

• There has never been a more EXCITING time for the Mac.
• And our Mac business has never been STRONGER.
• Our M1 products have continued to fuel the Mac’s INCREDIBLE growth.
• M1 has been a GIGANTIC leap forward for the Mac.
• It has redefined the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and Mac mini, SHATTERING EXPECTATIONS of what each of them can do.
• Users have been ABSOLUTELY blown away by their responsiveness and amazing battery life.
• These Macs demonstrate how M1 can DRAMATICALLY move the Mac forward.
• The all-new, completely redesigned iMac is MORE personal, MORE POWERFUL, and MORE CAPABLE than EVER.
• And it’s INCREDIBLEfrom every angle.
• iMac’s new form is STUNNING
• So you can see your content in all its GLORIOUS detail.
• Every image is BRILLIANT and vivid.
• We’ve taken iMac’s camera, mics, and speakers to a whole NEW level.
• This camera will make you look like a rock star. In fact, it’s THE BEST camera we’ve EVER put in a Mac.
• Simply put, it’s THE BEST sound system ever in a Mac, and we can’t wait for you to hear it.
• And in Apple Arcade, gaming on iMac is BETTER than EVER,with AWESOME and EXCLUSIVE games.
• ..export your favorite video projects in iMovie FASTER than EVER.
• You’re going to LOVE the combination of M1 and macOS on the new iMac.
• And Magic Trackpad, still by far the industry’s BEST, has a refined shape to match the new keyboard.
• .. the new iMac can DO IT ALL..
• That’s DEFINITELY magic.
• With iMac, the possibilities are ENDLESS.
• ..iMac is THE MOSTpersonal, POWERFUL, CAPABLE, and simply THE MOST fun it’s EVER been.

iPad Presentation:

• The M1 chip is not just in the Mac, it’s now in iPad Pro. And it’s gonna BLOW YOU AWAY.
• A-series chips to deliver a POWERFUL and responsive experience that’s YEARS AHEAD of anything else.
• ..or Xbox game controllers, with haptics, makes playing games on iPad Pro INSANELY fun.
• With this combination of CPU and graphics performance, the new iPad Pro is, yet again, THE FASTEST device of its kind.
• ..Signal Processor, and unified, high bandwidth memory architecture make iPad Pro more capable than EVER.
• The new iPad Pro also allows users to access their content faster than EVER..
• ..the new iPad Pro is, yet again, the fastest device of its kind. It’s BUGGER than that..
• And, for our MOST demanding users, a new 2TB configuration gives you ENORMOUS storage capacity,..
• Making it the FASTEST, MOST VERSATILE port ever on an iPad, or any other device of its kind.
• This is HUGE! Super fast 5G cellular connections lets users be creative and productive wherever they are.
• That’s a MASSIVE increase over the 72 LEDs that were in the previous iPad Pro.
• The result is an EXTREMELY high one million to one contrast ratio.
• There’s NEVER BEEN a display that delivers this kind of visual experience on any other mobile device.
• So users can now do things they could NEVER do BEFORE.
• With this AMAZING set of features, it goes BEYOND any display in the world.
• When I think of M1 on the iPad, there are truly NO LIMITS to what’s possible creatively. The POWER that’s there… It’s a MONSTER. We can do more. We can make BIGGER canvases and we can do way more with our brushes..
• Processing power is INSANE.
• We’re always AMAZED by the new capabilities our developers put in the hands of our users.
• Of course, you can’t talk about iPad Pro and not talk about the PHENOMENAL accessories..
• Apple Pencil transforms iPad Pro into an IMMERSIVE drawing canvas and the world’s BEST note taking device by far.
• An INCREDIBLE value for such an INCREDIBLE device.
• We’re so excited about the new iPad Pro.
• This is the most OUTRAGEOUSLY capable and VERSATILE iPad Pro we’ve EVER made.
• In every way, this is a GIANT leap forward for iPad.
• We can’t wait to get these new products into your hands and see all of the AMAZING things you’ll do with them.

2) ENVIRONMENT

Weather and light have a tremendous importance in setting a person’s mood and Apple marketers know that.

Choosing a sunny day, areas that are bright and warm is always a good technique to transfer a certain mood to your audience.

But it doesn’t stop there, if you pay attention to Apple’s setups, there’s more – especially when it comes to the presentations of their products. Having their products on the centre stage, in a setup that makes them bigger than their presentors highlights the idea of GRANDEUR once again. The message is simple:

They are BIG, they are BOLD, they are THE BEST and you have to have them.

3) VISUALS

When it comes to visuals, what we are able to see in most of Apple’s launches (not just the one making this study case) is the VIBRANT COLOURS they use. Enhanced chromatic in visuals is translated as everything that has vibrant colours in our lives, weather is clothes, objects or fruits:

It means FRESH,  it means NEW, it means VIVID.

Furthermore, COLOURS appears to be also the LEITMOTIF of the event and it’s translated through both graphics and sound:

The themed songs:

• ♪ “Every Color” by Foster The People ♪
• ♪ “Love Looks Better in color” by Lizzo ♪
• ♪ Let you heart See the colors ♪ – Chemical Brothers

The overall design elements and products:

4) SOUND & MUSIC

To experience how sound effects impact the launching event, you will have to literally watch and listen to it. The underline stands in amplifying the whole experience using what people hear and they are told. It’s a fundamental technique used to mentally transport your audience closer to the state you want to create.

Besides the basic sound effects that enhance certain gestures and actions, Apple has also carefully picked the songs  for the event and they are the ones mentioned above.

Take a look of the lyrics below and think if they make the audience entering a certain mood:

THE EVENT BEGINS WITH:

♪ Let you heart See the colors ♪ – Chemical Brothers

♪ Let your heart ♪

♪ See the colors ♪

♪ All around you ♪

♪ I’ll be loving you, Yes, I will ♪

♪ I’ll be loving you ♪

♪ I’ll be loving you, Yes, I will ♪

♪ I’ll be loving you ♪

 

BEFORE NEW PURPLE iPhone ANNOUNCEMENT

♪ “The Candy Man”” by Aubrey Woods ♪”

♪ Who can take a sunrise ♪

♪ Sprinkle it with dew ♪

♪ Cover it in chocolate And a miracle or two ♪

♪ The Candy Man ♪

♪ Because he mixes it With love ♪

♪ And makes the world Taste good ♪

“♪ ‘Cause the Candy Man thinks It should ♪ “

BEFORE AIRTAG PRODUCT ANNOUNCEMENT

♪ “Every Color” by Foster The People ♪

♪ I can see ♪

♪ I’m caught up Drifting in your rainbow eyes ♪

♪ And I can see Every color in me ♪

♪ I can see every color in you ♪

 

BEFORE iMac NEW DESIGN ANNOUNCEMENT

♪ “Love Looks Better” by Lizzo ♪

♪ Sick six piston ♪ 

(presenting the 6 NEW iMac models)

♪ Tiptoe kissin’ ♪

♪ Catcall kittens ♪

♪ Whole milk lickin’ ♪

♪ See my vision ♪

♪ Rainbow smitten ♪

♪ Nobody safe, nobody ♪

♪ You and you and you Can be my lover ♪

(presenting the 6 NEW iMac models)

♪ ‘Cause love looks better In color ♪

♪ Color me, color me, Color me, color me ♪

♪ Color me, color me, Color me, color me ♪

 ♪ You can be my lover ♪

(presenting the 6 NEW iMac models)

♪ ‘Cause love looks better In color ♪

THE EVENT ENDS WITH

♪ Let you heart See the colors ♪ – Chemical Brothers

 

5) ENERGY & MOOD TRANSFER FROM OTHER PEOPLE