Wouldn’t it be nice to have customers who are so loyal to your brand they will get into arguments to prove why you are the best company in the world to do business with? That’s what Apple has. It has brand advocates. Actually, the word advocate is too soft. How about evangelist, zealot or maybe even fanatic?
Let’s take a look at some recent news. Once again, Apple has taken the top spot in the Interbrand Best Global Brands list – for the sixth year in a row. It nudged out Google at No. 2 and Amazon at No. 3. Interbrand determines the winners by evaluating 10 “brand strengths,” which are clarity, commitment, governance, responsiveness, relevance, engagement, differentiation, consistency, authenticity and presence. (You can see all 100 of the Interbrand Best Global Brands here.)
According to Interbrand, Apple’s brand has grown 16% in the last year. And, its brand equity is huge. Interbrand calculated that Apple’s brand is worth $214 billion, which is about a fifth of the total value of the company. In other words, you could take away all of Apple’s cash and the company would still be worth almost a quarter of a trillion dollars!
So, how does Apple win year after year? While strong in all 10 areas, Apple truly excelled in three: engagement, differentiation and consistency. Let’s take a look at each of them.
- Engagement: Interbrand defines engagement as “the degree to which customers show a deep understanding of, active participation in and a strong sense of identification with the brand.” This is about relationships the brand builds with its customers. It includes active conversations, either online or in person. There are plenty of places to have these conversations, such as social channels like Twitter, Facebook and others – even at live events. And if you’re going to go social, be sure to respond quickly to customer requests and deal with issues, problems, questions and complaints. When customers engage with a company on social channels, the world gets to watch how well the company responds. Also, promote conversations and topics that get customers to respond. Engagement provides the opportunity to build an emotional connection with a customer.
- Differentiation: Interbrand’s definition of differentiation is about consumer perception and the brand having a proposition and experience that sets it apart. At leadership events, one of my favorite questions to ask is, “Why should someone do business with you instead of your competition?” A soft answer like, “Because we have great service,” is not the correct answer. It may be true, but it’s a quality that your competition might also share. You must find out what makes you different and unique compared to your competitor. You may have a patent or process that is different. You may have a stronger guarantee. You may have extended business hours. Whatever it is that makes you different, make sure the customer knows about it and, just as important, appreciates it.
- Consistency: Interbrand’s take on consistency is that no matter how you interact with a brand, it consistently meets your expectation. This is a big one. Customers want to know what to expect. A consistent, predictable experience gives the customer confidence. That can lead to trust, which can develop into coveted customer loyalty. Every interaction the customer has with the company, be it in person, on the phone or through a social channel, must be a consistent experience, one that meets the customer’s expectations.
As I think about those three words, I realize that a company doesn’t have to be big like Apple to create brand advocates. Size doesn’t matter. What matters is how we connect with our customers. Apple’s standout strengths can apply to any size company, from solo-entrepreneurial businesses to Fortune 100 size companies. And, if you pay attention to how Apple treats its customers, and emulate some of its best practices, you may be able to get some of that “Apple Juice” to work for you.
