It was bound to happen sometime. Manufacturers like Apple and Sony creating flagship stores in very sexy environments like New York’s Fifth Avenue.
Why spend so much money on a high ticket neighborhood? Its all in the name of distinction. The fact is that while many companies flog their wares competing on price, Apple and Sony have taken a decidedly different tack, going the route of innovation and branding.
Would you ever expect Apple to launch an uncool product ever again? Doubt it. So Apple’s brand has come to represent everything your heart wants that your wallet can hardly afford! Yet they deliver a very decent product so that whereas it may not be the latest technology, it doesn’t matter. It makes you feel great.
And so now you can shop for an iPod in Apple’s own store. What would I expect? Youngish clerks, hip, knowledgeable, attentive and fun. A clean environment which is minimalist in its decor, yet oozes that great feeling you want to have in the presence of your technology marvels.
If only the ipod’s casing was made with the power plastic being developed by my friend Howard Berke’s team at Konarka…hmmm..hold the thought!
Sass
1 Comment
Apple’s branding definately is beyond the product itself. It manages to bring the product from the realm of ‘what’ into the realm of ‘when’. Owning an ipod or an intel macbook makes you feel like you are participating in the moment. To me, this has always been a strategy to overshadow the turnaround of their product.
Barry,
You are SO right. You GET it.