Appealing to the Next Generation of Tech Users - Thoughts on Maslow, Apple, and Identity

I’m not ashamed to admit that I spend an absurd amount of time tinkering in Apple stores with absolutely no shopping agenda. I feel bad for the sales reps, actually. I have a hopelessly expressive face and I must have the look of a kid in a candy store, constantly giving off a “dying to buy” signal that makes me a magnet for unsolicited customer service.  If I had a dime for every time I’ve brushed off a friendly apple rep who was trying to be helpful, I could probably afford one of those new Macbook Pros I’ve been drooling over (apple reps, please accept my apologies).

The other day I was in the Apple store suffering through palpable inner turmoil, talking myself out of a $2500 impulse buy.  After inventing a few “creative financing” scenarios for myself, the rational part of me (ever the deal breaker because it’s the part that looks at my bank statements) contributed a very direct “do you need this?”. The answer to that, of course, is no, which brought me back to earth pretty quickly. But then I looked around the store and was all at once keenly aware of the fact that none of the people in the packed store did. None of it. Any of these people (myself included) could hop online and find a perfectly good, meat-and-potatoes PC for hundreds less. Same goes for iPhones - the human race has managed for thousands of years without the internet in their hands - no one really needs these things and there are decent substitutes for all of them out there for a fraction of the price. So I started thinking…what’s driving the apple craze? Any consumer shopper could tell you that it’s definitely not price, and my personal gut reaction from my (regular) observation of crowds in the stores, which seem to be a veritable smorgasbord of ages and cultures, tells me that it’s not a particular target market that’s driving demand. The Mac has definitely gone mainstream. But why the shift? I have a few of theories -

The Apple Has Become A Symbol of Identity

Seen a Mac vs. PC ad lately? Brilliant marketing. Not ONCE since the inception of Apple’s Get A Mac campaign in 2006 has an actual computer been the center of attention in an ad. Instead the ads focus on differentiating the “hip” mac user’s image from the “not-so-hip” non-mac users (technically it’s a PC vs Mac ad, but realistically it’s mac and not mac). And subtle the comparison is not. Each commercial is an image war between a cool guy decked out in gear from Urban Outfitters, Levis and vans, and a dumpy, insecure Milton-esque guy wearing a 1970s polyester suit.  For a year and a half now, millions of viewers have seen a very likable Mac guy win awards and talk about how great “his” OS is while PC guy goes to therapy, sings the vista blues and takes flack from pissed off yoga instructors (My recent favorite is the ad where PC guy introduces a host of stress-releiving herbal teas like “crashytime camomile” and “pomegranite patience”). Each ad asks viewers to question who they want to be (viewed as). I think people are responding to these ads (among other cultural signals) in ways that clearly show that your choice of computer says just as much about who you are as the car you drive or the clothes that you wear.

(image courtesy of mactropolis.com)

Geek Is Chic

It helps that the Apple logo has become synonymous with “geek”, because it’s allowed Apple to successfully align itself with (and no doubt amplify) a greater social trend that’s on the rise. The geek image has shifted from lame to cool, and likeable geeky characters like Ugly Betty have become pop-culture icons. Who know’s, maybe society at large has watched young entrepreneurs like Mark Zuckerberg (Age 24, Founder of Facebook), David Karp (Age 21, Founder of Tumblr) and Daniel Ha (Age 22, Founder of Disqus) become tech celebrities and taken note? Geeks are becoming heros. I snagged this video of a session from Katie Couric’s Notebook on YouTube (Dec 07) that discusses the new trend towards Geek Chic.

Appealing to the Next Generation of Computer Users Through Esteem-Based Ads

So what can tomorrow’s marketers learn from Apple’s example? The message is loud and clear - brains are in and people are buying technology based on decisions they are making about their identities, not just functions and features…a quick side dish to illustrate:

Recognize this?

• Transcendence: help others realize their potential
• Self-actualization: creativity, morality, realize your own potential, self-fulfillment, peak experiences
• Esteem: self-esteem, confidence, achievement, respect of others/gain approval, independence, status
• Love/Belonging: love, family, friends, sexual intimacy
• Security: protection, safety, stability
• Physical: hunger, thirst, bodily comfort

It’s Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, and you probably remember it as a pyramid because it was originally thought of as a ladder, but research suggests that people pursue all of these needs simultaneously. The point here is that not many marketers these days go far beyond the physical, security and belonging layers - Apple, on the other hand, focuses almost all of its ads on the Esteem and Self-actualization layers (including promoting creativity) with it’s pro-geek chic. It’s simultaneously riding and reinforcing a social movement. And I think it’s why they’re gaining so much ground in the personal computing market. Marketers should take note. Tech isn’t just a tool for getting what you do done, it’s a statement of who you are….which is probably why this Geek has an existential crisis every time he sits down to type a blog post on his PC.

Any thoughts on this? Do you base your tech-purchasing decisions on both fashion and function?