Dear subscriber,
In the late 1990s, the tech company Apple was in a world of hurt.
Apple’s stock price was dropping like a rock off a cliff, and rumors were swirling that they were about to go tits up and join the ranks of the tech dinosaurs.
It was like they were the “Charlie Sheen” of the tech world, burning through money and making one bad decision after another, all the while claiming they were winning.
To stop the bleeding, Apple’s board of directors fired the CEO and welcomed back the prodigal son, Steve Jobs.
So, Stevie boy is back in the saddle at Apple, and he means business. In his first week, he calls an all-hands-on-deck meeting. He struts into the meeting like a rockstar, black turtleneck, denim jeans, New Balance kicks, and a look on his face that said, I’m back bitches!
He sits down on a table at the front of the room and stares at all the wide-eyed employees.
The staff room is dead quiet.
Jobs clears his throat and says:
“I gotta question for you all. What’s the difference between a bunch of rotting apples and the current Apple company? Answer: absolutely nothing! Listen, nobody wants to eat a rotten apple and nobody wants to buy from a rotting company. In other words, Apple’s lost its way. Our marketing sucks more than a Dyson vacuum, and we gotta turn this ship around pronto!”
And then, dear subscriber, Jobs proceeded to give a 20-minute marketing masterclass.
Wanna hear some of the marketing gems Jobs dropped that day?
Very well then. I shall oblige. But I’d take notes if I were you, Chuckie.
Here it is:
*Staff meeting at Apple headquarters, 23rd September 1997*:
Speaker: Steve Jobs
“To me, marketing is about values. This is a very complicated word, it’s a very noisy world, and we’re not gonna get a chance to get people to remember much about us. No company is. And so we have to be REALLY clear on what we want them to know about us. Now, Apple, fortunately, is one of a half-dozen best brands in the whole world. Right up there with Nike, Disney, Coke, and Sonny. It is one of the greats of the greats.
But the Apple brand has clearly suffered neglect in this area in the last few years. And we need to bring it back. The way to do that is not by talking about the speeds and feeds. It’s not by talking about MIPS and megahertz, it’s not to talk about how we’re better than Windows.
The dairy industry tried for 20 years to convince you that milk was good for you, and their sales went like this (demonstrates a downward direction with his arm) and then they said: “Got Milk?”, and their sales shot upwards. The Got Milk campaign doesn’t even talk about the product. In fact, it focuses on the absence of the product!
But the best example of all, and one of the greatest jobs of marketing is Nike. Remember, Nike sells a commodity product. They sell shoes! But when you think about Nike, you feel something different than a shoe company. In their ads, you know they never speak about their products, they never tell you about their air soles or why they’re better than Reeboks’ soles.
What does Nike do in their advertising? They honor great athletes. That’s who they are, that’s what they do, that’s what they’re about.
Apple spends a fortune on advertising…. you’d never know it. (nervous laughter from staff members) You would never know it.
Listen, what we are about is NOT making boxes for people to get their jobs done. No. What Apple really is, what Apple’s core value is this: we believe that people with passion can change the world for the better.” ~ Steve Jobs
***
Jobs, of course, was right on the money. It’s the values behind your product or service that people are really buying.
If you aren’t clear on those values, how the hell is your customer going to see them?
Understand this:
People gravitate towards whatever aligns with their own values. And if your values don’t shine through your marketing like a beacon of light, then you’re missing the boat, my friend.
Bottom line:
If you want them to buy, let your value flag fly!
Your friend,
Kelvin
Email Marketing Maverick
P.S. Want to know how Papa Maverick can help fill your business’s coffers each month? Then you might wanna check out this: https://kelvindorsey.com/mavericks-inner-circle/
Peace.
P.S.S. If you want to see the full staff meeting, go to YouTube and type into the search bar: “Steve Jobs holding a staff meeting.” It’s a 16-minute video.
