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Five Reasons Why I Really Like Apple Ads May 19, 2009

Posted by Bruce Temkin in Apple, Customer experience.
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In case you missed it, Apple used my customer experience research as  part of a clever ad on NYTimes.com…

Here are the five reasons I really like Apple’s marketing campaign:

  1. It’s funny. I generally like anything that makes me chuckle.
  2. It’s on brand. Apple has established a clear positioning for Macs and the ads clearly reinforce that positioning.
  3. It’s innovative. The integration of multiple banners in a multimedia ad is an example of how Apple continues to find new approaches to getting its message across.
  4. It’s relevant. When Microsoft started advertising for Windows, Apple quickly created a set of ads that poked fun at the marketing campaign. And this ad is based on very recently published research.
  5. It’s cool. My kids are more excited about this than anything I’ve done before at Forrester. Justin Long is talking about my research!!!

While it’s fun to see my research used so publicly, I have to say that it wasn’t an easy process for Apple to get this approved. Forrester is an independent research firm; companies can not influence the outcome of our research. Since this is an important component of our brand, we limit how companies use our research in their marketing efforts. All uses of our research, including this advertising effort, need to get approval from our Vendor Relations team who strictly “police” that it meets Forrester’s citation policy.

The bottom line: I’m dreaming of a Superbowl ad based on my research…

Microsoft Takes A Giant Leap Into Retail February 13, 2009

Posted by Bruce Temkin in Apple, Customer experience, Store/branch strategy.
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Microsoft has been contemplating a new frontier…

Retail.

Over the past couple of years, Microsoft has recognized that it needs to take a more active role in the retailing of it’s products. It can no longer leave in-person merchandising and selling to retailers. What’s driving the urgency in Redmond to get into stores?

Apple.

Apple has radically changed the paradigm for retailing in technology. Rather than relying on retailers to deliver in-person experiences, Apple stores have revolutionized both the sales model and the service model for technology retailing.

That’s why it’s no surprise that Microsoft just hired a former Walmart executive to open a chain of retail stores. This effort will report into Kevin Turner, Microsoft’s COO (and a former Walmart executive) who says the aim is to

Transform the PC and Microsoft buying experience at retail by improving the articulation and demonstration of the Microsoft innovation and value proposition so that it’s clear, simple and straightforward for consumers everywhere.

This follows Microsoft’s recent unveiling of its huge Retail Experience Center in Redmond. I actually visted the center last year while doing some work with Microsoft on its retail strategy; it’s quite impressive.

My take: The technology market is maturing. Mainstream consumers are now the largest market; not techies. There’s a broad base of customers who want to buy technology products (PCs, phones, MP3 players, TVs, etc) who don’t understand anything about the underlying technology. So the listing of speeds-and-feeds (along with other technical specs) is an outdated retail marketing approach.

Unfortunately, retailers have not kept up with this shift. If you look at the 25 retailers that we ranked in Forrester’s Customer Experience Index, three of the bottom four were electronics retailers (Best Buy, Circuit City, and Radio Shack). This might also explain why stores like Circuit City and Tweeter are going bankrupt. So manufacturers like Sony, Apple, and now Microsoft are taking a lead in finding the right approach.

Here’s some of the things that mainstream technology users need:

  • Plain language about feature benefits to enable trade-offs (why should I care about 60 HZ or 120 HZ when buying an LCD TV?)
  • Products that are easy to setup and provide very simple interfaces for making common configuration changes
  • Easy-to-use decision making tools for narrowing potential products
  • Human advice (through trained employees and social media forums) for making product decisions
  • Access to help for setup, repair, and usage questions

The bottom line: The electronics retail experience is overdue for a makeover

A Peek At Apple’s Design Process March 12, 2008

Posted by Bruce Temkin in Apple, Customer experience, Innovation.
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Helen Walters put up a very interesting post called “Apple’s design process” on one of the Business Week blogs. It outlines some comments from Michael Lopp, senior engineering manager at Apple.

After describing Apple’s process of delivering consumers with a succession of presents (“really good ideas wrapped up in other really good ideas” – in other words, great software in fabulous hardware in beautiful packaging), he asked the question many have asked in their time: “How the f*ck do you do that?”

Lopp points to these 4 key elements of Apple’s design process:

  1. Pixel Perfect Mockups: Removes ambiguity from the beginning
  2. 10 to 3 to 1: Start with 10 entirely different mock-ups for any feature, select three to spend months on designing, and then end up with one.
  3. Paired Design Meetings: They hold 2 meetings each week throughout the process: one for unconstrained brainstorming and the other for production details.
  4. Pony Meeting: Everyone has their wants; like kids all want a pony. So they present the best options from the paired design meetings to the leadership team to select their “ponies.”

The bottom line: What processes does your firm have for ensuring ongoing innovation and compelling design alternatives?

Apple’s Truly Genius Service November 6, 2007

Posted by Bruce Temkin in Apple, Customer experience, Store/branch strategy.
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This past Sunday, our house was faced with a crisis — my son’s MacBook died. We tried everything we could, but were unable to get it to even reboot. That’s a big problem when there’s a ton of homework that needs to get done.

So, after our initial panic, we went online, scheduled a session at an Apple Retail Store Genius Bar nearby, went there, and got it fixed. It was really that easy.

Apple Genius Bar

 So
 here’s
 a
 shout
 out
 to
 Apple’s
 Genius
 Bar 

This was the best technical service experience that I’ve ever personally had with a computer manufacturer. The Genius Bar is a great concept; people will always run into problems with technology, so why not make it easy for them to get help and advice! Here’s what I thought was great about my family’s experience:

  • We could schedule time online. With an easy visit to the Apple site (http://www.apple.com/retail/geniusbar/), we were able to find an Apple store nearby that was open on Sunday — and schedule some time at the Genius Bar.
  • Appointments were clearly posted. When we arrived at the Apple Store, we found a couple of screens behind the Genius Bar that listed all of the people in queue for help. We were able to easily track our progression from the 4th  spot to the front of the line.
  • The “genius” really was. The Apple employee who helped us (Ron in Burlington, MA) knew his stuff. He was extremely efficient and quickly diagnosed our MacBook’s problem — the hard drive was dead. He then clearly outlined our options.
  • The problem was fixed on-the-spot. We chose to replace the hard drive, which Ron did right there. The computer was still under warranty, so all we had to do was sign a piece of paper and we were on our way — with a repaired MacBook.

While we were there, many people came and went from ”the bar” — all of them getting repairs and/or advice about their computers or iPods.

Nothing’s perfect, so here’s a recommendation to Apple: allow users to search for the nearest Genius Bar by zip-code — and look for availability of appointments across locations.

The bottom line: It doesn’t take a genius to appreciate Apple’s great service.