Well...
selling your product for you. Just as Apple
APPLE DOESN’T HAVE SOME
has harnessed this power more than any
special place where their marketing secrets
company in history now you can too. So
are kept, unless of course you count their
even though these really aren’t Apple’s
charismatic CEO’s brain. The five secrets I
secrets these just may be even better. Here
offer here are careful deductions, empirical
are my proven ideas to help you market like
results and the product of my career as an
Apple and improve your business and your
engineer, sales rep, product manager,
reputation at the same time. All I ask is that
marketing executive, parent, son and avid
you share this eBook with everyone and
consumer (although not necessarily in that
please come to MarketingApple.com to
order.) These secrets are super condensed
share your thoughts, ideas and comments to
learnings from my nearly decade-long tenure
improve on our collective ‘secrets’.
at Apple about how and why people spring
to action. Since that time, I’ve uncovered
OF COURSE THE REAL SECRET
many ways that can enable any company to
is there are more than just five secrets. But
tap into people’s innate desire to share their
you’ll have to visit my website - or hire me -
passion for products and help create “lift” -
to learn the rest. Enjoy.
the irresistible force of millions of customers
Copyright holder is licensing this eBook under the Creative Commons License, Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Please feel free to post this eBook on your blog, email it, or link to it with whomever you believe will benefit from reading it.

People buy what other people have.
player. They are inviting you to headphones and you are a Figure out how to add
PRODUCTS DON’T
experience the Apple lifestyle member of the club. Think back something to your product that
SELL. PEOPLE DO.
and to become part of the iPod to the first PowerBook - it was a does for you what Apple’s white
Look carefully at Apple’s iPod
community. Use any other MP3 unique dark grey color (it was headphones do: give people an
commercials. You’ll see lots of
player and you’ll hear good patterned after a color easy way to sell for you while
happy, energetic people dancing
music. Use an iPod and you’ll designed by Whirlpool’s making them feel like they are
in silhouette against a colorful
feel good. You’ll fit in. Product Refrigerator research to part of an exclusive club. More
and ever-changing background.
features don’t create fans. Focus hide or eliminate fingerprints) In about this in Chapter 3.
Notice the distinctive white
on what people do and show both cases, the distinctive grey
headphones flowing in unison to
how they feel using your stuff. PowerBook case and the more
the owner’s movements. What
recent white iPod headphones
you don’t see is a focus on iPod.
SHOW WHAT MATTERS. are status symbols (and uniquely
No close-ups of how you select
Those white iPod headphones Apple.) Even the glowing Apple
a song or adjust the volume
were not designed by engineers - logo was fixed to be right-side
level. Why would Apple take all
they are a pure Apple marketing up for others (it’s upside down
the time to make a great user
trick designed to make the to you when you open your new
interface only to not show it on
visible part of their product a MacBook because you are selling
television? The reason is simple:
status symbol. Wear white the brand to others for Apple. )
Apple isn’t selling you an MP3
This eBook courtesy of Steve Chazin, former Apple, Inc. sales and marketing executive. Page 3 Copyright @ 2007 MarketingApple.com All Rights Reserved

Make something good greater.
not the mobile phone. The Mac, iPod, iTunes Assistants - and failed miserably. Even the
IMPROVE THE WORLD.
and iPhone are all successful because they Mac improved on Apple’s Lisa. Just ask Steve.
Conventional wisdom says being first to
were late to market and improved on existing
IPOD DOESN’T MAKE THE
market is advantageous and that Apple is a
designs and functionality. Apple does one
leader in creating new categories.
MUSIC SOUND BETTER.
thing very well: making complex things easy
Conventional wisdom is wrong on both
and elegant. The iPod is successful because it As an Apple employee and engineer by trade
counts. Apple has never really invented
makes getting your music into your pocket expecting a miracle in 1997 (when the
anything new. They didn’t invent the PC, the
dead simple. Apple took existing MP3 player company was near bankruptcy) I was let
MP3 player, downloadable music, and certainly
designs and applied their experience and down when I first saw the iMac. On paper it
technology to improve it. Plug your iPod in was no better a computer than the Performa
its cradle and it takes care of moving your it replaced so we promoted it as the easiest
music to your iPod, organized the same way it way to get on the Internet. That marketing
is on your computer. You’re done (and your saved the company, not better technology,
iPod is charged at the same time - bonus!) Today, the iPod doesn’t make your music
Other MP3 players are still trying to catch up sound better, provide better battery life, or
with this elegant brilliance. On the other save you money, What it does is make Apple
hand, Apple’s Newton tried to carve out a fans.
whole new category - Portable Digital
This eBook courtesy of Steve Chazin, former Apple, Inc. sales and marketing executive. Page 4 Copyright @ 2007 MarketingApple.com All Rights Reserved

Help your customers help you.
two things at once: hide grime your product than your own world, make part of your website
EARLY ADOPTERS
while differentiating its owner. polished collateral ever will. embeddable* on any MySpace or
WANT TO HELP YOU. Having a PowerBook was a FaceBook profile and make it
STICKERS & T-SHIRTS.
Early adopters are taking a
status symbol so owners were easy to cut and paste your
chance on you and want you to How can happy early adopters
proud to show them off and help HTML code anywhere.
succeed. iPhone users feel what market for you? Simply provide
win converts. Apple earned
early PowerBook users felt in something with the product that
nearly 40% marketshare on the
1993. If you walked down the does it for you. Come up with
back of early PowerBooks users.
aisle of an airplane then you’d your own version of Apple’s
notice those distinctive grey Look at how iPhone users today white headphones to make your
are adding their voice to Apple’s
Apple laptops standing out in a product stand out. Or borrow
own marketing efforts. I decided
sea of unremarkable beige ones. another Apple trick - give away
Track balls and palm rests were to purchase my iPhone only after stickers (I’ve lost track of how
real Apple innovations in the day reading a blog from one early many Dell’s I’ve seen sporting
(other laptops had the keyboard adopter who tried to scratch his Apple stickers) or make T-shirts
screen and failed. Real user’s
on the front lip - Apple fixed available from your website so
unbiased, heartfelt reporting will
that) but the grey color was owners can proudly display your
more important because it did convince more people to choose logo for you. And in the Web 2.0 * Go to TubesNow.com for a solution
This eBook courtesy of Steve Chazin, former Apple, Inc. sales and marketing executive. Page 5 Copyright @ 2007 MarketingApple.com All Rights Reserved

Boil the story down to its syrupy goodness.
MARKETING ISN’T ABOUT WHAT YOU SAY. MARKETING DIFFERENT.
Before the Internet, marketers reached Look at how Apple focuses the message. Mac was “The Computer
potential customers via print, billboard, for the Rest of Us.” iPod was “1,000 Songs in
radio and TV ads. Marketers had 30 Your Pocket. “ iMac was “3 Steps to the
seconds to tell their story and competition Internet.” And Pepsi challenged Coke only
was limited to brands with multi-million after “Choice of a New Generation” These
dollar budgets. But the web changed all messages are memorable and transcend
that. Today attention spans are only a few product features. Lift occurs only after
seconds long and anyone with an AdSense account can vie for the prospects and customers can easily repeat
same customers as big brands. And while a company’s website is your message to their friends and colleagues.
now the primary place to tell a story, many G re a t m a r ke t i n g
marketers push so much drivel at people that most entices people to
visitors leave without taking action. Webmasters consider your product and purchase it.
call it the “bounce rate.” Make sure everyone who Apple’s marketing is so good it creates
comes to your website leaves with clarity about purchases even before people see it. That
you via a tight, memorable message or image, even happens when people do your marketing for
if they don’t purchase. Only then can they spread you - 250,000 first day iPhone sales proves
your word. Marketing isn’t what you do to reach the point. Remember, Marketing isn’t about
your first customers, it’s what you do to help your what you say, it’s what others say for you.
first customers reach the rest. Tight messages are Make sure you equip them with the right
required. words.
This eBook courtesy of Steve Chazin, former Apple, Inc. sales and marketing executive. Page 6 Copyright @ 2007 MarketingApple.com All Rights Reserved

Surprise and delight your customers.
So start with the packaging. Look at the important white Apple stickers) The
FOCUS ON THE FEEL.
iPhone box: finely crafted, with extra experience of opening an Apple product
Marketing is all about the complete package.
touches like velvet-lining reminiscent of a becomes one more thing to share with the
Walk into an Apple store and you’ll feel less
fine watch box. The iPhone rests in a tiny world - Google the plethora of “unboxing”
like you are in a store and more like you’re
lucite bed, cradling the sites dedicated to sharing the experience of
in a museum. This gives future customers a
object d’art. Included is opening a new package. Only Apple and
chance to experience the product among
a tiny pamplet called Sony rate a high number of people eager to
other like-minded people in a safe and fun
“Finger Tips” (cute, huh) share with the world. Make great packaging
environment. Make your website feel like an
and a cleaning cloth (along with the all- and you’ll have earn your own fans. And
Apple store - surround the product with
remember that fan is shorthand for fanatic.
testimonials and customer feedback.
The Mac was not just easier to use than the
START WITH THE PACKAGING. PC - it also had style. Style is Apple’s brand.
Many marketers forget that their relationship
Creative people gravitate to it because it
with the customer really starts after they buy
frees their brain from having to “use” a
from you. Make their first experience
computer. Designers, authors, artists and
memorable. Remember, you are counting on
your customers are all fans of good design and
your customers to help spread the word -
respond to those extra, thoughtful touches.
and they need positive experiences to share.
This eBook courtesy of Steve Chazin, former Apple, Inc. sales and marketing executive. Page 7 Copyright @ 2007 MarketingApple.com All Rights Reserved

Learn the secrets you (really)
need to know.
ONE MORE THING...
How does a huge company go from the brink of bankruptcy to
worldwide success and 1000% stock growth seemingly
overnight? The answer is simple, yet surprising:
Better Marketing. And the company is Apple.
This eBook teaches you 5 of the most important
Apple-style marketing tips and tricks you can apply to
help your business. Learn some of the marketing
secrets that propelled Apple from the backwaters of
the PC market to the worldwide leader in consumer
electronics, music, video and mobile. Everyone - not
just marketers - will benefit from these simple rules.
This eBook is a free public service from a former
Apple employee and current practitioner of
MarketingApple viral marketing. Please share this
eBook with all your friends and visit
www.MarketingApple.com to learn more and post
your comments and ideas for the community.
Together we’ll build a valuable resource to help
everyone market as well as Apple.
Steve
-
Apple, PowerBook, iPod, iMac, MacBook and other product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of Apple, Inc.. Sony, Google and other company and
product names are trademarks of their own companies. All rights reserved. This eBook created entirely on a Mac using Pages 2.0 Copyright 2007