Consumer Behavior: Apple

Consumer behavior is one of the most challenging aspects in advertising because it's trying to reach to a target audience without being too broad, or being too narrow. What's interesting about consumer behavior is that despite it's overall generalization of the public, it is surprisingly specific. Apple adapted to their consumers best because they did something not as many other tech brands did: acknowledge the customer's individuality. 

Technology individualized is something we don't really consider. Nor is it something that we could fathom as something that could be individualized. Normally if a new phone or mp3 player comes out, the product is limited to one or two colors. The only way it can be distinguished is by the content we put in the technology itself. In a sense, the technology we carry is like how we carry ourselves. It's the"you are what you wear" idea.  What's interesting about Apple is that the company knew that people wanted to be known for their what they wore as well. 

Apple has a history of "personalizing" their brand to share it with their customer. This already makes the consumer feel unique. The consumer now feels special. In the early 2000s, desktop computers used to be these ugly, bland, and bulky looking things. Apple changed that by coming out with the IMac G3. The IMac G3 came in thirteen "flavors" or colors. They even had couple of printed computers with cute names like "Blue Dalmatian" and "Flower Power."This concept of making the consumer feel special became so successful that they applied it to many of their products. From the IPod and the iPod Mini to the latest edition of Apple Individualism: the IPhone 5c. 

The fact that these products weren't all that different from each other, and yet they  sold incredibly well, is a result of successful study of consumer behavior. Apple pioneered the idea of product uniqueness and made it accessible. Other tech brands have been following the same idea and if you think about it, not all of these pieces of technology are THAT different from each other. One of them just says more about you than the other. Whether it's because it's your favorite color, or your favorite whatever endorses it; it makes you feel like you. And that is the feeling Apple knows it can only emphasize.