Bologna Takes a Bite of the Apple

Only a fortnight before my arrival in Bologna, Apple opened up a shiny new store in the city centre. The sense of excitement was contagious; from 700 miles away, the anticipation of my host family to enter the new store genuinely made me long to be in Bologna sooner. And that’s some powerful stuff- I’m the biggest technophobe going (it comes with being a historian, I keep telling myself).

Marketing has always been a powerful tool, but Apple’s marketing team succeeds in personalising Apples’ appeal. Is it any wonder then that so many around the world mourned the death of Steve Jobs like he was a close friend? To many Apple fanatics, he was. My own host family (being Mac-crazy) are perfect examples. They brought into the Apple world and, as a result, felt like Jobs’ death was a personal loss. On my arrival, my host dad shook my hand, led me into the living room and expressed his deep sadness at the death of Steve Jobs. He was even watching coverage of the death on his Apple TV.

Apple has pervaded our everyday lives in such a way that visions of the future takes the shape of the Apple logo- and that’s no exaggeration. Along with feeling like you have really taken a bite out of the Apple, we also believe that the brand epitomises progress. Every important and “forward-thinking” city has an Apple store. Bologna embraced the opening with manic enthusiasm because it put the city on the global map; every big city has an Apple store. The marketing team succeeded in making the people of Bologna feel that the opening of the store made Bologna as important as Milan or Rome. Bologna saw itself as a significant city for a completely new reason.

The Apple store in Bologna’s city centre is never without a rush of customers entering or exiting. They’re either drooling over the MacBook Air or pushing past others to leave immediately to return home and play with their new toy. On the day of the grand opening, hundreds of fans camped overnight in order to be one of the first to enter the store. Hundreds more joined their eager counterparts early the next morning. There was chanting, cheering, and a free café and croissant (remember that’s cake) for the first one hundred people. How much more Italian could Apple get? Bravo to Apple’s marketing team! You would never have guessed that the Americans were invading!

The importance of Marketing for today’s global companies is profoundly important. Apple is just one example of many large corporations that see the importance of tailoring their products to suit a mass market, but with the impression that everything the company does is for you and you alone. Don’t get me wrong; I think Steve Jobs deserves the legacy he has carved out for himself and Apple deserves to be revered for its genius inventions, but even Apple relies heavily on excellent marketing behind the scenes. How many times have you checked for the latest release date of the iPhone 5?  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtOMi3FeVxE&feature=related