Appleize Your Brand: Turn Clients into Fanatics

As a project manager for campus planning studies at colleges and universities, I was faced with a dilemma when it came to scientifically accurate data collection. We needed a random sampling of all campus constituencies, but had trouble with the data collectors. We tried temporary employment services and hiring students who were attending the school. Each of these produced lackluster results because it was easy for individuals to not show up, arrive late or leave early.

Then I had a revelation: An incentive program that used student organizations for data collection. It worked like this: We needed to cover eight prime campus locations over 12 hours with two people per hour at each location. Representatives from organizations were invited to a planning meeting where the scope of the work was explained. A spreadsheet with times and locations was put up on a flip chart. Organizations were invited to take turns filling in the time slots.

Each organization would be paid $6 per hour for every person they signed up and, if everyone showed up at their assigned locations and turned over completed forms at the end of their shift, the group would receive a $700 bonus. If one person failed to meet their obligation, the entire bonus was forfeited. A campus organization could make $1000 in a day without worrying about organization or long shifts for active members. The first time we implemented the new process, completed questionnaires increased 300%. In the past, it was easy for an individual student to blow off the $6 an hour, if sleeping in, studying, attending class or a more important meeting got in the way. However, the new process made individual students subject to the ridicule of their organizations. Who wants to be known as the person who cost the organization their bonus? In addition, there was also a certain amount of bragging rights between organizations as well.

What does this have to do with marketing in general and marketing professional services in particular?

First, it points out the need for outside-the-box thinking when you are faced with changing circumstances. More importantly, it verifies the need to create an “us versus them” attitude in your clients' minds. Too often professional services marketers look at branding and marketing as promoting specific services and promises. Highly successful brands and companies don’t work that way today.

Take a look at Apple. Some could say that it is Steve Jobs alone who has created Apple fanatics. The reality proves it is much more than that. It actually looks a lot like the process for increasing data collection results for higher education planning projects.

The “us versus them” is the genius behind the Apple brand success. The “1984” Super Bowl commercial started the process. It was followed by the Lemmings commercial the next year with blindfolded businessmen walking off the cliff. Recently it has been the highly successful Apple versus PC ads where the PC guy basically apologizes for his product.

Note the common characteristic of these, and many other, Apple commercials: they focus on the PEOPLE who use each product. These ads convey little or no actual product information, and instead mock PC users while portraying Apple users in a favorable way. I am not suggesting you mock your competition. I am suggesting you figure out how to make your group (firm) worth joining.

Just like students belonging to organizations were more powerful data collectors, your clients will become fanatics when they feel they belong to your group. Belonging to a group is wired into all people. The cavemen didn’t survive on their own, they joined groups.

Apple isn’t the only company that uses this to their advantage. Truck owners are extremely loyal to their brand. Obviously, the “us versus them” strategy works best for actual products that can be seen. However, there is no reason this strategy couldn’t be effective for professional services firms with clients who feel some attachment to the brand. Therefore, professional services marketers need to make their clients feel different, and to interact with them in a way that makes being part of their group more credible than a passing ad slogan. It is the best and probably the only way to turn your clients into fanatics. What would happen to your bottom line if more clients were fanatics?