The Rolls Royce of smart phones. If you want to be in with the “in crowd,” you want to have the latest Apple iPhone, and people are lining up to get the newest model when it goes on sale Friday.
Just as with clothing and cars, your phone choice can say something about you.
Dr. James Roberts, marketing professor with Baylor University, finds Apple’s ability to shape public opinion around a desire for the product impressive. “Apple, as we know it, are the still the quintessential good marketers, but it always helps to have a product that people are addicted to. That makes marketing a little a bit easier because of the brand loyalty that comes with Apple products.”
They have been likened to a tribe mentality.
The iPhone XS Max starts at $1,099, but if you want the most storage available that will cost upwards of $1,449. It goes on sale Friday with a little less hoopla and pizzazz than in previous years – in no small part because they have the marketing muscle to no longer require it. This year they’ve been taking advance orders, as well.
“We call that prestige pricing,” says Dr. Roberts. “People are willing to pay a little extra, not so much because of the tangible benefits that the iPhone or other product might have, but because of the psychological benefit.”
15.6% of all smartphones sold worldwide are sold by Apple.