ARTICLES
Why Do People Love Apple So Much?
On some days I like to eat Heinz baked beans and on other days I like to eat Branston baked beans. Yeah, they're both basically haricot beans drenched in tomato sauce at the end of the day, right? But they both taste different.
If you had a choice between a brand new pair of Bose headphones and the AirPods Max, which would you choose and why?
Apple introduced a pair of headphones to their accessories range in 2020. However, they've only just gained a lot of popularity in 2022 thanks to Instagram and TikTok.
AirPods Max.
The AirPods Max.
Surely you've seen them on social media lately - on the likes of influencers, celebrities, and maybe even your mates. It's a fashion statement. A fashion accessory contributes to a wearer's outfit to complement their whole look (Rani & Rani, 2018).
According to Currys, a tech retailer, a pair of these headphones will cost you around £469 (08 October 2022) because they're currently on 'sale' from an eye watering £549. The AirPods Max comes in a variety of colours including green, silver, red, black, and blue. They look cute... like two little flying saucers sucking your brains out.
When you decide to purchase a product, an Apple product that is - do you truly care about the product's functionality or... Do you feel that you need to fit in and surrender to a, dare I say, narcissistic society?
Oooooooooo.
Here are six reasons why people are drawn to Apple products. Yes, just six reasons.
1. You're loyal to Apple whether you like it or not.
Bow down to Apple.
All brands have a goal, and that is to make you loyal to them. They should be your one and only. Once they've established your trust and loyalty, there's less chance of you sneaking off to a rival and losing your support (aka ££££)! You belong to Apple. There's no escape.
"Alexa." Oh ****, I meant "Hey Google." **** did it again. "Hey Siri."
The Apple ecosystem plays a large role in brand loyalty - Everything is connected together in Apple land. According to Shi et al. (2016), 'cognitive lock-in' is an important determinant of brand loyalty. It's a habit developed by the repetitive use of products and services which we become skilful in and knowledgeable about. Think of all those accounts and services that you have with Apple - you're comfortable with using them - adding an outsider device will only be a pain the butt, right? Could you be bothered to sort out all those accounts, passwords, and media, or should you just stick to one ecosystem and keep things in one place as they are already? You feel this need to continue as you do - because it works and you don't need to put in any effort to learn a new or different ecosystem. You're essentially 'locked-in'.
Apple wants to make you, the customer, feel valued. Apple customers trust Apple. Not only do customers trust Apple's expertise and quality, but also their ability to deliver customers innovative products every couple of months. Apple offer (some) device updates, accessories, and customer support to keep you feeling satisfied and looked after. Their image is consistent.
2. You want to associate yourself with Apple's 'brand personality' and identity.
What comes to mind when you hear Apple?
Honest? Innovative? Good quality? Above average?
Overpriced? Pompous? Tired?
Brands have their own personality traits believe it or not. These traits include sincerity, excitement, competence, sophistication, and ruggedness.
Brands can communicate their personality through their products, advertisements, and copy.
Apple is known for being intuitive, stylish, young, 'free thinking', and simple.
According to an online survey, respondents were strongly favourable towards Apple's attractiveness, favourability, and distinctiveness (Pinson & Brosdahl, 2014).
You want to associate yourself with the traits and values that YOU think that Apple adopts.
3. You (want to) do what everyone else is doing.
If you see your favourite celebrity posing in Apple headphones - is this the right thing for you to do as well?
There's this concept called 'social proof' where humans like to be one with the crowd and not stand out. We usually don't like to stick out like sore thumbs - it makes us feel out of place and unlikeable. We like to conform and be like others in order to fit in. First, to understand how we should conform, we search for answers. We do this by reading reviews from others and listening to others' experiences with products on social media. This is how TikTok and Instagram trends and products go 'viral'. Also, we're drawn to celebrity and influencer endorsements, and we unfortunately like to succumb to authority figures.
Eastman et al. (2018) carried out a three‐study examination on young adults. It is suggested that young people's motivation for status in terms of luxury fashion purchase intentions is impacted by the 'bandwagon effect'. We do things simply because other people are doing it.
Surprisingly you could also be motivated to purchase Apple products due to envy (Loureiro et al., 2018). Hmm...
4. You're stuck in the Apple in-group.
You belong in the Apple in-group now.
Social identity is the concept of defining ourselves through the groups we belong to (in-group) as opposed to those we don't (outgroup). The presence of groups can lead to competition. Boo. Once you've established being in a group, you're gonna love your group members, you're gonna support them, you're gonna empathise with them, you're gonna understand what and who they are, they can do nothing wrong. You're an advocate for Apple.
Dare to mock Apple? You're TOAST!
If you're an Apple owner, most likely your attitudes towards other Apple owners are positive. On the contrary, you may hold less positive attitudes towards, lets say for instance, Android owners.
Ooooooo.
5. You want to build and maintain your personal identity to show who you are to others.
As individuals we like to manage our self identity. Similar to social identity, we can define ourselves by the services we use, the products we use, the clothes we wear, and how we carry ourselves. We want to express ourselves in different ways.
Akdemir (2018) nicely asserts that what we wear is "the basic and simple way of representing our identity and social class. . . Fashion is one of the most important ways of expressing the identity because it's full of signs, codes, and meanings inside them".
In the context of wearing Apple products, what we wear can influence us a lot - this is called 'enclothed cognition' (Adam & Galinsky, 2012). What we wear can impact our physical, cognitive, and emotional processes. It makes sense. Powerful stuff. Two factors are involved in enclothed cognition: the physical experience of wearing an item, and the symbolic meaning of said item. Think of the last time you went on a date (or any other occasion), what did you wear? Did it make you feel confident?
When an individual wears or uses an Apple product, their sense of self is going to be elevated, they will feel like they are adhering to Apple's brand personality.
Once you place a pair of Apple headphones on your head, you're going to feel confident, productive, relaxed, Instagram ready, hip... ready for action... and maybe even a little 'premium'.
Be careful if you're inclined to show off your material wealth, you can seem less co-operative to others (Srna et al., 2022).
6. You perceive Apple's products to be valuable.
Apple's products look and feel premium, they're easy to use within the Apple ecosystem, they're what some may call 'customisable', and they can last a long time depending on how you look after them. They're meant to be an investment - and if you want to let your Apple products go, they should have an alright resale value. Unfortunately, like every piece of technology, it will eventually tumble out of trend and may be found in lost property bins in 30 years time. Who knows?
If you chuck your devices on your bed for it to bounce off and face plant the floor - it's entirely your fault if any breakage happens.
A lot goes on behind the design of Apple products themselves, their packaging, and even how they are displayed in-store.
If you've ever been to an Apple store, the layout is pretty simple and spacious. You feel as though you're in an exclusive members club. You feel special to be there. Their high quality products are displayed ready and waiting for you to interact with them. There's nothing stopping you or getting in the way of this planned meeting (unbeknownst to you). You're encouraged to interact with products in Apple's stores to build a sense of familiarity with them - which then hopefully leads to a sense of ownership. You can envision yourself living with these products easier because they're right in front of you. You can feel their quality, see their quality, hear their quality, taste their quality... smell their quality. You'll be thinking, damn, I need one of these.
And now I need this Apple Pencil... and this EXACT sleeve that folds in 3 places... and this Air Tag... and this Apple Watch.
Moreover, wearable tech is becoming increasingly popular; it can benefit our wellbeing and make our lives easier. It can be valuable for our health. However, there's not much research that digs deep into wearable tech (Ferreira et al., 2021).
Adam, H. & Galinsky, A.D. (2012). Enclothed cognition. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 48(4), 918-925.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2012.02.008.
Akdemir, N. (2018). Visible Expression of Social Identity: the Clothing and Fashion, Gaziantep University Journal of Social Sciences, 17(4), 1389-1397. https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/543644
Eastman, J.K., Iyer, R., Shepherd C.D., Heugel, A., & Faulk, D. (2018). Do they shop to stand out or fit in? The luxury fashion purchase intentions of young adults. Psychology & Marketing, 35(3), 220-236. https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.21082
Ferreira, J.J., Fernandes, C.I., Rammal, H.G., & Veiga, P.M. (2021). Wearable technology and consumer interaction: A systematic review and research agenda. Computers in Human Behaviour, 118, 106710. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2021.106710
Loureiro, S.M.C., de Plaza, M.A.P., & Taghian, M. (2018). The effect of benign and malicious envies on desire to buy luxury fashion items. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 52(2).
http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2018.10.005
Pinson, C. & Brosdahl, D. J. C. (2014). The Church of Mac: exploratory examination on the loyalty of Apple customers. Journal of Management and Marketing Research. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283714797_The_Church_of_Mac_exploratory_examination_on_the_loyalty_of_Apple_customers
Rani, S. & Rani, B. (2018). Preference of Fashion Accessories among College Going Girls. Annals of Agri-Bio Research, 23(1), 122-125. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/332710302_Preference_of_fashion_accessories_among_college_going_girls
Shi, X., Liu, J.T.L., Sirkeci, I. (2016, July). Psychological Determinants of Brand Loyalty: The case of Apple and Samsung. [Conference paper]. Academy of Marketing Annual Conference, Northumbria University Business School, Newcastle, England, UK. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/341434372_Psychological_Determinants_of_Brand_Loyalty_The_case_of_Apple_and_Samsung
Srna, S., Barasch, A. & Small, D.A. (2022). On the value of modesty: How signals of status undermine cooperation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 123(4), 676-692. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspa0000303
Why Do People Wear Fake Designer?
Every now and then I like to take a walk around my city shopping centre for mainly two reasons: a) to avoid lunchtime interaction with my crush at the office; and b) to avoid lunchtime interaction with my crush at the office. Anyway, that’s beside the point. Today I passed by a mannequin wearing a dress with “Ye Saint Lo” printed on it. I guess this dress was paying homage to Kanye ‘Ye’ West, Yves Saint Laurent, and Saint-Lô (a commune in France)… maybe? This dress can be termed as a knockoff… But what is a knockoff?
This is a knockoff logo, clearly not Yves Saint Laurent though so no one gets in trouble for producing such a monstrosity. You know what...? The longer I look at it, it... Hmm...
Simply put, knockoffs typically refer to goods or products intended to resemble those that are well-known and recognisable, but have obvious differences whether it be the name, logo, or the design (e.g., see photo attached). Think 'inspired by'. I personally don't like the term knockoff but, it is what it is. Knockoffs may even be referred to as 'dupes' or 'copycats'. Knockoffs and dupes look similar to the real deal, but aren't exact; consumers should be able to distinguish that the product is different from the original without batting an eyelid. Moreover, knockoffs are legal because they're designed to be distinct enough to avoid trademark and copyright infringement, unlike counterfeit goods. Knockoffs can be of the same quality as the original product, just with a vastly different price tag (maybe, it depends on what we're looking at).
If you've ever wondered why brands, large corporations, supermarkets, and businesses don't get in trouble for creating knockoff products, this is mainly due to the fact that they're not exact copies.
Counterfeit goods are designed to be 100% identical to and perceived as an original and authentic product, often misleading consumers. The quality is often noticeably poorer, e.g., the stitching may be different, things may be misspelled. Replicas on the other hand are better quality counterfeit goods - You shouldn't be able to tell the difference.
So, what makes a consumer want to purchase and wear knockoff brands? Why do some people wear knockoff brands and others don't?
Well, according to Basu et al. (2015), there are many factors that influence consumers’ purchase intentions including brand loyalty, personal gratification, perception, ethics, social motivation, and value – where social motivation and value are the most influential factors. Remarkably, the functional value of goods are not so important (Rahimnia & Arian, 2021).
There are many factors that influence consumers’ purchase intentions including brand loyalty, personal gratification, perception, ethics, social motivation, and value.
Brand loyalty
Brand loyalty is essentially a consumer’s commitment to a brand. If a consumer is loyal to a brand, it is likely that they will repeat purchases from that brand. But why do we wear the brands we do? Well, consumers want to be associated with a brand because they appreciate its personality – the values and lifestyle that it uniquely conveys. Believe it or not, brands have their own personality characteristics just like humans. There are five types of brand personality: sincerity, excitement, competence, sophistication, and ruggedness. Can you think of brands that fit under any of these? Furthermore, many consumers buy brands because of their implied ‘genuine quality’ (Basu et al., 2015).
Personal gratification
Personal gratification is the need for a sense of accomplishment, recognition, and the desire to enjoy the best and greatest things in life. It would make sense that a consumer with a high level of personal gratification would be more conscious of their fashion choices because they are inclined to wear genuine goods. These consumers are likely to have negative attitudes towards knockoffs and counterfeits.
Ethics
Ethics are principles and involves the action of questioning, discovering and defending what is moral – this involves our values, principles and purpose. It can help us separate what is right from what is wrong. If a consumer makes an ethical judgement that counterfeit goods are bad, they would be unlikely to purchase counterfeit goods.
Social motivation
Fashion plays a big role in how we’re perceived and want to be perceived by others. Consumers’ preferences for luxury brands are based on the satisfaction of at least one social goal (Zhang et al., 2019). We can use fashion to express our unique selves to others, but we also dress to fit into the society we live in. Consumers wear brands because brands are perceptible, admirable, and can possibly indicate the wearer’s social status. According to Wang (2021), because luxury fashion is associated with a high price tag and can somewhat be rare, it can be implied that its wearer is maybe of a high status, wealthy, and/or successful. Of course, this may not always be the case. Some consumers wear counterfeit fashion simply for pleasure and assume that other people don’t take notice (Purwanto et al., 2019).
Value
Value refers to the degree of financial or pleasurable service a good can offer a consumer. Why bother to pay a large amount for an item you really like when you could buy a similar one of good quality as well, but for a better price? If a consumer already purchases knockoffs and counterfeit luxury goods, because of the economic and hedonic benefits involved, it is likely that they will purchase more in the future (Yoo & Lee, 2009).
Personality
What is more, our personalities can have a large influence towards how we feel about buying counterfeit goods. Babamiri et al. (2020) investigated the relationship between the Big Five personality characteristics (openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism), and attitudes towards the purchasing of counterfeit goods. The researchers found that extraversion and agreeableness were associated with a positive attitude towards purchasing counterfeit goods. Extraversion is a trait associated with standing out in a crowd, thriving in social situations, outgoingness, and being the centre of attention. Whereas agreeableness is associated with prosocial behaviours such as helping others, being truthful, empathic, and cooperating. Openness on the other hand, was instead associated with a negative attitude towards purchasing counterfeit goods. Openness is associated with curiosity, an eagerness to learn and explore new experiences, independence, and creativity. Make of that what you will.
Are there consequences?
Research has shown the consequences of wearing counterfeit fashion. Pretending to be luxury owners to maintain social identities can lead to anxiety and risks (Wang et al., 2019). For instance, Gino et al. (2010) found that when a consumer believes that a product they are wearing is not genuine, it can make the consumer feel inauthentic, and increases their likelihood to behave dishonestly! Not only that, those wearing counterfeits saw other people as dishonest! Imagine that.
At the end of the day, what we wear is a personal choice and knockoffs and dupes offers an affordable alternative to expensive or exclusive items.
Babamiri, M., Heidari Moghadam, R., Saeidnia, H., & Zemestani, M. (2020). Relationship between personality characteristics and attitude toward purchase of counterfeit goods in the Iranian population. Cogent Psychology, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311908.2020.1779000
Basu, M., Basu, S. & Lee, J. (2015). Factors Influencing Consumer's Intention to Buy Counterfeit Products. Global Journal of Management and Business Research, 15(6), 23-35.
Gino, F., Norton, M. I., & Ariely, D. (2010). The Counterfeit Self: The Deceptive Costs of Faking It. Psychological Science, 21(5), 712-720. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41062274
Purwanto, P., Margiati, L., Kuswandi, K., & Prasetyo, B. (2019). Consumer motives for purchasing counterfeit luxury products: behind the status signalling behaviour using brand prominence. Business: Theory and Practice, 20, 208-215. https://doi.org/10.3846/btp.2019.20
Rahimnia, F. & Arian, N. H. (2021). Luxury consumption and the moderating role of attitude toward counterfeits: The case of an emerging market. Journal of General Management, 47(1), 41-55. https://doi.org/10.1177/03063070211013335
Wang, Y., Stoner, J. L., & John, D. R. (2019). Counterfeit Luxury Consumption in a Social Context: The Effects on Females’ Moral Disengagement and Behavior. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 29(2), 207-225. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcpy.1071
Wang, Y. (2021). A conceptual framework of contemporary luxury consumption. International Journal of Research in Marketing. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijresmar.2021.10.010
Yoo, B. & Lee. S. (2009). Buy Genuine Luxury Fashion Products Or Counterfeits? Advances in Consumer Research, 36(7), 280-286.
Zhang, W., Jin, J., Wang, A., Ma, Q., & Yu, H. (2019). Consumers' Implicit Motivation Of Purchasing Luxury Brands: An EEG Study. Psychology Research and Behavior Management, 12, 913-929. https://doi.org/10.2147/PRBM.S215751