IPod is great, Apple TV is wonderful, MacBook Air is marvelous, but some of you have never heard of Apple TV nor MacBook Air am i not right? And you were almost certain that Apple's next product was going to be another instant megahit after you purchased your IPod am i not right? Apple's marketing and sales team will love you and Steve Jobs will be laughing his butt off all the way to the bank for the next few years because of this. Ever wondered why? Psychologists call this the 'Halo Effect', a cognitive bias whereby in the words of the Wikipedia entry, 'a cognitive bias whereby the perception of a particular trait is influenced by the perception of the former traits in a sequence of interpretations'... that's the beauty of the 'Halo Effect'.. oh how it registers so much in our brains unconsciously.
IPod was a success and after that, all other releases by Apple are thought to be of the same attributes that of the IPod (cool, hip & trendsetting).. a 'social epidemic' as some analysts would say. Now how cool is that? Spend millions of advertising and marketing dollars on one product / service, and this effect would take its toll on subsequent and follow-up products / services. How brilliant it is!
Take a look at the music industry this time, certain artists (who are still riding high on the Billboard charts for years till today) still enjoy that same level of stardom which they had first attained since day 1 of success release after release even though no singles ever make it to Billboard's Top 10. Or is that the secret to success for music artists / bands that's being implemented by the marketing / PR department of the music labels?
Here's my take on it.
First Impression (You Only Get 1 Shot) + Advertising / Marketing (Word-Of-Mouth/Guerilla/Viral.. best would be Subliminal) leading to a'Tipping Point' creates a 'HALO EFFECT'.
Maintain that status of success and achievement by repositioning your trajectory (if it goes off course) throughout the way. Track your success, measure it and 'mine' the data being stored. Study it, if it works, great! If it doesn't, go back to the drawing board and reposition your brand... by all means, change the name of the brand if you have to. Google the 'Tipping Point' if you don't know what it is. Good luck!
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