What Disney and Apple have in common

You have a great product and you know it well, but how do you get people to WANT it? You can give all the information about it, but how do you make them realize that they need your product?

If I ask you to name two companies that are the most innovative, creative, popular and regarded as the top in their industry, at this time you would most likely name Apple and Disney. Both of these companies have a large base of customers that wait on them for their next big release. How have Apple and Disney continued to grow their customer base; the level loyalty shown to both brands by their followers is fascinating. I have identified two marketing tactics that may explain the great success of Apple and Disney.

Artificial Scarcity

Holding off on releases of their products.

This tactic allows them to build up anticipation in their audience. For Apple, this would be on their new products. Their computers with their upgrades, their software with their features and their phones all are changing. For Disney, it may be a new ride at the park, a new TV show or a new Movie but even the classics are involved with this. - but when will they change? What changes will be applied?

Many feel that the upgrade to Apple devices are incremental and not worth the time and the money to invest in them. Yet so many people are buying their products year after year. Why is that when you could get the same hardware and sometimes the software that is in an apple device in a different manufacturers device now? The answer lies with scarcity. Keep making your audience wanting more. Get them excited and keep their attention.

The same can be said for Disney. This entertainment company likes to put their movies into a "vault" where you cannot buy them for a while. At the time of this writing, "The Little Mermaid" is currently in the vault and is not available for purchase. The potential buyer will be looking out for this movie and when it is released for it's limited time only, the price will be higher than normal for a movie of this age. People will buy it as well at this price because they know that there is a chance it will go into the vault again and they will have to wait to enjoy this movie at a later time. Again scarcity is making this product worth more.

Scarcity makes us want something and we want it now.

Gateway

That first product that gets you hooked and coming back for more products and services.

Each company has a product that works well with another, it is that first product that provides a gateway into that company's product line. 

For Apple, their computers are designed to talk with their phones and other devices with ease. You can have your data on one device and then pick up your iTouch and interact with that same data. You are even able to extend your desktop on the screen of your TV. Once you buy one product, you'll find it easier to buy another to suit a new need since they are designed to work with each other. With the introduction of iCloud, the devices are even more closely connected even if you are not in the same room, town, or state.

The same can be said for Disney. Their movies come to life once you vacation at Disney World or Disney Land. They bring out the experience in such a way that brings joy to so many. The characters live on in their TV series or games and products. Not many movies are able to do this at the level that Disney can. Sometimes a movie just is a movie. It comes and then goes with the times. Disney has the ability to feel timeless by bringing the characters to life.

The Complete package

Giving you no reason to look elsewhere, the complete package for all your wants and needs.

Apple and Disney are all about quality and customer service. These two companies offer the complete package for their customers. Once you have bought from their product line, you find that you are able to find a  device or service that suits your needs without having to go find a cheaper alternative. Apple makes it easy to go between desktop and mobile, store your files, check-in, update, and do everything across platforms. Apple did that first, and although the competition has started to try to catch up, Apple got there first and when you're the first brand, you have an advantage. As long as you keep the experience and the quality high, you wont lose that customer base easily. Disney has done this by not only producing movies and merchandise, they are invested in theme parks, theater, the vacation market, with a variety of ways for people to have that trademark Disney experience that no other brand has been able to touch.

What makes these companies so hard to beat is how big their ideas were and how wide they cast their net, diversifying their products and services. They are rarities in their individual industries. Have you not found that most Apple users don't stray from the Apple product line for computer, mobile, and other technological accessories? They have found Apple tried and true, with little problems. Obviously not everyone has that rosy a view of Apple, but when you don't have to worry about how files and applications will translate among devices, you want to stay within that family of products, or that umbrella. Their product lines are in sync and give their customers a seamless experience. People want their products and services because they are a scarcity, a rarity, it makes them want them even more. The same goes for Disney, they offerings for both children, young adults, and adults. You have a variety of ways to enjoy these brands, they have found a way to add to your life and become apart of your way of life. 


What you can do to make your product appeal to the needs and wants of people is by connecting on an emotional level, appealing to the basic needs and wants they have, not simply being informational, but being relatable and easy to understand. Above all charming and different. Find your niche and develop its voice.