The iPhone itself is a creative
text. It is designed in certain ways so that it can influence consumer interest
without making changes to its fundamentals. Most new iPhones don’t stray far
from the overall functionality or design of their predecessors. Apple has
created a product that is dependent on cutting edge technology, as well as
aesthetic appeals, and over time consumers have begun to trust the brand due to
the proven reliability of the products. So when Apple announces a new product
such as the iPhone 5s and focuses on a couple of minor new features such as
gold being a color option, and a fingerprint scanner lock button, the consumer
desire to have that new product is immediately triggered due to the fact that a
reliable piece of technology just got a little bit better. But is the new phone
actually better than its predecessor? Most practical people would say that a
couple minor features are not worth the hundreds of dollars it costs for a new
phone. However, in contemporary society where aesthetics are half of the battle
so to speak, it can be argued that many iPhone users will desire the new phone.
Gold being a new color option is a
great example of how aesthetics can win over an audience. For the entire life
of the iPhone, there has never been any other option beside white or black. In
fact, in the earlier models of the iPhone, black was the only option one could
choose. By simply introducing a new color, many people began to get excited.
There is another reason however as to why adding gold as a new color increased
desire.
Power is a very desirable trait for some
people. In fact, I think that Apple would say that their products appeal to
people of a certain status. Keeping that idea in mind, I believe that Apple
incorporated gold as a new color in order to rhetorically persuade their
audience to see the phone as a power symbol. This is an interesting idea to
think about due to the fact that such a miniscule feature such as a new color can
influence an audience just because of the status that the product gives off.
Apple takes advantage of society’s desire to have the “coolest” technology available,
and in return is able to deploy marketing strategies that do not focus on the
functionality of the phone. This sort of marketing and advertisement is
extremely creative, and deviates far from the norm so to speak when we look at
other companies who advertise their products based on how they function and
what they can do, not what they look like.
By implementing the creative style into
advertising for the iPhone 5s, Apple is able to rhetorically persuade their
audience and deliver a product with an exceedingly high approval and desire
rate before it is even released. Taking full advantage of what the creative
style has to offer and focusing on what the people will be surprised and
excited by, Apple is able to turn a slightly newer version of an outdated
product into something that is completely rejuvenated and hyped, and I think
that is pretty amazing.
M. Walters
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