I am completely unsurprised by this:
In a recently screened BBC documentary called ‘Secrets of the Superbrands’, UK neuroscientists found that the brains of Apple fans are stimulated by images of Apple products in the same areas as those triggered by religious imagery in a person of faith. According to the scientists, this suggests that the big tech brands have harnessed, or exploit, the brain areas that have evolved to process religion.
At least they’re not Scientologists. Well, OK, maybe some of them are.
If Jobs (oh how great that his name is the plural of Job) actually used the strategy, the man is a marketing god. I’m sure he’s a marketing genius, because Apple fans are readily happy to spend twice the price for a product that does the capability of numerous cheaper competitors.
I say this as an iPhone user, that is indeed very happy with the product. The user interface, IMHO with backing of my wallet, is worth the price. But the capability isn’t really great compared to Android. And Apple’s service for the product is atrocious. Obviously, I’m an infidel.
Can they test the Obama logo, too?
The Obama logo just throws weak brains into a nasty feedback loop resulting in drooling, tingly leg syndrome, and various other mental deficits.
Can they test the Obama logo, too?
Yes We Can!
I-Tunes is the product of Satan I believe. Worst, most kludgy for it’s purpose app ever!
I denounce religions for infringing on Apple’s copyright.
I-Tunes is the product of Satan I believe. Worst, most kludgy for it’s purpose app ever!
It’s also the most successful app of its kind, measured by installed base or revenue (if you figure that a share of the money spent on iPods, iPhones, and iPads is due to iTunes). Similarly, Microsoft Windows is a kludgy OS that is also the most commercially successful OS of all time, MS Word is a kludgy word processor that dominates its market, etc.
Mass-market success in software is not highly correlated with technical elegance.
I don’t think Apple tried to become a user cult, but once they realized people would pay through the nose out of some quasi-religious belief that Apple’s products are perfection itself, they decided to ride the wave. Kind of like Muad’Dib and the Fremen Jihad.
Its nice to know they have confirmed what Marketers have know for decades. Yes, high involvement brand loyalty is like a religion. Just try going into a bar full of Harley-Davidson riders and claim Hondas are better and Harleys are junk, but make sure your Will is written and your insurance current 🙂
It would be interesting to see this study repeated with space advocates. I expect similar results.
Hallelujah!
2 iPhones + iPad + brand new iMac
Not perfect, but at least these products make a decent attempt to provide a “humane” interface. Or put more succinctly; they don’t suck.
I get paid to work on Winbloze and Linux. Windows is the Chevette of the computing world. Linux is quite nice in most respects, but it certainly doesn’t come as a coherent experience; some assembly required.
Also: iTunes sucks. Really, really sucks.
When seeking a protective case for my iPhone I passed over the ones that included a great, gaping hole on the back to show off the Apple logo.
Why should I share that treasured image with unbelievers?
I guess this isn’t the place to mention my brand spankin’ new Mac Pro.
I owned a Chevette for 12 years, too.
/skulks quietly away
If Jesus were here on Earth he would Use a Mac/iPhone/IPad.
If it’s good enough for Jesus, it’s good enough for me.
Sent from my IPad
Thomas,
uh, hello, that’s a stereotype!
I’m guessing rolling a watermelon and some fried chicken, into an A.M.E. Church would cause a riot to? Or would an attack of tap dancing break out?
“It would be interesting to see this study repeated with space advocates. I expect similar results.”
Space *should be* in the same region of the brain.
heaven = space.
You would have pretty dense not to see the connection.
No one 5 centuries ago would have any doubt about this,
no one should have any doubt about it now.
Mountain climbing should also be in the same area.
But I don’t think they found the right area of the brain- I think false idols in the region they are looking at.
It’s fairly easy to confuse them.
🙂
if space advocacy is a religion, does that make NASA the Greek Acropolis, and the private-sector space movement Paul of Tarsus and his gang?
The one time that I went into an Apple store, I was mildly curious as to whether there were any decent CAD packages available for the Macs. I use Unigraphics professionally, and I was interested in a comparison.
The salesperson that I was finally sent to talk with was a very nice young woman, who reminded of the Lyndon LaRouche/Hari Krisna types I used to see in the airports.
One system in the store had a low end package installed on it, and the clerk tried to show me how it worked, but her lack of knowledge was apparent within a minute.
She kept repeating the mantra that Apple products are wonderful, etc, even though it was obvious that the Macs didn’t have the power needed for serious 3D modeling.
I don’t like having to use Windoze, but XP gets the job done at my client.
When I left the store, I wondered where the little roses that the airport pests used to give out were.
I saw the article regarding the “zombie apocalypse” alert from the CDC on Drudge, and after writing the above I’ve started wondering: Could the CDC be warning us that the mindless undead are coming out of the Apple stores…?
Not just the Apple stores. They’re also in homes and shops, listening to Pacifica radio and commenting on articles on news websites.
I don’t care. Jobs is awesome!
High Speed Jobs!
Perhaps I should have said its like going to a Space Frontier Foundation Conference wearing an ATK employee badge 🙂
I think The Simpsons TV cartoon program did it best, where Lisa went to the Springfield Mall Mapple Store, saying she didn’t have much money but wanted just the ear pieces so it looked like she had an IPod. She was told that Mapple had just the product she wanted, they were called IPhonies, the only problem being that they wanted more money for that product too than what Lisa had to spend.
Alan, Elon Musk is Martin Luther.
He did fund that H2 is heresy according to the dead sea scrolls…. Only RP1 for the chosen….
Just prepare yourself for Steve Jobs’ inevitable appointment to meet his maker. If it happens during the Obama administration, expect a lot of jokes about “shovel-ready Jobs”…. 😉