This week’s blog is a continuation of a discussion around the marketing of Apple Computers and what it has to do with the marketing of chiropractic.
The conversation is based around an interview some 15 years ago with Apple’s product marketing vice president Phil Schiller, which was published in the “Australian” on 19th January 1999. I have drawn certain points and parallels to the chiropractic story and have highlighted the quoted conversation in Italics.
Was marketing a key element or Apple’s comeback?
“Oh, yes — which is nice to say since I work in marketing!
One of the things Apple can do better than most high-tech companies is marketing, as opposed to merchandising, which is just: Here’s how fast it is, here’s how cheap it is.”
Marketing really creates a predisposition to want to buy a product. It creates excitement around a product and expectations of what can be done with the technology.
There aren’t very many high tech companies that are really good at that.
Certainly, Microsoft has become quite good at it and Intel is good at it. But most computer companies are not.
I don’t think Compaq is very good at marketing. I don’t think Dell is very good at marketing.
These people have been great at merchandising.
Luckily, they have Microsoft and Intel to create marketing and demand for them. They can then fulfill it with merchandising as if they were part of the channel.
At Apple, we have this benefit of making so much of the product ourselves — the operating system the architecture, the products but we also need to do great marketing to be successful.
We don’t have Intel and Microsoft to do that for us”.
Most health care professions are very good at merchandising. They have a plethora of vested interests that are quick to tell the consumer to come and get treated for “this” or “that”.
In chiropractic we don’t have the petrochemical, medical supply and insurance industries to promote us. We’re not part of the channel that is subsidized by the public purse that fills the reception rooms of GPs, Physios and specialists.
In chiropractic you have a fantastic product and when you really get that you are naturally lead to (and very good at) marketing.
As long as you stay with the big picture of what you have you can create a desire for people to want to buy your product as people, deep down are seeking what you have.
Create excitement around your product and most importantly, deliver on the expectations of what can be done with it and celebrate the results with them.
This week focus on infusing a sense of amazement at what we have in chiropractic. Spend time with your team sharing the incredible results that you are getting with people that you, too often take in your stride quite nonchalantly.
