Just one thing I would like to share something very brief which I would like to include here as I am not putting it in my Report. It's unedited, has loopholes and can probably start off conversations/arguments. At least that's the intention.
Apple initially started off as a cult brand, which only saw to those that wanted to feel an alternative ownership in comparison to the rest of the Microsoft population. Product Designer Jonathan Ive's focus on simplicity, function and aesthetics, to Apple, was not about satisfying the needs of the masses through a single and affordable for all system dictated to them, but to allow the Bauhaus-inspired designs cater to the basic and spiritualistic needs of the individuals that are willing to convert in order to become part of a smaller, and therefore, more exclusive community with their creation of the personal computer; by redefining the keyword "personal" within the computer industry, Apple has created a new sense of affiliation, created not by changing the world of technology, but rather by defining what their users should be experiencing according to his vision through products that provokes us to "Think Different", thus establishing the crucial emotional link between the user and the brand founder.
Steve Jobs's death on 5th October 2011was a clear message that showed the extent of success of Apple; his passing sent shockwaves through the design and technology industry, if not, the world. The brand had proved that perseverance and maintaining both the integrity and transparency of their brand values pays off.
Jobs became a leader, a visionary on what innovative design should be about has been proven through what is now considered as one of the most iconic brands of all time. This is also the example of such a fairy tale narrative in branding shattering and acceptance of the Apple devotees of reality with the passing of its founder; a true cult created as a result of the psychology of branding.
