The Apple Brand Without Jobs?

Incredibly successful brands are created by the consumer’s holistic experience with them. It's taste, touch, look, the buying experience and over time consistently meeting the consumer's expectations that ultimately defines a brands success or failure. Smart and emotionally engaging advertising simply conveys and reinforces what the brand promises to deliver. Without a doubt, Apple has been a master of building its brand
on all these fronts. (Full disclosure here - this comes from someone who doesn’t own a single Apple product, but fully admires the beauty in their design and simplicity of operation.) And Apple has eloquently reinforced its brand with equally effective advertising that has firmly established its brand personality: http://bit.ly/hcNOTD.  

However, when a brand’s essence is so intrinsically linked to its founder this is be both a blessing and a curse. Apple now finds itself at this crossroad with Steve Jobs’ recently announced leave: http://on.wsj.com/evyJM2. Apple believers and stakeholders are now worried about the brand’s future. Stakeholders quickly showed their concerns when Apple’s share price dropped within hours of Jobs’ announced leave: http://bit.ly/fO5cqS.

While there is good reason for concern, there also is ample evidence that a brand so tightly associated with its founder can carry on, succeed and yes, even prosper. Take for example Henry Ford – Ford Motor Company; Bill Gates – Microsoft; Colonel Sanders – KFC; Walt Disney – Disneyland/Disney World and Sam Walton – Wal-Mart to name a few. 

Steve Jobs has been masterful in his leadership and guiding vision for the company. Who would have thought when he returned to lead the company once again in 1997, after being ousted in 1985 and with Apple’s reputation tarnished, the brand would not only resurrect itself but in 2011 would be the highest valued publicly traded company behind Exxon Mobil? Truly incredible.

Now Apple advocates are left to ponder what does the future hold for its founder and the brand? The answer to this critical question will be heavily influenced by how well Apple’s beloved founder has implanted his vision for the brand throughout the entire culture of the organization should his leave be long or even permanent. From its highest leadership and COO, Tim Cook (http://bit.ly/g6GM74), to R&D, down to manufacturing and then delivered out to the world through marketing, sales and customer support, every slice of the company’s operation must not only believe in Jobs’ vision but deliver on it. A daunting task.

Advertising can promise anything, but a brand’s ultimate success goes deeper to the core – its people must live and deliver on the brand every day. Has Jobs’ vision for the Apple brand been solidly ingrained all the way down to its core? If the answer is yes, then the fruits of his labor will flourish on, whatever Jobs' future holds. Only time will tell. 

Juri Tults