A Brand Can Make You A Warrior!

It wasn't that long ago when I was one of the geeks standing in line at the Apple Store the day the iPad was first released. I arrived at 7:40a ... I waited till 11a ... I was 25th in line... I was 4 away from getting my hands on one ... and then ... "Sorry, folks - we're all out today." Seems those iPads on reserve had until 3p to be picked up by their loving pre-ordering, early adopters! I was crushed! Until one helpful gentleman walked up and down the line whispering, "They have them at Best Buy!" (Frankly, I think he worked at Best Buy!)

OMG! It was a mad dash by everyone on the line. We each literally ran to our respective cars to get to Best Buy before they ran out; sometimes racing each other the six miles on the I-15 to get from Apple to Best Buy! When I got inside, the guy behind me said, "Nice race! I got stuck at the light you about blew through, or I'd have beat you!" I walked up to customer service, and without even asking for anything she said, "Which do you want? We only have 32 and 64 gig left." "32 gig, please," I responded hopefully! "You're lucky," she answered, "only two left!" I thought to myself, "Well, that's okay ... I would have happily spent an additional hundred dollars on the 64gig if the 32's were gone!"

Ah! I was in heaven as I plopped down my $641 and walked out the door - the prize in my bag! I was indeed a WARRIOR! I had the kill in hand; I had defeated others who wanted what I and few others had! But wait ... I already have the iPhone. Why did I want this new larger device that did pretty much the same thing? I remember driving home wondering what compromising photos of me Steve Jobs must have had in order to keep me riveted to any new product he releases? It seems the man and his cohorts could simply sneeze on their hands and someone will be waiting to buy it; as long as they can have it first!

Fast forward to less than a year later when the iPad 2 came out. I was in Vegas with my fiancé (now my wife) and we spent a romantic weekend (or at least a day of the weekend) looking for a store that had the new iPad 2. Remember ... I already had the iPad! We did indeed find one at the Apple store in Las Vegas at the mall, right on the strip. Insane, right? Well no. I was going to give the original iPad to someone in my office ... and I did! I was able to rationalize it all away in a sea of "must-have!"

With too many reasons to even begin listin ... I only know one thing! This is the kind of branding that makes Apple one of the biggest, most iconic brands in the world! Unique and a must-have! We will fight to the end as warriors just to have the prize offered! Microsoft has launched their entire TV campaign making fun of Samsung Galaxy and Apple iPhone warriors, literally fighting in the commercial over which is better, while two people with the Windows Nokia phone stand and take pictures of it all on their Windows 8 phone. Being a brand warrior has become not only marketable -- but quite humorous. I have seen Samsung and Apple ads that make me laugh so hard it hurts!

A brand is a promise based on a relationship which is wrapped in an experience! So, what is your promise to your consumers, and with whom are you building the relationship that will create such an addictive experience? Apple has it figured out! Have you?

For the record, I do indeed have an iPhone 5 ... however, I was at AT&T waiting on release day for the Galaxy S4 because I "had to" find out what the big hoopla was all about. (Okay, I admit it ... it is indeed, pretty cool.)