Traditional vs. New Media Case Study

The Apple logo is one of the most famous in the world, decorating laptops and cars and becoming a symbol of modernity and sophistication worldwide. The Apple Corporation uses both traditional media like stickers, printed ads, billboards and television commercials as well as new media like online videos and the company’s products themselves. Apple constructs not only an image but also a lifestyle of simplicity and innovation to be taken on by its consumers. The company’s style remains consistent across all forms of media, such as the clean, white background of its advertisements and constant focus on its user-friendly products, thus making them seem connected to their customers. In print ads especially the products being advertised do not even have to be shown. As Apple has grown tremendously over the years they have built up the credibility to sell their identity alone. Those who use one Apple product tend to stick to the brand for other forms of technology, thus creating a “community” of Apple users that are loyal to their brand. Founder Steve Jobs stated, “For Apple it is not about the money. It is about the people you have, how you are led, and how much you get it” (2008). However, we all know it is always about the money and by “leading” people to believe that they are joining an elite group of Apple users frequent customers consistently pay outrageous prices to stay faithful to their iPhone, Mac, iPad etc. An Apple sticker itself makes the consumer a walking advertisement and can be placed anywhere. Television commercials such as the Switch advertising campaign in the early 2000’s featured “real” Apple users who had switched from Microsoft to Mac. The print and television campaign do not mention the benefits of Apple products nor do they include the name Apple at all except as part of the website. Instead, they show just the famous symbol and then direct their audience to thei website where they dispel negative rumors about their products. Thus, the audience is drawn in with old media (television) and led to new media (Internet).  By directly comparing their product to competitors across multiple forms of media Apple builds their credibility and makes price no longer the main concern for the user. I can say myself that after graduating high school I asked my parents for a Macbook Pro, not because I thought it would fulfill my technological needs in college, but because having a Mac was the “cool” thing to do and put out a modern, edgy, and sophisticated aura. Apple not only uses traditional and modern forms of media, but it creates the outlets through which to consume its advertisements. Suddenly, iPhone apps can take the place of old media like books, magazines, and CDs. A phone isn’t just a phone. It’s an iPhone; and a laptop isn’t just a laptop, it’s a Mac. There are few if any companies that construct such a powerful corporate image that they can sell their identity before even promoting their product.

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