Here’s a little game. How many fruit, veg, or other kitchen perishables can you think of that have associations with your favourite brands?
Apple is an obvious one, and if you’re old enough to remember, Apricot Computers too. Java is in your PC- but also in your coffee. Then there’s Orange – good for your vitamin C but also for a 3G signal.
How about that unforgettable accessory for the Canary Wharf commuter? The RIM BlackBerry? Great if you prefer your keyboard to be real and not touch-screen – but also still available in the groceries department in your local supermarket.
It seems that consumer electronics companies know a good marketing trick when they see one. If we associate a product with something that smells, tastes or makes us feel good, then we’re less likely to see the item as bland or just like its competitors, no matter how grey the plastic!
There must be many more marketing ideas though, that fell by the wayside. Somewhere in Silicon Valley lies the undeveloped prototype for the Potato, a video phone that kept getting fried. And perhaps there’s a set-top decoder called the Egg whose signals kept getting scrambled.
But in the crazy cross-over between R&D and marketing, there’s bound to be the odd casualty or two.
Apples and Tablets