Saturday, December 11, 2010

Image Shift


No, that's not me enthusiastically throwing my thumbs up. It's Benjamin Curtis, and, if he seems familiar, that's because he was the spokesperson, the poster boy, for Dell Computers from 2000 to 2003. I could talk about his marijuana arrest, but what I would prefer to talk about is the concept of a changing image. Much like him, the company he represented has witnessed their image shift, and, in neither case, was it in a positive manner. Benjamin Curtis used to be viewed as an eccentric television personality, but, nowadays, any mention of his identity is bound to bring up nothing but the controversy of his endeavors as a funky little stoner. Similarly, Dell has had to spend the last few years suffering their own sizable share of bad press and a decline in their power. Please note, however, that any information that follows is from personal experience and exposure, at the mainstream level, and that it does not reflect a level of research in brand or commercial prominence. That does, arguably, put it from the perspective of the common consumer, and I don't think its exploration could hurt. So, on it goes.

Though a verbal attempt might prove more successful, I'll attempt to iterate my thoughts textually. What I've been noticing is that while it used to be "Dude, you're getting a Dell!!!", in the past few years, "Dude, you're getting a Dell?!?" would be a more common assessment of public perception. If an explanation of that last observation might help, I'm trying to articulate that getting a Dell used to be viewed in a much more positive light than it is seen nowadays. It hasn't just lost steam. The ownership of their products has almost accepted a negative connotation, and this all relates back to my previous post on branding.

Part of it has to do with sub par computing performance and style, but, much as I detailed yesterday, proliferation of a brand and image is crucial to economic success. Not everyone can be an expert on everything, and, as such, we choose to attach a high level of importance to the opinions of those we trust. We look to experts for support and guidance. A lot of it, however, doesn't come down to boiling down numbers. Most of our decisions seem to come from social image. Though, in a sense, it speaks to our vanity, we, as consumers, want to have the best and coolest possessions. Some of it is due to our felt need and the actual utility of the item, but some of it comes from what we imagine others will think of us. Every little bit, but especially a large and personal purchase like a computer, speaks to our style, and we want to feel some sense of certainty in having a suitable product in our hands. Since, once again, we may not consider ourselves experts, we turn outward for guidance. Sometimes, we look at numbers, but, mainly, we look for what the experts are saying. I'm not talking about experts on the item. We usually attach the most importance to those we regard as peers or those we look up to. We turn to our friends and to the media. Usually, that means turning to the TV and other forms of press, and that's where the power of image comes into play.

Apple, on one hand, is ruthless in both its quest for design and its lack of modesty. It has no fear of pushing other companies down and publicly calling out their flaws. Dell, on the other hand, spends most of its money making up ground. It's playing a catch up game, almost as if trying to apologize for lack of performance and prove itself once again. Due to both Apple's larger marketing budge and this difference in their tactics, we have seen Apple rise in market power and in the public eye while watching Dell sink into the shadows. Sure, Dell is still there, but anyone in the field of aesthetics and design or most people simply conscious of public image tend to speak more highly and more proudly of Apple. I, for one, am a supporter of Dell and have had success with their products, but, nevertheless, that's the breaks.

That's the power of marketing and its proven every day. It can often be used in an advantageous manner, much as with Apple, but it can also have a negative connotation, as with Dell. It sometimes hurts to say it, but we live in a media age of public perception, and it's all a race to keep a positive connotation to our brand. We try to reap its bounty, but we attempt to avoid its wrath. I'm talking about the raw power of an image shift.

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