The Brand Marketing Bible2024: Apple and UNIQLO Case Studies in Turning Customers into Fans

"The strongest and most enduring brands are built from the hearts of consumers." Recently, Apple's head-mounted smart glasses, Vision Pro, have captured the attention of tech enthusiasts, with engineers in California even insisting on wearing them at their weddings. Apple fans adore every product, as Apple has deeply integrated into their lives. Did you also watch the marketing video for the iPhone 15, launched last year? Through a series of birthday greeting videos, Apple used profound storytelling to illustrate the connection between the iPhone and the users' lives, with fans eagerly awaiting the arrival of the iPhone 16 series. In the fashion industry, UNIQLO has similarly excelled in turning customers into fans. In this instance, the brand collaborated with fashion designer Clare Waight Keller. Are you a fan or just a customer?

Data shows that the influence of fans is not just two to three times that of regular customers but up to a hundred times greater. So, how can you make customers not just like your brand but fall in love with it? Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz emphasized: "The most powerful and enduring brands are built from the consumer's heart." How can you reach the consumer's heart? There are many creative marketing strategies, but the most classic is storytelling. Storytelling does not sell a product; what is storytelling marketing? Renowned global marketing guru Seth Godin said: "Marketing is no longer just about what you make, but about the stories you tell."

"When advertising and product quality are unified, traffic converts instantly." The best advertisements don't look like advertisements; the best marketing doesn't feel like a sales pitch!

In the hearts of many consumers, the iPhone is synonymous with Apple and represents a fashion icon in the tech world. Apple is a leader in storytelling marketing, which has become a crucial element in its product launches. The iPhone 16 is expected to debut in September this year, and although the release date is not yet set, plenty of related information has already begun spreading online. Prior to this, at the iPhone 15 launch event on September 12, 2023, Apple introduced a touching 4-minute film titled "Another Birthday."

Tim once mentioned that the company receives letters from consumers saying they were notified of irregular heartbeats by their Apple Watches. At the iPhone 15 launch event, Apple kicked off with a four-minute film called "Another Birthday," which tells the stories of eight people, including a mother and her unborn daughter, who celebrated another birthday thanks to a feature on their Apple devices that saved their lives. The film highlighted the life-saving capabilities of the iPhone and underscored Apple’s commitment to enriching people’s lives.

Indeed, Apple’s advertisements and marketing campaigns are always story-centric, often paired with music or a straightforward narrative. They avoid excessive dialogue and seldom discuss price or product quality, allowing the product itself to tell the story.

Dubbed a "revolutionary spatial computing device" by Apple, the launch of the new Apple Vision Pro head-mounted device has not only changed the lives of everyday consumers but also the lives of marketing and business professionals. Apple enthusiasts, including an engineer in California who insisted on wearing it at his wedding, love this tech-creating company. Numerous influencers and live streamers have unboxed the Apple Vision Pro, unveiling it to a large following of loyal fans.

Advertising professionals are also exploring the arrival of Apple Vision Pro from a business perspective, discussing how it will drive the overall adoption of VR and AR. The features of Apple Vision Pro, ranging from spatial experiences, high-resolution displays, presentation of sports and entertainment content, personalized preference data algorithms to games, learning, and interactive content, not only greatly enhance the user experience but also open up new realms for marketers. Taylor Kurtz from UNMiss Consulting believes that Apple's latest product could potentially forever change the marketing landscape: "The Apple Vision Pro represents a paradigm shift in how we interact with digital content."

A HubSpot report also indicates that 14% of marketers are currently using AR/VR as part of their marketing strategy, with 49% planning to increase their investment in 2024. Although the Vision Pro is still too expensive for most consumers, the AR/VR devices market, driven by Vision Pro, is also expected to grow by 44% in shipments in 2024, significantly contributing to this surge.

In the realm of fashion, Uniqlo demonstrates a knack for turning customers into fans by combining a human touch with its products in marketing. Even in the face of digital tech dominance, Uniqlo manages to capture the hearts of a vast customer base.

Consistently collaborating with top-tier designers such as Alexander Wang, Jil Sander, Christophe Lemaire, and JW Anderson, Uniqlo elevates its LifeWear concept with a touch of high-end fashion, creating numerous uniquely styled collaborative collections. In spring 2024, Uniqlo released a collaboration with Clare Waight Keller, the former designer for Chloé.

"I draw inspiration from people on the streets, as they are highly relatable to me. I belong to this community," Clare Waight Keller described her approach to this brand collaboration. "I hope this collection resonates with people's daily lives and becomes effortlessly wearable pieces in their wardrobes." Renowned British designer Clare Waight Keller crafts your modern wardrobe, but how does she slow down the rush to physical and online stores?

The world's longest-running street art project, the Redball Project, has just departed from Tainan, prompting memories of the whirlwind caused by the yellow rubber duck stationed in Kaohsiung Harbor in February, as well as Kaws' installation art event "Waiting" at Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in 2020. Leveraging the fan influence brought by contemporary installation art, the Kaws X Uniqlo collaboration t-shirts have also sparked a frenzy among fans, successfully transforming customers into fans.

Consumers' hearts are always elusive, and customers often demand more creativity from you. Let L'AiR, the digital marketing platform, help you with more creative brand marketing! From themed events, business exhibitions, personal creations to online exhibitions, from B2C to B2B, in the digital age, you should use effective tools more smartly!

L'AiR offers free creation of 3D immersive virtual exhibition spaces, providing a seamless experience that allows people to browse the online world. Start using immediately through registration with over 100 immersive scenes to tell your brand story. With a visual interface, editing becomes simple, efficient, and fast.

Starting from the heart, guiding people to deeply experience the brand's unique style, and turning customers into fans.

Offering valuable stories to customers, allowing them to create more of their own stories, is when storytelling marketing truly succeeds. Because customers are no longer just customers; they become loyal fans. Whether it's a profound video content lasting a few seconds or wearing a masterpiece by a master designer, smart brands sell more than just products—they create beautiful moments of emotional connection with their customers.