There has been a spontaneos outpouring of grief that has overwhelmed both the real and the cyber world alike.No one seemed to have gotten enough of being shocked at this untimely death. Since Princess Di’s death the world has not been united in a global outpouring of grief.Its unlikely that any of the CEOs of Steve’s generation will be able to achieve even half as much adulation as he has.
I have been following Jobs for ten years almost. I remember, that the first time I saw his picture in a newspaper I found him then, as I always have as particularly handsome.But good looks and a sharp wit are not uncommon traits. He was different. He was a man who created a reality distortion and made consumers pay often unjustified premium for his products,that too religiously. Curious isn’t it?
The phenomenon called Jobs is hard to explain. A classic example of a HBR HR case and is bound to be quoted for years to come. People have speculated on Apple’s shares and the state of the company post Jobs. Some have argued that it would be irrational for markets to react to Jobs’ death. After all , the fundamentals remain the same, dont they? Jobs has luckily, chosen a good moment to leave the company when it seems to be at its strongest. There is time to re-organize.I doubt if Apple will ever be the same without Jobs.I remember reading a HBR article on how successful CEOs have been able to turn companies around while similar ones with less able leadership sank.If that article is half true,boy Apple is in a spot of bother.
The phenomenon has been confounding. No where else in recent history would you see the consumers strongly associating a brand with its founder.It has been a careful construction from Jobs’ part. People often credit Jobs for being a visionary ,perhaps he was but most definitely he was the biggest marketer of our times. Jobs had once been thrown out and would have never wanted that to repeat.The best way to ensure that would be to tie yourself irreversibly with the fortunes of the company and vice versa. Hence he identified a latent talent, often positioned himself and Apple as an iconoclast or maverick. Thus, while Apple was advertised to be different ,Steve often projected himself as maverick.His famous quote being Why be a navy officer when you can be a pirate?
The products were predominantly in one colour-white and they were associated with one letter i. It’s a repeated construction in the consumers’ mind of something special and unique. It was reinforced every time the pattern repeated. Curiously Jobs would wear Black in all his product introductions and would appear dressed similarly year on year. It only helped that he made some really cool products and was himself gifted with extra ordinary charisma and showmanship.Jobs also closely guarded his personal space much like the products he launched.Now,it seems that he has been struggling for the past couple of years.Jobs and Apple had consciously mirrored each other,leveraging their spaces manifold.So,every time you picked an Apple product you unconsciously associated with Jobs.R.I.P
Steven Paul Jobs- the man who gave a new pride to ‘i’
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