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Scale changes as population grows and usage deepens. At "Apple scale"? You can make that case, sure. But the first? IBM was a cult to it's customers back in t

Scale changes as population grows and usage deepens. At "Apple scale"? You can make that case, sure. But the first? IBM was a cult to it's customers back in the day "Nobody ever got fired for buying IBM", etc. Other earlier brands had their dedicated followers.

GaelFG 2y ago
Funny, I always thought that phrase was ironic and actually a joke against IBM bad quality/pricing ratio but abundant and aggressive marketing targeted at non technical managers. ( I actually have no idea of IBM quality/pricing ratio, I don't work on fields in wich they are present)
- defrost 2y ago
  I dare say it became ironic .. but I lived through the zenith of IBM in business sales and they had a cult following with many and a solid stranglehold on federal, state, and local Governments (and various corporate sectors) in a great many countries. That lessened with the rise of PC's in the office and the spread of non-IBM PC clones. It's a dim memory today and has been for three decades and more.
  - ghaff 2y ago
    And yet the company has been doing pretty well. Just because they're almost unknown in the startup world doesn't mean they aren't a major computer industry player.
- ghaff 2y ago
  IBM was more known as a sales-oriented company rather than marketing. Although, of course, they spent (and spend) a lot on marketing/advertising as well. IBM 2024 revenues were >$62B.
dbspin 2y ago
That was B2B - it was a golf course brag for executives. Customers camping outside Apple stores was something different. That's personal identity defined by not merely consumption, but parasocial relationship to a brand.
- defrost 2y ago
  > Scale changes as population grows and usage deepens. ^ IBM was the brand in a time when no computing products existed for the Man on the Clapham omnibus. Earlier examples of consumers having a parasocial relationship with a branded identity exist, just not particularly in the computing tech field. Dresses, artworks, perfumes, performers have famously had cult like followings in times past - Lisztomania had fans camping out for a glimpse and prime seats.
- fmbb 2y ago
  Isn’t that just because apple was the first computer brand people liked? Surely there were other product launches people queued for before? People queue for films and sneakers and consoles and graphics cards and cars. I’m sure freaks queue for CPU architecture launches.
- fingerlocks 2y ago
  Apple isn’t unique. There’s all sorts of products like that. Concert tickets, sports events, recreation permits, and especially video game stuff. People camped out when the Nvidia RTX 30xx series launched a few years back. There was a massive line of people, a real wtf moment. That’s just a graphics card.
  - dbspin 2y ago
    Video games are a good counter example. The others you've listed are fandom specific which is distinct from having a relationship with a brand per say. I hadn't heard about camping for the 30 series, thats nuts.
  - crtasm 2y ago
    Event tickets don't feel comparable - the new Apple gadget will be on shelves ongoingly but tt might be a very long wait to see your favourite band play again.
- JKCalhoun 2y ago
  I'm reminded of teenagers chasing the Beatles from their limos to the hotel entrance. "Customers"? "Brand"?
scyzoryk_xyz 2y ago
The East India Trading Company definitely had that brand loyalty
- defrost 2y ago
  More instilled than earned. Not a cult you could easily break from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blowing_from_a_gun https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blowing_from_a_gun
ghaff 2y ago
HP was pretty iconic as well but aside from calculators and printers, much more about B2B as well.

GaelFG 2y ago

Funny, I always thought that phrase was ironic and actually a joke against IBM bad quality/pricing ratio but abundant and aggressive marketing targeted at non technical managers. ( I actually have no idea of IBM quality/pricing ratio, I don't work on fields in wich they are present)

defrost 2y ago
I dare say it became ironic .. but I lived through the zenith of IBM in business sales and they had a cult following with many and a solid stranglehold on federal, state, and local Governments (and various corporate sectors) in a great many countries. That lessened with the rise of PC's in the office and the spread of non-IBM PC clones. It's a dim memory today and has been for three decades and more.
- ghaff 2y ago
  And yet the company has been doing pretty well. Just because they're almost unknown in the startup world doesn't mean they aren't a major computer industry player.
ghaff 2y ago
IBM was more known as a sales-oriented company rather than marketing. Although, of course, they spent (and spend) a lot on marketing/advertising as well. IBM 2024 revenues were >$62B.

dbspin 2y ago

That was B2B - it was a golf course brag for executives. Customers camping outside Apple stores was something different. That's personal identity defined by not merely consumption, but parasocial relationship to a brand.

defrost 2y ago
> Scale changes as population grows and usage deepens. ^ IBM was the brand in a time when no computing products existed for the Man on the Clapham omnibus. Earlier examples of consumers having a parasocial relationship with a branded identity exist, just not particularly in the computing tech field. Dresses, artworks, perfumes, performers have famously had cult like followings in times past - Lisztomania had fans camping out for a glimpse and prime seats.
fmbb 2y ago
Isn’t that just because apple was the first computer brand people liked? Surely there were other product launches people queued for before? People queue for films and sneakers and consoles and graphics cards and cars. I’m sure freaks queue for CPU architecture launches.
fingerlocks 2y ago
Apple isn’t unique. There’s all sorts of products like that. Concert tickets, sports events, recreation permits, and especially video game stuff. People camped out when the Nvidia RTX 30xx series launched a few years back. There was a massive line of people, a real wtf moment. That’s just a graphics card.
- dbspin 2y ago
  Video games are a good counter example. The others you've listed are fandom specific which is distinct from having a relationship with a brand per say. I hadn't heard about camping for the 30 series, thats nuts.
- crtasm 2y ago
  Event tickets don't feel comparable - the new Apple gadget will be on shelves ongoingly but tt might be a very long wait to see your favourite band play again.
JKCalhoun 2y ago
I'm reminded of teenagers chasing the Beatles from their limos to the hotel entrance. "Customers"? "Brand"?

scyzoryk_xyz 2y ago

The East India Trading Company definitely had that brand loyalty

defrost 2y ago
More instilled than earned. Not a cult you could easily break from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blowing_from_a_gun https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blowing_from_a_gun

ghaff 2y ago

HP was pretty iconic as well but aside from calculators and printers, much more about B2B as well.