What Color Is Apple?

The company's later "Think Different" commercials included images of Gandhi and John Lennon.

Its current Mac vs. PC ads have a laid-back hipster representing the Mac, while a conservative-looking schmo portrays the PC.

To be sure, every company positions its products with an eye to the bottom line, and its branding usually is designed to tug on emotional strings. Apple is hardly alone in co-opting symbols that have a visceral impact.

Still, the strategy is not without risks. Several years ago, for instance, one cellular provider provoked a firestorm of criticism for using Martin Luther King Jr.'s image in a commercial, and the company subsequently yanked the spot.

Once a company starts to paint itself a particular political hue, it's fair to take a deeper look at whether its actions match its public persona.

"It's easy to see why Apple would want to identify with 'blue' issues," David Johnson, CEO of the political consultancy Strategic Vision, told MacNewsWorld. "Its user base is on the West Coast, which predominately leans liberal, and larger urban areas."

This, then is the question: How liberal is Apple -- really?

The Politics of Fence-Straddling

Apparently, Apple plays both sides of the aisle.

"Apple has donated to [U.S. Sen. Jim] Inhofe's campaign, for instance," said Johnson, noting that the Oklahoma Republican is a skeptic in the debate over global warming.

It's important for Apple to maintain friends in Congress, he pointed out, as there are several long-standing pending issues important to the company. These include antitrust regulations that would affect the computer industry, as well as generic business issues, such as tax breaks for capital equipment.

"How legislation is written can have a tremendous impact on any one industry or company," Johnson pointed out. "Apple is not stupid."

Apple may seem democratic by shaking the establishment, encouraging creativity, questioning authority and championing the rights of the little guy -- but its products are not priced for the masses, noted Robb Hecht, digital managing director at IMC Strategy Lab.

Its customers are likely to be relatively well-heeled.

"Mac equipment is expensive -- perhaps more expensive than PC equipment generally," Hecht told MacNewsWorld. "Though Apple advertising may appear to bend left socially, fiscally Apple is actually more Republican -- its customers are perhaps more well off."

A Question of Passion?

Not that Apple is claiming -- or perhaps would even welcome -- being pigeon-holed as the computer of choice of any one political party. Rather, the note the company has tried to strike -- so far, quite successfully -- is one of passion and a commitment to social justice.

Apple is like Ben & Jerry's -- especially when it's stacked up against Häagen-Dazs, said Eric Kuhn of Kuhn & Consultants, a new media consulting firm.

Ben & Jerry's "is an outside-of-the-box ice cream," Kuhn told MacNewsWorld. "Häagen-Dazs makes good ice cream -- just like PCs are solid computers. But Ben & Jerry's took something simple and made it extraordinary. It has always had a social mission, and through [the company's] foundation continues to not only be a company, but a community organization that believes in not bland solutions, but extraordinary messages of hope. It wants to be a place where good can happen."

In fact, in terms of party affiliation, Apple would definitely fall in the category of independent, Petri Darby of darbyDarnit Public Relations told MacNewsWorld. "IBM would be a Republican, and Dell (Nasdaq: DELL) would be a Democrat. They both have large market share, but no one loves them."

Beautifully Designed and Innovative

What can be confusing is that the processes of building a political brand and a corporate brand are very similar, Darby explained. "They both hinge on a unique and compelling narrative that resonates on a personal, visceral level within key audiences or constituencies. Often, such efforts employ a juxtaposition of one brand versus another using comparisons and contrasts, as Apple has done for so many years."

Apple has brand fanatics and marketplace ambassadors, he continued. "Yes, it has its critics, and sometimes that criticism is deserved -- but for the most part, the company consistently delivers on its promises of beautifully designed products that are user-friendly. The company's community culture, carefully crafted retail environment and its iconic advertising all help further a very personal brand identity."

If there is a credible middle ground in this ideological exercise, it is Apple's concentration on being the computing platform of choice for those who don't want to conform to existing performance standards, said Louis Columbus, an analyst with Cincom.

If the company bends to the left, he said, it is because it underscores individuality, ingenuity and non-conformity by excelling beyond expectations.

"Given the rough turbulence the economy is going through right now, people want more than ever before to believe two things," Columbus told MacNewsWorld. "First, they want to believe they have the strength, ingenuity and work ethic to overcome these challenges. Second, they want to believe the overall economy will improve and there will be hope again."

In this current environment, he concluded, Apple's brand alignment with the nonconformist -- the individual with creativity and ingenuity -- resonates more than ever.