Apple’s Polishing Cloth is All About Branding and Perception

The company’s $19 cleaning cloth is much more than just an overpriced accessory, it is about re-enforcing its status in the minds of its customers

Do you remember when Lady Gaga first rose to prominence? In her lead single that skyrocketed her popularity, “Just Dance”, we are presented with a dance-ready track with an artist with extravagant makeup and outfits. What many people often forget about her is that she learned to play piano at age 4 and was engrossed in the creative arts throughout her whole life. But what got her popular was the sex appeal, the danceability, and in a certain way the shock value.

Shock value gets people talking, more than quiet excellence every will. Generally speaking, people like to have something to talk about. This is why shock value can be so valuable. This is why I always thought that HTC’s tagline of “Quietly Brilliant” was a kind of setup for failure. A company that has been able to tiptoe the line of shock value and excellent innovation masterfully has been Apple. For every innovative and category-shifting product, there is a release of a product that makes people scratch their heads as to why it exists. For every new MacBook Pro, there are the $700 wheels for the Mac Pro for instance. And now Apple has released another overpriced product that has caused the conversation to erupt…