Consumer Love for Apple Helps It Weather Bendgate-Style Controversies

Ken Segall, the agency creative director that named the iMac and wrote 'Insanely Simple: The Obsession That Drives Apple's Success', offers some thoughts on how Apple is able to weather negative publicity, be it valid or not.

If you’re familiar with this blog, you’ve probably heard me talk about the importance Steve Jobs placed on getting customers to love Apple. He wanted every part of the customer experience to strengthen that love — from the advertising and in-store experience to unboxing, enjoying the product and getting support when needed. By doing so, he would ensure that customers would (a) buy more stuff, (b) evangelize to others and (c) stick with Apple when unforeseen problems arise. He understood that such things were inevitable, even for a company like Apple.

Segall notes that this strategy has helped Apple weather controversies in the past including Antennagate and Mapsgate. The company's resilience isn't a fluke, rather he says it's a wide-ranging effort that has gone on for at least 15 years.


While Bendgate could have caused incalculable damage to another company, it's unlikely that Apple will suffer meaningful losses, says Segall. It's built-in defense system, the love of its customers, ensures that that despite millions of views, the story will do virtually no long-term damage.

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