The white badge of coolness might be hard to beat
When I was a kid, Bass Weejuns were a “badge brand.” When you walked around school wearing these shoes, you were authentically cool. Kids whose moms pressured them into accepting another brand — similar in look, but definitely not the original — could still be in therapy for all I know. Okay, an overstatement, but here’s my point. In brand categories where brand authenticity makes you part of a cool community, there can only be one winner. In the case of music-to-go, it’s iPod. Not Zune.
Don’t get me wrong. The new Microsoft Zune is a great product. It’s got all the required bells and whistles – and then some. It lets you listen to FM radio, gives you wireless access, and lets you share music. The latter being a bell or whistle the company hopes will lead to social networking platform unavailable with the iPod. The thing is that iPod users don’t want or need a social networking platform. They’re already part of an in crowd, white earbuds and all.
From a pure brand perspective, Zune is going to have an uphill battle if it thinks it can beat iPod. The product’s features and benefits just aren’t different enough or relevant enough to win on a rational basis. Wireless is nice, but people have phones and computers for that. From a branding perspective, Zune is going to have an even tougher time. Actually, it’s going to be like a climb up Everest in Bass Weejuns. The iPod is as hip as hip gets, from its design and functionality to its status as a “badge brand.”
I wish Zune well. Microsoft is a terrific company, but when it comes to being too cool for school (even if your school days are long past), my bet is that iPod will remain on top. It’s an original.