Why We Keep Tuning in to the Apple Keynote

My name is Brandon Sumpter, and I want to talk about Apple. More specifically, the recent Apple event and how it never fails to draw attention. Millions of people around the world tune in every year to the Apple Keynote (myself included). While the average viewer this year might not have been blown away by the announced updates, I’d like to praise Apple for the very intentional way they orchestrate and present these events. They do so in such a way that keeps everyone coming back for more year after year. 

They use a “secret formula” that keeps the audience engaged. The first ingredient is video. They open with a video to introduce the theme for the rest of the event. The purpose of this opening video isn’t to highlight a new product. In fact, this year’s opening video had little to no Apple products in sight. Instead, the video is used to get the audience excited, and set the stage for what’s to come. 

Apple also uses videos, later on and throughout the event, to tell stories and build suspense right before revealing a new product. This is no surprise, but 79% of consumers would rather watch a video on a product than reading text on a page. Apple knows this, so they pair these videos with short phrases and keywords to push the message they want surrounding the new line of products. 

Next up is the iconic “Good Morning!” from Tim Cook. I don’t consider this an ingredient to the formula, but I appreciate the consistency. The happy greeting does lead into the next step which is reminding the viewers and audience of the positive impact Apple has had on everyone’s life. You can bet whatever is said in those first few seconds, it’s a proud and/or positive message. Tim touched on how proud they were to call California home this year. They’ve also opened by mentioning how Apple keeps people connected. Opening with a confident and proud statement or positive words gives the audience a good dopamine boost. It reminds them that they played a part in the accomplishments of Apple when purchasing its products. 

The ingredient I’d like us to shift our focus now is exaggeration. These keynotes are filled with superlatives. They don’t just sprinkle them in either. Apple uses consistent repetition of these exaggerated superlatives to more or less brainwash the audience to believe in what’s being said about these products. Each presenter will use words like “groundbreaking”, “redefine”, and “most [blank] [blank] we’ve ever created”. If you hear that enough times, you leave the event believing it. 

This leads us to the next point, which is delivery. Tim Cook and the other presenters are incredibly skilled at delivering this message in a simple and conversational way. They make you feel as though the entire event was put on for you to personally enjoy. They also don’t waste time diving deep into numbers the average person wouldn’t understand. They keep the message clear and simple, while adding just enough verbiage to sound impressive. 

These presenters also set the foundation for your opinion to be exactly what they want it to be. Often before you’re even aware of what’s being shared. How many times have you heard the phrase, “We know you’re going to love…”, or, “ You are going to be amazed with…” during an Apple keynote? About every 5 minutes and peppered throughout the announcement of a new or upgraded feature. They pair this encouraged opinion with bold statements to excite you for what’s coming. 

All of these strategies create the perfect storm of show and tell. Apple tells a story during these events that sells the idea that “this round of product announcements is the most groundbreaking announcement of the year”. While the changes to the products themselves may be minor at best, Apple is able to make you feel that the new iPhone is leaps and bounds ahead of any phone before it. This creates huge anticipation for the upcoming product line, thus making the keynote an instrumental part of the sale for these products. 

We can all learn from these strategies and in some cases, use it as a foundation to build a new formula that fits your brand. Yes, it’s nearly impossible to replicate the way Apple does this in scale, but the key components are within reach for even the smallest companies. Creative content is at the core of it all in my opinion. You’re probably not going to hold an annual event for your product line, but there are other ways to use these core elements. 

Apple is part of the 60% of businesses that use video as a marketing tool. That’s because video can share a message that is easier to sit through and retain for the average person. But it doesn’t end there. People tend to spend 88% more time on websites that have videos. More time on the website equates to more interest in your business. It also means higher page authority and probability of that interest turning into a sale!