Table of Contents
- 1 California Dreams: Aurelio and the American dream
- 2 The comparison between the two realities
- 3 The ability to involve your users
- 4 Marketing and sports results
- 5 How did the imagery and themes in the Apple 1984 commercial resonate with audiences at the time, and do they still hold relevance today?
California Dreams: Aurelio and the American dream
Aurelio De Laurentiis – President of SSC Napoli and co-founder and President of Filmauro – in May 2014 he created a working group in Los Angeles, California aimed at the development and production of TV series intended for streaming platforms such as Netflix, Paramount+ and so on…
In an interview with La Repubblica, on 05/12/2023, when asked by Director Maurizio Molinari: “To the American experience, to America, how much does it owe?”De Laurentiis responds with a phrase that makes you smile but leaves you thinking: “America is a beautiful woman, if you manage to make love with her you are rewarded, if you don’t… you will be defeated! (ride, ndr)”.
Listening to this interview again, I began to reflect on the real possibility of comparing the man De Laurentiis and his Napoli to the American world – to which he is particularly attached – and to the ambitious ideas that are often contained in US business philosophies.
The comparison between the two realities
SSC Napoli ed Apple Inc.despite operating in two completely different fields, have some elements that they have in common but there are also some substantial differences. This offers very interesting ideas, with the necessary proportions let’s try to make some similarities.
Apple Inc.needless to say, is a technology giant, is based in the United States (Silicon Valley, Cupertino, California) and produces most of the technological devices that each of us uses every day (400 billion dollars global turnover expected for 2024 ).
The SSC Napoliwhich for the first time this year moved to 17th place in the Brand Finance ranking, is an Italian company that operates in the football sector and both combine brand identity and passion.
Both companies are a guarantee of excellence in their respective sectors, two iconic brands always seeking innovation.
Napoli, with the twenty-year management of Aurelio De Laurentiis which began on 10 September 2004, has always tried to innovate both from the point of view of the managerial management of the club and from a purely sporting point of view, engaging in player trading and the self-production of uniforms a corporate must. Starting this year, the Neapolitan club has started a new project with OneFootball – a German company that operates in the football media sector which deals with news, statistics and distribution of video content across the globe – through which it has the objective to reach more and more fans worldwide.
Apple, on the other hand, has revolutionized the world of electronics since its debut in 1976 – the release of the first Apple I personal computer – with an innovative approach and over time providing its products with an advanced and elegant design. Over time it has transformed the way in which man, at any age, interacts with technology by stimulating the famous “Wow effect!”.
The ability to involve your users
The involvement of the supporters of Napoli and users Apple it is a real cultural phenomenon. The two fan bases nourish a sense of belonging and such a passion that they generate long queues both to purchase the new iPhone on Day One and to enter the stadium to watch the big match on Sunday or the midweek round of the Italian Cup.
It’s extraordinary how two companies so far apart are actually so close from the point of view marketing and of communication.
Apple has built incredible successes thanks to its impeccable marketing and the ability to always create anticipation around the launch of each of its products. It’s impossible not to remember the commercial called 1984 – directed by the young director Ridley Scott – through which they advertise the release of the new Macintosh on January 22, 1984.
This commercial will be remembered as one of the most influential in history, it was broadcast only once nationally, generating incredible hype, during an advertising break of the eighteenth edition of the Superbowl which was watched on TV by 77 million viewers.
Anya Major – Spot Apple 1984
– The advert features a dark setting and a line of people marching robot-style and then sitting down in a large room where they seem hypnotized to watch a very large screen reproducing dictatorial propaganda, while a woman (the athlete and model Anya Major) who wears brightly colored sports clothes and has a shirt with a stylized silhouette representing the Macintosh on it, runs behind them brandishing a hammer chased by helmeted guards. Before they can stop her, she throws the hammer at the giant screen and causes an explosion that awakens people from hypnosis while the narrator says: Apple Computer will introduce the Macintosh on January 24th. And you’ll see why 1984 won’t be like “1984” –
Link al video:
What makes the message even more powerful is the fact that there is no physical product to focus your attention on. This aroused enormous curiosity among spectators who absolutely wanted to know what the Macintosh was! With this commercial, Apple established itself as a creative alternative to the monopoly that IBM had in those times.
Once the brief romantic interlude is over, let’s get back to football.
Marketing and sports results
Il marketing it is a sector in which Napoli has been investing seriously for a few years, significantly increasing its image with the aim of bringing the brand to an even higher level, beyond national and European borders, reaching an ever greater following throughout the world.
To make all this possible, the Neapolitan club, however, must face very different challenges compared to technology giants such as Apple. This is probably the biggest difference that can be highlighted between the two companies: the competitiveness linked to results in the field that a brand like the one from Cupertino obviously does not have.
It is not enough for Napoli to cash in on sales from official merchandising, TV and stadium rights like Apple does with its Macbooks, iPhones and iPads for example. In the world of sport, it is inevitably necessary to achieve sporting results that allow the club to play the most important matches in Europe, qualifying for the highest club sporting competition: the Champions League. De Laurentiis’s Napoli succeeded in a fourteen-year journey until they reached the quarter-finals of the tournament where they were then eliminated by Milan in April 2023. A journey which over time has allowed the club to exponentially increase its greatness sports club and its revenues until reaching the goal that everyone has always dreamed of achieving: the victory of the Italian Serie A championship in the 2022-2023 sporting year for the third time in the history of the club, after thirty-three years.
SSC Napoli – 2022/2023 Scudetto award ceremony
Having had access to the Champions League with consistency represents a giant achievement in sporting and management terms for the Neapolitan club which currently counts on the board, under De Laurentiis managementthe following trophies: 3 Italian Cup (2011/2012 all. Walter Mazzarri, 2013/2014 all. Rafa Benitez, 2019/2020 all. Gennaro Gattuso); 1 Italian Super Cup (2013/2014 all. Rafa Benitez); 1 Scudetto (2022/2023 all. Luciano Spalletti).
In a context where sporting results, and not the “vulgar” collection of money, are the true measure of the value of a team, Napoli must constantly fight as they always have to reach the top and acquire even more significant objectives. In this regard, I would like to quote a phrase from Steve Jobs – founder and former CEO of Apple – who, at the end of a speech to the students of Stanford University, in June 2005, closed with the phrase: “Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish!”.
An extremely motivating phrase that leaves us with various considerations…
Napoli proves itself a lot hungry putting intensity and a great mentality into the matches. Aurelio De Laurentiis, with his bold choices, shows us his being fool creating a highly competitive team. Reason why I wonder and ask you: The new NA product created by our visionary Aurelio Jobs, will it be able to reach the top of the sales charts in the next few years?!
How did the imagery and themes in the Apple 1984 commercial resonate with audiences at the time, and do they still hold relevance today?
Questions related to the Apple 1984 commercial:
1. Why do you think the Apple 1984 commercial has remained so memorable and influential in advertising history?
2. How did the release of the Macintosh impact the technology industry and Apple’s position in it?
3. What are the similarities and differences between the marketing strategies used by Apple and Napoli football club?
Questions related to Napoli’s success and challenges:
4. What are the key factors that have contributed to Napoli’s recent sporting success and how sustainable do you think it is?
5. What are some of the challenges Napoli faces in maintaining their position as a top team domestically and in European competitions?
6. How important are the relationships between Napoli’s management, players, and fans in achieving on-field success?
7. With the emotional high of winning the Scudetto, how do you see Napoli’s trajectory progressing in the coming seasons?
8. Are there any comparisons that can be drawn between Napoli’s ability to make strategic management decisions and Apple’s ability to innovate successfully?
