Below is a particularly interesting comment on this article on Steve Job's "every phone is just as bad" attack on competing phone manufacturers over the iPhone 4 antenna issue:
Posted Monday 19th July 2010 19:12 GMT
...
When you're paying £100 for a phone and £400 for a logo that logo better not represent incompetence, arrogance, denial and greed.
I steer well clear of any product for which the brand commands a huge premium. ...
We're in this dire state of affairs where branding is worth considerably more than manufacturing [my emphasis]. And it will continue to be this way until you and I decide that a brand is not worth more than the product it's attached to (and it bloody well is not). You're allowing yourself to pay huge premiums for... nothing. Absolutely fuck all.
What happens when branding is worth more than other aspects of the development and service components?
- Resting on one's laurels - this is both a good thing and a potential risk arising from complacency.
- Shift in focus to maintaining the perception, the hot air; and away from the more tangible or practical aspects. Potentially losing touch with the core essence of the business.
- Slip in quality - relying on the brand's halo and the engendered customer loyalty to forgive mistakes and other drops in quality.
Other entities that share this phenomenon with Apple are: fashion and designer labels, celebrities, and religions!