Apple TV+ is having a moment right now thanks to Severance. But Ted Lasso and Severance aside, the streamer has overall struggled to find mainstream success during its 5+ years on the market. My proposed solution? A full Apple TV+ brand reboot that’s inspired by Apple’s winning Beats formula.
Beats is the perfect model of a thriving Apple-owned brand
Beats was acquired by Apple more than 10 years ago. The $3 billion purchase brought Beats’ headphone, speaker, and music streaming business into the Apple fold.
At the time, the streaming service Beats Music seemed like the main reason for the acquisition, as it allowed Apple to kickstart what became Apple Music the following year.
For more than a decade, however, Apple has continued to let Beats be Beats when it comes to its various headphone and speaker products—like the new Powerbeats Pro 2 (review) or recent Beats Pill update.
Beats has continued to cultivate and strengthen its own distinct brand over that time.
Apple fully owns Beats, but its name isn’t all over it. So Beats is seen as a brand for everyone.
It makes products that work great for iPhone users, but are also Android-friendly.
Whatever you think of Apple as a company, you can still be a fan of Beats.
Apple TV+ would benefit from that level of brand independence.
Apple TV+ needs its own brand independence and clarity to thrive
I’ve argued before that, despite its largely strong content slate, Apple TV+ has all kinds of branding issues.
Try explaining to the average consumer that Apple TV+ is a separate product from the Apple TV app and the Apple TV 4K.
Oh, but it lives inside that Apple TV app—right alongside TV shows and movies from all your other streaming services and Apple’s digital content store.
These confusing barriers are enough of a reason to rebrand. But Apple would also benefit from TV+ being a distinct brand like Beats for other reasons.
The name Apple TV+ implies that only ‘Apple users’ can watch the streamer. Which to some degree is true—while TV+ is available on countless smart TVs, it still doesn’t offer an Android app.
‘Apple TV+’ also means the streamer has to carry all the baggage associated with Apple as a whole.
Antitrust legislation? Privacy battles? iOS updates that slow down your phone? Green bubble bullying? All of these can tarnish Apple’s reputation among prospective streaming customers.
Beats, however, gets to avoid all these associations. No one views Beats as responsible for these various Apple issues.
Apple TV+ needs the same brand protection.
Rebooting the Apple TV+ brand to make it accessible for all
Imagine if Apple TV+ rebranded to some simple, generic, but catchy new name that had nothing to do with Apple.
The newly branded service would gain its own unique brand identity, colors, logo, and a standalone app (including for Android).
Many of the current barriers to Apple TV+ going mainstream would be taken care of.
- No more confusion about what the product is: it’s a streaming service, not a TV aggregator app or streaming box.
- No more confusion about who it’s for: it’s for everyone, not just Apple users.
- No more negative association with Apple: the streamer can build its own reputation and maybe even be seen as cool or fun (not words Apple evokes these days).
Apple’s premium TV and movie content could get the attention it deserves, as the tech and brand issues faded out of view.
Like Beats, this streaming service could continue to be run mostly independently—as Apple TV+ already is. And truly forge its own path for the long haul.
Apple can still flex its strengths: bundling the streamer into Apple One, pre-installing the new app on all iPhones, iPads, and Macs, throwing marketing money behind it, and any other moves that would benefit the newly branded service.
But otherwise, it can let the TV streamer be its own thing, and potentially thrive like never before.
Do you think Apple TV+ could use a brand reboot? Why or why not? Let us know in the comments.
Apple TV+ is available for $9.99 per month and features hit TV shows and movies like Ted Lasso, Severance, The Morning Show, Silo, and Shrinking.
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