Graduation Year

2016

Document Type

Campus Only Senior Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Media Studies

Reader 1

Mark Andrejevic

Reader 2

T.Kim Trang-Tran

Rights Information

© 2015 Kali N. Jones

Abstract

This thesis adds to the discussion surrounding how Apple Inc. has been able to to garner and maintain such a loyal brand following. With the help of background from theory on branding, it examines the uses of Michel Foucault’s heterotopia and religious allegory within Apple’s branding strategies. With the help of past discussions surrounding these topics, the presence of these uses in present day Apple branding is exemplified in the description and analysis of Apple’s 2014 “Your Verse Anthem” and the Apple Store as a branded space. Through this analysis, this thesis also makes an original argument for a consistent Apple heterotopia that is inherently religious. This heterotopia mirrors the story of Adam and Eve as, within its story, Apple promises that if their consumers will become loyal to the Apple brand by taking a bit out of Apple’s “forbidden fruit,” signified in their logo, Apple will help them see the truth of the Tree of Knowledge, which will help them understand that they need not conform but can instead use Apple products to realize their aspirations and create a life that represents their own version of utopia. This characteristically Apple religious heterotopia and the tactics used by Apple as a whole come together to draw the connection between Apple and the strategies used by cult leaders. This connection ultimately helps explain the loyalty and fever behind Apple’s consumer following.

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This thesis is restricted to the Claremont Colleges current faculty, students, and staff.

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