No other smartphone sells like an iPhone – but why? Often, when I give speeches, I ask my white-collar audience how many are carrying iPhones. Consistent with the statistics, more than 60% of people raise their hands. Then I ask for a show of hands from anyone who can articulate, with confidence, the difference between […]

No other smartphone sells like an iPhone – but why? Often, when I give speeches, I ask my white-collar audience how many are carrying iPhones. Consistent with the statistics, more than 60% of people raise their hands. Then I ask for a show of hands from anyone who can articulate, with confidence, the difference between the iPhone they own and the Samsung equivalent. Generally, not a hand goes up. Then, I ask the rhetorical question – ‘so why did you spend so much more on the iPhone?’ Of course, the simple answer is that they purchased a brand, not a phone. However, this is only part of the answer. The rest of the answer lies in ‘the herd effect’. Human beings are not individuals. They are ‘sheep’. They like to follow others. They buy what other people buy and avoid leadership. Australians do not want to lead on climate change,…