The blinding power of marketing

Last week, late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel showed the incredible power of both brand and marketing. In a short man-on-the-street segment, he took what was purported to be the new iPhone 5 on the streets of New York City to ask passerby their thoughts about it versus the iPhone 4S. The catch? The iPhone 5 isn't yet available, and the phone they were given to critique was, in fact, the current iPhone 4S.

The truth revealed in their (hilarious) commentary is that marketing works. Unwittingly, these consumers were parroting back the very same key messages that Apple's marketers had crafted months before to distinguish the iPhone 5 from its predecessor.

"This is way better."

"It's a little thinner. The screen looks a little bigger."

"It's faster and lighter."

"It's a lot lighter than the last one (iPhone 4S)."

"It's definitely faster."

"It's lighter, higher quality."

"The colors are brighter."

It also goes to show you that brand loyalty is a strange and beautiful thing. Apple has built such a rock-solid reputation for constant innovation that consumers see it even when it's not there.

Check out the segment for a laugh. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=rdIWKytq_q4