According to tens of millions of dollars worth of FREE publicity, Apple Inc might be about to launch some kind of Apple Tablet computer this week.
Isn’t that amazing?
No, not the idea of an Apple Tablet!
I’m talking about the only hard fact in this whole story – the FACT that once again, Apple Inc has managed to generate multi-millions worth of free publicity and pre-launch advertising, for a product that not only doesn’t officially exist – it’s not even been announced at the time of writing this.
That’s one heck of an achievement!
To give an idea of just how smart the PR guys at Apple are, they have once again managed to get the BBC swept up in the hype surrounding their new product. This gift from the BBC is priceless, as you (literally) can not buy advertising on the bbc.co.uk website.
In my opinion, the BBC are not doing anything wrong with their reporting of this (though many disagree). The BBC need to cover the rumours surrounding the device, because the actual rumours themselves have now become news – Kudos to Apple!
The lesson here?
For anyone seeking to generate free, word of mouth publicity for their business, there’s a lesson here. If you want people to remark on you, you need to be remarkable. Apple would not have got this coverage, without a great track record for innovation, design and service. That reputation generates expectancy. So long as Apple keep meeting those expectations, the word of mouth will continue, from their loyal and vocal customer base.
Just for fun, check out how many free mentions you see for the new Apple device this week; including this one of course!
What are your thoughts on this?
Photo: John Rawlinson
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Great post.
Like you say Jim, no one does this kind of stuff better than Apple.
What would have happened if it was microsoft making that announcement?
Hi Harry,
That’s a really great question. Microsoft, even with all their money and influence, have really struggled to gain the kind of positive coverage Apple have.
My guess is that the company is so big and fragmented, that there’s no coherent messages getting out.
Great question though. Thanks Harry!!
I’d love to hear other people’s thoughts on this.
Apple are a phenomenon. Even I know about the tablet! I read about it in one of the Sunday papers where they were speculating as to what it might look it. As you say, incredible publicity, and not just from BBC. Hats off!
Jane
Absolutely!
Yep Apple are leagues ahead in the PR dept, I can’t see competitors having the same impact. Apple are Apple, and the change around from the dark days of the mid-90’s is something else.
It would be interesting to see if elements of this could be applied to small business marketing, abeit a smaller scale.
I’m sure there are lessons to be learned here.
Jerry
P.S will you be grabbing one of these ’slabs’ then?
Jerry´s last blog ..Your Digital Products Unleashed
Thanks for the feedback Jerry. Regarding the actual device, I reserve judgement until I get to use one.
The great thing that Apple have done consistently is go for the user experience. No gimmicks, no flash, just pure user experience.
Who cares if your software is the choice of business when it’s so buggy? That’s the key difference between Apple and Microsoft – people feel that Apple care (even if sometimes they don’t), while MS is just the big bad wolf. Consumers aren’t too keen on wolves, but they are keen on their experience.
If Apple pulls this off – and there’s no reason to think it won’t – Microsoft is going to be even less relevant. Time to buck up your ideas, boys…
Danny Brown´s last blog ..Taking Your Blog Mobile with BuzzVoice
The resurgence in Apple since Steve Jobs returned is nothing short of phenomenal.
Like you say Danny, the user experience is exceptional generally.
I believe it’s the voice of the Apple users, which gives oxygen to Apple’s PR machine.
I guess I will have to keep eye on this so I can grasp what I can and learn from it!
Great article, Thanks Jim
Norman Flecha
Straight Talk
STRAIGHTALK´s last blog ..scriptaculous V1.8.3: Prototype 1.6.1, service release/bug fixes
I think we all will Norman! Thanks for the comment!
You are spot-on, Jim, regarding Apple and its awesome ability to achieve such word of mouth. Between Apple, Google, and web-based application providers, Microsoft’s world is certainly under attack. Microsoft feels less relevant every day. Being viewed as irrelevant is worse than being viewed as a wolf.
As for the tablets, I’ve been waiting for an electronic legal pad for years. Hopefully Apple’s tablet fits the bill (or gets close enough). If not, the Microsoft/HP tablet is supposedly coming soon. Either way, I can’t wait for the next wave of the Apple vs. Microsoft commercials. They are hilarious.
People keep comparing Apple to Microsoft. But it’s not Apple vs. Microsoft anymore. Apple has put Microsoft on defense. And I don’t see that changing as long as Apple’s legions of fans keep creating buzz. Apple’s commercials: Apple is a better experience than Windows. Microsoft (before Windows7): Microsoft is cheaper (and good enough to meet your needs, but not necessarily a better experience). Their Windows7 commercials are pretty good though. But Vista has tarnished their image so much that they have a big hole to crawl out of.
One company that is on the offense against Apple now is Google. Watch their Android operating system take BlackBerry’s place in the smart phone duopoly with Apple. And doing it all by word-of-mouth (with some assistance from advertising by the phone and carrier vendors). And Android will probably be a player in the tablet market too.
While the Google phone shows promise (apart from the normal crappy Google customer service), I think BlackBerry has a key advantage still over both Google and iPhone – enterprise solutions. Until either companies can come up with a way to beat the enterprise benefits a BlackBerry offers (particularly with its tie-in with IBM), then RIM’s smartphone has a few years left in it yet.
For now, at least
Danny Brown´s last blog ..Help Yourself to Help Your Clients
One of the key reasons why Apple is so successful is down to Steve Jobs’ approach to what they do. He isn’t just trying to make better products, he has made no secret about the fact that his vision is to change the world. He doesn’t limit his vision to making a better mp3 player or phone; rather, he looks for a much bigger outcome. He really sells the idea that we can make a ‘dent in the world’ and because that vision is so ambitious, it speaks to us.
We all love to be part of something bigger, better and brighter and Apple does a great job of encapsulating that for us all. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of that?!
“Apple Inc has managed to generate multi-millions worth of free publicity and pre-launch advertising, for a product that not only doesn’t officially exist”
…Talk about brand equity. Apple’s loaded filthy rich in that department.
Michael Locke´s last blog ..Be Different, Stand Out From the Competition