Although the much hyped iPhone which is the latest convergence of technologies (one part cell phone, one part music/video player, one part Blackberry, two parts cool) that technological advancement is not the most impressive part of the iPhone.
What the iPhone should be remembered for is the ridiculous amount of hype that surrounds its entrance into the marketplace. I cannot remember or think of a more anticipated product. It all started with a video that I saw on C|net.com that had the iPhone encased in glass and rotating in a circle at some tech convention. No one could touch it or even get close.
After that first appearance the media blitz started. Steve Jobs did what he does best: Promote. He introduced it at MacWorld and the media still could not get their hands on it. He just played with hisnew gadget on stage. This caused what seemed like a diagnosable disease "iPhone paranoia". You could not go a week without reading about the iPhone. There were articles on cnn.com, in The Wall Street Journal, Businessweek, and on every single tech blog worth its' salt.
Seve Jobs, like all great magicians, presented his latest feat of engineering and then did a most unexpected thing: He pulled back. Nature abhors a vacuum. Next, it was the media's turn to step in and fill that void with wild speculation. Speculate they did.
So, what is the most impressive thing you ask? I'll tell you. The most impressive thing about the iPhone is that Steve Jobs manipulated almost every channel of media distribution and it cost him close to nothing. The iPhone was written about everywhere. Why would you pay for an advertisement on page 4 of the news paper when your story is already on the front page?
I hope there will be a case study written about this media manipulating product. Because the story is yet to unfold. As the iPhone is being released (as I write this that will be tomorrow) Friday expect throngs of teenagers, some of whom will be covered on TV at no cost to Steve Jobs, to use their Word of Mouth to ensure the iPhones' success.
I would say look for more examples of free marketing for the iPhone, but you wont have to. It will be everywhere.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment