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Marketing Lessons from Apple’s iPhone

By Michael Stelzner

As of this writing, Google News reports more than 14,000 articles on the iPhone and Technorati reports more than 311,000 blog posts.

That’s pretty incredible considering that Apple only announced the product in January.

I honestly cannot recall another project in my lifetime that has been so well covered in the press in a mere 6 months.

So, let’s have a discussion about why this has become such a sensation?

Here are my thoughts:

  • It’s from Apple: The source of inspiration lends to the frenzy here. Had Microsoft introduced this, I wonder if it would be so popular? The iPod set the stage for greatness from Apple. They will ride this wave into future products.
  • It’s radically different: So was the Newton (also from Apple). So what makes this different? Elegance, introduced by Steve Jobs, market demand for mobile solutions, …

Some of the marketing tactics Apple employed include:

  • Anticipation marketing: By announcing this product pre-launch (not the norm for Apple, but needed due to FCC public document filings), they created a huge teaser campaign. Folks wanted to learn more and Apple decided to keep things mum for a while, building interest.
  • No reviewer iPhones: No one in the press was given an advanced look at this product. This doubled up Apple’s exposure because the press had to write about it prior to launch (because everyone was talking). And, Apple will gain incredible exposure in the coming weeks as the press gets their hands on iPhones and writers reviews. Double hit for Apple. Something only Apple could pull off.

What are your thoughts about this unique moment in history? I can assure you that marketing textbooks of tomorrow will reference this launch.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, June 28th, 2007 at 10:43 am and is filed under Marketing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

  • Hey Ed;

    From what I understand, there were only 4 phones sent to journalists. Pretty small group I must say.

    I did notice front page stories in my paper on both Friday and Saturday, so that is some pretty major press.

    Mike
  • It was interesting to see who got iPhones pre-launch. The NYT & Wall Street Journal did, but had to hold their reviews until a specific date. No bloggers got one. Powerful stuff. Although they did a good job of releasing information on it worth talking about ahead of time.
  • Hi Michael, excellent post on Apple's marketing techniques. However, despite all their clever strategies, I knew from the start that I would not buy the iPhone because:
    a. when I bought my first laptop computer at Apple, they came out with a new model like 2 weeks later, without any press or advertising, so I never knew this was coming unless maybe if I had asked someone. I didn't like that this wasn't advertised and told them so.
    b. when I bought a second laptop about a year later (OK, I bought another one anyway), again a new model came out ridiculously soon afterwards with no hint. Another frustrating experience, although making do with what I had more then enough fit the bill.
    c. About.com, which I read religiously, had an article recently on all the problems with it, including expensive subscriber costs with AT&T, a bulky package, comparatively speaking, an overly sensitive keyboard. That pretty much killed the deal for me.
    d. I have overheard and read about people's advice to avoid "first run" items so the companies and get the glitches out, so to speak. I'm going to wait for the next generation, and also for the cost to come down. Between 400-$500 is not practical for me, and I have a hard time believing the average consumer is going to spend that much. We'll see what happens.
  • And here's another while I am at it (FUNNY!)

    http://www.technorati.com/videos/youtube.com%2F...
  • Hey Janice;

    Thanks for the link,

    See a REALLY funny review of the iPhone, see http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/features_popcu...

    Mike
  • Jeff Ogden
    The WSJ and Walt Mossberg had one for two weeks. There is a great editorial in today's WSJ too. The authors premise -- this took off because people are frustrated with the state of cell phones today. Clunky browsers, complex messaging, crappy software, etc.
  • One correction to your post -- at least one journalist was given an advanced phone for review: Walt Mossberg of The Wall Street Journal. Of course, he is the leading technology journalist so even Apple can't ignore him.

    His review was posted in yesterday's online edition (you may need to be a subscriber to access):

    http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118289311361649...


    Janice King
    Copywriter and Author
    Copywriting That Sells High Tech
    www.writinghightech.com
  • Daniel - Great comments! - Mike
  • great post, Michael!

    I actually think #1 is *the* important point: Apple.

    The Market: Apple has the reputation of being able to take an existing product, tweak it, & totally reshape a market.

    Everybody: Apple's focus on usability in big, clunky markets means their products *appeal* to *everybody*. Most people want a PC, but they want a PC that's usable, that takes care of itself, that looks good. Most people want music on the move, but they want it to be simple to use, hassle-free, solid, usable. Then we come to phones: Everybody has a phone - they want it to be simpler to use, offer more functionality, feel better. There's always a new phone on the horizon, but how often is there one that threatens to own the market? That's great for the press: an easy story that appeals to their entire readership. A successful brand that's threatening to reshape one of the widest-reaching (in terms of number of consumers) 'luxury' markets around.

    daniel
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