Ones and Zeroes

With the big news about Apple's new iPad, I figured now was as good time to examine the collosal marketing effort thata is surrounding this hot new device.  As far as the product itself goes, the iPad definitely hits some notes which point in a good direction, but it also presents some aspects rather poorly, making it a very risky product.  What it does give us is a relatively inexpensive open platform to connect to the internet wirelessly and integrate all of the major functions of a computer into a lightweight, easy to transport device.  It combines the keyboardless navigation of the internet and text documents that is a hallmark of the iPhone, with the large, high definition screen of a laptop computer.  Apple is pushing the marketing on this product pretty hard, but I think they've made some pitfalls on the way. 

 

On the positive side, Apple has employed the effective tactic of thinly veiled false secrecy.  By denying any information about the device while allowing a steady stream of rumors and "leaked" information out into the internet, Apple built a powerful viral marketing campaign that had the entire tech industry in a froth priror to the official unveiling.  This has become a mainstay of most electronic and media companies who have embraced the reality of internet information leaks as an asset to their marketing model.  Given incidents of this occurrance in publishing (most notably the final Harry Potter novel which was leaked in its entirety before its release date, yet still had record breaking sales) it may be important for publishers to follow this model in the future in order to make the viral nature of online information work for the publisher instead of against. 

 

Apple has also showed a few bad cards when dealing with the media frenzy surrounding the press release of the device.  Most notably their mistargetting of the devices audience.  Rather than push it as a consumer electronic with a low price point, they attempted to make this into a new business device, capable of creating spreadsheets and editing text like a regular laptop.  The problem is that its functionality in this market is limited, and they may see quite a bit of resistance from businesses that can get cheaper laptops for their employees rather than buying this less useful gadget.  Apple's failure to make a convincing case for general consumers may be the nail that seals the iPad's coffin.  This is highly reminicent of the "if you build it they will come" conundrum we saw when looking at publisher's websites.  Having a device that is new and interesting doesn't necessarily guarantee an audience unless it provides functionality to back up the hype. 

 

So from the news we can take several different lessons about marketing a new big, high risk product.  Viral marketing may be the wave of the future for all entertainment outlets, including publishers.  But even new and exciting ideas don't make up for a lack of the fundamentals.