Remember when having a fever was a bad thing? Today, though, its all about how quickly someone can get pictures of their new iPhone 3G on Engadget or do a fast unboxing to share their enthusiasm or excitement with the world.
One of my "5 Secrets" is this: Empower Early Adopters. Apple used to do this by providing stickers in their product boxes (they still do!) and so their most loyal evangelists would slap them on the side of everything they own (they still do!). Some even tattoo themselves with the Apple logo (they still do!) What is amazing to me is how Apple benefits even more from our web 2.0 world where in an instant a fan can post a photo, image, or link to something they are truly excited about. That then generates even more interest and excitement as it widens dramatically
Apple’s reach and appeal. This "second ring" of enthusiasm draws in less technically savvy people who purchase – not on speeds and feeds – but on being part of something bigger and more relevant. Many people who now own an iPhone didn’t "need" an iPhone. They wanted to be part of the iPhone community. Same lesson learned from the iPod phenomenon.
Any marketer can learn from the amazing story that is unfolding around Apple. Empower your early adopters and they will help you change the world.
UPDATE: Witness in real time what happens when you mess up – your early adopters can turn on you. Today is NOT a good day for Apple – iPhone activations AND upgrades to 2.0 are bricking people’s phones (mine included) Let’s see how Apple’s spin control spins up.
UPDATE: 5:20 PM. My iphone finally started working. But don’t get me started about MobileMe…
Hey Steve,
So did you wait in line for the new 3G iPhone. Of do you have a secret in to get yours without waiting??
Keep up the good work on this excellent blog.
David
Stave,
This Iphone fiasco needs a whole post. Wow! As a marketer, I was cringing at the swarm of negative press (most of it avoidable) surrounding the launch. Any secret as to how Apple will spin this considering:
1. The slogan is “It just works”
2. This affected the early adopter critical base
3. The message for the last year has been “look at how easy” Apple is compared to everyone else.
There is a war room somewhere with lots of folks writing “damage control” on whiteboards.
love the blog
Christopher
David, thanks for your kind comments. And no, I’ve slugging it out with my existing iPhone 1.0 – still can’t figure out proper push/sync techniques with Entourage/Exchange. This reminds me of intentional XBox marketing – make something so coveted that other people want (don’t need) it.
Ilike the tatoo idea on the picture. I got loads of Apples stickers already. Brazil is a tropical country. Can´t we get tato´s instead? 😉
thank you for this website , I can find more information
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