Silence Marketing, Bold Marketing

The new iPhone is scheduled for release on July 11 and WOM marketing surrounding it is about to shift into high gear. Apple is such a dynamic company when it comes to marketing their products, or lack there of. I have to assume they know what they are doing, but perhaps they really are so brilliant they don’t even know it.

Here is what I mean. Prior to the launch of the generation 1 iPhone, Apple made one announcement; it was coming in the summer (about six months prior) and then went into hibernation. They didn’t answer any questions and let the speculation build the buzz; quite a risky, but amazing PR camping. A few ads were made and ran on national television programming, but the driving force behind the buzz was the blogs and speculation sites. There were sites solely dedicated to what the public thought the phone would look like, the capabilities it would have and what aftermarket products would accompany it.

This buzz continued up until the release date nearly a year ago. Apple even went as far as to not give its employees (Apple Store employees) any information. Consumers were calling stores to find out how many phones they would sell just to be denied the answer. People lined up to buy it and the rest is history.

Well now they are at it again. Amid months of speculation, Apple finally announced the release of the generation 2 iPhone, iPhone 3G. It releases in a month and the blogs are going crazy. Apple made a commercial, that is really great, but I think that will be it. Apple will let the consumer use conversation to generate the proper buzz to sell the most iPhones ever.  You really have to applaud the courage to not over promote this thing. I guess they have either the cheapest or most expensive PR budget in the history of corporate America.

This is the power of word-of-mouth marketing at its finest. See where a little buzz and a great product can get you?

Response, cool and controlled...

Responding in cyberspace offers an organization the opportunity to put forth a controlled message that will be interpreted exactly how it was intended.

Response. Here are just a few questions. When it comes to organizations responding, what does that really mean, Are they responding to allegations, bad pub, good pub, etc? Why are they responding? Probably because they have to.

Public relations is about the response and what a better way to respond than WOM marketing. It offers companies a chance to respond in a way that they choose fit and can't be taken out of context by a scandal-seeking reporter. NO, it is the opportunity to put the company’s opinion on display in the most controlled ways. PR pros and execs are always looking for a way to control the message and now they need look no further. Imagine a crisis that could be responded to in a sincere and thoughtful way on the CEOs blog. This is a way for the consumer to understand where the organization is coming from. It is not necessary to formulate some spin response any more. This is the forum for honesty and there is nothing the consumer appreciates more than honesty.

Another advantage to two-way communications, as it pertains to response oriented PR, is the ability to let the customer help. Perhaps you have a great product, but falls just a bit short of what it can really do. Your customer can make suggestions that are seen by millions and those millions can see your organization actually listen to its constituents. WOW, how would that look in the public eye?

Take the iPhone. The first iPhone was pretty amazing, but talk to any of the owners and you will hear the same thing: “I wouldn’t trade it for the world, but I could use a few more features.” They are referring to 3G, push mail and exchange capabilities. Well, thanks to Apple listening to its customers, her comes the 2.0 upgrade and shortly there after the iPhone 2. And get this; the world will see Apple’s response.

This is how you build brand loyalty. Marketers are looking for ways to get consumers to only purchase their product, well, make a better product and listen to current customers on how to improve current products.

It is no longer a time of fear, get out there and tell people that you are listening and will gladly respond to any situation, good or bad…