the great Global Marketing MagiCproduct !- iPhone

" The first thing that you see in the newspapers this morning.... you switch on the TV and the news channel are covering it.... you go to the RSS feeds on your WebBrowser and its there all over the place... log on to Orkut, and there are communities on it... Read Blogs and people mention it there.... Go to the Maker's website and they have elaborate videos there.... Google Maps show the Q's outside shops in NY where people are waiting to buy it since 2 days!!.. its here, there, everywhere... Another one from Mr Steve "Apple" Jobs genius mind.. the iPhone !!"

So how does this post of mine contribute to the already Hyped (Over-Hyped) product of Apple. Well, I just want to throw light on the Marketing Aspects of the Phone from What i Gather from the web...

Here is what Lance Ulanoff writes on PC Magazine : " Product announcements typically occur only at key Mac-based shows, and there is little to no warning—from Apple—about what they'll be about. But that very lack of information creates a vacuum so strong that it steadily sucks in new faux information. And Apple's remarkable silent drum beats on "

So, how did Apple Manage such a Hype and Hoola about the iPhone, (like it always does with its other products).

Well, to view it from a LAY man's Eyes (and I am one for sure), the following are the points which Attract a person to the genius marketing of the iPhone...

• the Ps of Marketing : as any Big Company would do, Apple has specifically given emphasis to the Ps of Marketing,
  
• the Product has been designed and created keeping in mind the wants and needs of the people, its a Sleek Design, New muli Touch Screen, Stunning Graphics, Ipod, Photos, Internet, phone , all in 0ne !!.. well, the consumers did have such products in the market to choose from, but the way Apple positioned it, and compared it to the iPod ( a cult product), definately created the initial thrust for this great global hype...
• Promotion: Well, its everywhere, Blog, Podcasts, Websites, Newspapers, TV, I think the people up there in Space Station would also know about it !!... and this has been done very subtly!, no aggressive spending on different media at all... its just the curiosity of people and developers that have clicked as always for Apple. People are curious, they wanna know more, for the matter of fact, I, writing this Blog Article, also contributes to the Promotion of iPhone, but in a subtle way...
• Place, Price, Packaging, People - well, people do have doubts on the Price of the product, some do have an opinion its higly prices for a mobile phone. But thats the way it is, any product which is positioned as revolutionary has to be prices a notch up wrt the competition, thats when the unique premier value of the product would come in. I am sure the 2nd generation would be far lower,
• Buzzzzzzzzz.... : Well, there has been a tremendous buzz about the Phone in Markets and people all over the world, here is what John C. Dvorak Writes in his 'anti iPhone' post at PC world : " You talk football and the conversation switches to the iPhone. You talk baseball and the conversation switches to the iPhone. TV, movies, stock market, community theater—it all switches to the iPhone. "Yes, what about them Raiders? Many players will buy the iPhone, I bet. Yes. I think so. They will. They will have to, I think."I swear (though I have unsuccessfully tried taking pictures to prove it), when you look at these people closely, there is a spinning disk in each pupil that you can barely make out. It's like a spiral that turns and turns toward infinity. And, I can assure you, a hard slap won't help." Well thats the story everywhere !!
• Flaws: Well the phone does have potential flaws which consumers will have to notice :
• The Screen is unique, and i am sure, with rough usage, if it breaks (god forbid), we will have to pay an enormous price for it.
• Its just like any other PDA Phone in the end !!... so no matter how differently Apple positions it, people will definitely compare it with other phones around which are cheaper, so the Non Apple Cult will shun the IpHone even if they find small disadvantages.

So, whatever it might be, the juggernaut will begin to roll this evening when the Phone debuts in the USA. Its still a year to come to India, but I will watch out for it, and hope to write about it soon !!..

Cheers

Niks