Nobody’s bashing Apple here—the craze-fueling technology company we’ve all become familiar with through one frantic product launch or another, is now trading near $600 a share, with an outlook as bright as its backlit digital screens.
Their newest mass-marketed moneymaker is the iPad 3, which was released March 16th to avid fanboys and financially savvy trend-watchers, and has come under criticism for its overheating issue. While it’s no reflection on the rigorous testing Apple goes through before launching a new product, and executives have acknowledged and refuted the issue, it still stands as an appropriate symbol for the sensationalism that surrounds the launch of such new technological wonders (or any heavily anticipated product).
It’s human nature to get excited about new gadgets and brave long lines and introductory prices in order to snatch up one of the first of the newest line. The enthusiasm spreads much like a fire (it’s a cliché for a reason)—and pretty soon everybody’s planning for it, talking about it, or cynically bashing it from afar. People begin seeing things through magnified lenses as the hype continues to build, making the good seem amazing and the bad seem horrendous. Combined with group mentalities, brand loyalists will defend any flaw in assurance that the product is amazing while brand critics will take any issue and make it seem catastrophic.
So it doesn’t really matter that the new iPad is overheating—the people committed to love it are going to love it anyway, and the people committed to hating it are still going to hate. This negligibility serves as just the latest example of how hype can exaggerate or diminish public perception on pretty much anything.
How can you spin this to your advantage? Glad you asked—see, with the short attention spans and constant public craving for the “next big thing,” it’s easy for your image and offerings to get lost in the shuffle. Nobody wants that—that’s why finding an experienced marketing team that can help you cut through the advertisement-riddled world can revolutionize your business model and drive in customers you thought you’d never reach. Maybe you have a hot product that’s gotten buried in the clutter of your competition—it’s time to release that potential energy and get your customer base eagerly waiting in line for it. And who knows? Maybe soon you’ll have your own little pack of brand groupies.
