Once again, rumors are rampant that a big manufacturer is just weeks away from introducing a smartwatch. This talk has been around for years but this time it looks like Samsung will be delivering.
So why have so many manufacturers been linked to the smartwatch or wearable device trend? The article linked above states that it’s about creating a new niche in a market that has not seen much innovation. While this is certainly true, it’s also attractive because it’s linked to a more basic marketing principle – social proof.
Social proof essentially states that when faced with an ambiguous situation, people will do what they see their peers doing (BTW if you haven’t read, “Influence” by Robert Cialdini, stop reading this and get it now).
Smartphones recently outsold feature phones for the first time. And it would be hard to argue against their visibility. It’s impossible to sit in a busy public place and not see someone using one. But there’s a big problem with phones. They are in your pocket a large percentage of the time. Not the best trait when trying to spur mass adoption of a device.
In the early days of the MP3 player, you could identify an iPod user by the white earbuds. They stood out and gave consumers a way to show off their purchase. By increasing visibility and identification, Apple was utilizing social proof. People who weren’t sure if they wanted or needed an MP3 player saw these white earbuds everywhere, and (consciously or unconsciously) registered a vote for the iPod each time they were noticed. When they explored purchasing an MP3 player, guess which one they looked at first?
The smartwatch increases the visibility exponentially. Where a smartphone (or MP3 player) is in a pocket, a wristwatch is always visible. If Samsung, or Apple can get early adopters to begin wearing these devices, it’s easy to see them being conversation starters. There are people who use cell phones as status symbols, whipping them out at every opportunity. Just imagine how easy this gets when it’s always visible.
I’m not sure what these devices will look like but I’m betting on one thing; Look for these devices to be quickly identifiable as an Apple or Samsung product. Look for this generation’s white earbuds. In this way, companies can start racking up those social votes, even with people who never considered a smartwatch. The race is on to capture this market and the high-octane fuel is social proof.
Think about how you can leverage this principle with your product or service. Can you give your fans a way to identify as a fan and to show it off even when they aren’t saying a word?
“sent from my iPad” 😉
Demand Generation Consulting 