apple – Demand Generation Consulting

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” 😉

Many times in marketing we are faced with a similar challenge – dethrone the king and do it on time and under budget. Many of us relish this challenge, and it’s probably why I’m still in marketing today. It’s fun to be the underdog. Nobody expects you to win, so you avoid all the pressure and focus on the task at hand.

While it may be the initial thought, we don’t have to go to feature war on all fronts with competitors. They are simply too massive. Imagine Apple going after Microsoft in the late 90s – it wouldn’t have worked. Microsoft was too firmly entrenched and had too much money to spend.

Instead, upon his return, Steve Jobs focused on the back doors to the Microsoft kingdom of consumers. He went after the surrounding consumer market. Enter the iPod. By creating an all Apple, all new product that was second-to-none and the ecosystem to back it up – Jobs was able to introduce his company to the market at a lower price point than a new computer.

With the iPod, consumers got a taste of the Apple magic both in the hardware and software. When people saw how well it all worked, they wanted more. That means more sales of iPhones, iPads, and yes, eventually Macbooks, and the Mac OS.

It’s a powerful strategy if you can find the right button to push. Google is taking on Facebook in a similar manner. Though they have similar features, Google+ has yet to take off. By incrementally introducing features – Google is trying to slowly ween people ONto its platform. A great example is the automatic picture correction just announced last month at Google IO. Pictures are more “sticky” than comments. People like to go back and revisit them time and again. With mobile devices increasingly being used as primary cameras – Google is hoping to become the place people store and share them.

Other companies, like Path are taking a different approach. By limiting the number of connections a person can have – they seek to avoid the noise that people so often complain of with Facebook.

This strategy can also work with small businesses – highlight something that you are really good at. Lots of people are fitness trainers but you can distinguish yourself by offering services that others neglect. Instead of gym training, offer home training or public park training. Instead of losing weight, focus on scrawny people who want to gain weight. Instead of just focusing on training, offer consultation on nutrition and partner with someone who will supply the food.

There are plenty of opportunities to find your way around a giant – think about your market and go get-em!

Tag: apple

Fighting a Kingdom? Find the Back Door