New iPhone Creates its Own Buzz

I was intrigued (although not surprised) to see the lengthy queues outside mobile phone stores, Carphone Warehouse and O2, with consumers clambering to get their hands on Apple’s new 3G iPhone. It would seem however, that our orderly British queues were tame compared to the furore that has taken place in various other countries around the world. Bloomberg has reported on a queue half a mile long outside one particular store in Tokyo, which was besieged by reporters and camera crews, whilst helicopters circled overhead. In New Zealand, security guards had to be called in to control crowds.

In the UK, demand for the handset has – in similar fashion to the original launch – outweighed supply, with O2 announcing that it had run out of pre-order stock. Speculation remains as to whether or not O2 limited the number of handsets available in order to increase buzz around the launch (a tactic previously deployed by various games console manufactures), but the fact remains that the hype surrounding Apple’s latest offering has been significant.

When asking the question why, fingers might point in the direction of Apple’s marketing team which has been fueling the hype for months now. Whilst I agree that the marketing around the new handset has been undeniably slick, Apple’s job has been made somewhat easier by the product itself. Yes, there were some functionality issues surrounding the first iPhone handset launch, but the fact remains that the iPhone has broken new ground.

Emanuel Rosen, author of ‘The Anatomy of Buzz’ states that the number one thing marketers need to consider before embarking on a WOM campaign is whether or not the product can be classed as remarkable. Few would argue against the fact that the latest handset – equipped with 3G capability and the capacity to store 2000 songs – falls into this category. In essence, the product has created its own buzz. WOM, however has helped amplify it.

 

 

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