OBLIGATION - RESEARCH, 7 WAYS TO BUILD BUZZ FOR YOUR PRODUCT LAUNCH

Launch like Steve Jobs: 7 Ways to Build Buzz for Your Next Product Launch

1.Put the Focus on the People, Not the Product

Rarely do you hear Steve Jobs talking about the various features of Apple products. Standing
on stage, he doesn’t push the speed of the iPhone’s processor or the screen resolution, for
example. He knows most people don’t care, and the ones who do can easily find that
information on Apple’s website or product literature.
Instead, he goes out of his way to emphasize how the product affects you. He talks about how
annoying it is to carry both a phone and an MP3 player and how, with an iPhone, you’re
condensing them down to one easy-to-carry device. It’s about simplicity, productivity, style —
all things he knows people are interested in.
And it takes discipline. When you launch a product, everyone in your company is probably
excited by the technical specs, and all of the different ways your product pushes the envelope,
and it’s easy to assume your customer feels the same way. But they don’t. They care
about their problems and how your product is going to fit into their life
So, that’s how you have to frame your marketing. Don’t just talk about what your product does
or why it’s superior; show them a compelling picture of how it’s going to make their life better.
That’s what gets people excited.

2. Get Opinion Leaders On-Board Early

Apple has a knack for getting bloggers and other thought leaders on board before their product
launches. What really sets them apart, though, is they get everyone talking months before the
product launches, usually before there’s even a demo for anyone to see. No one is talking
about what the product does; they’re talking about what it might do.
Obviously, their history helps. Journalists and bloggers know that Apple has a history of
releasing innovative and useful products, and they bet on the fact that subsequent product
releases will be just as innovative and useful.
But it’s a strategy anyone can use, even if you don’t have a history like Apple. No, you might
not have the New York Times and CNN arguing about what your upcoming product is going to
do, but you can start working with the media in advance of your product launch. Even if it
doesn’t get you much coverage, it’ll give you something to build on. The media will know who
you are, so come launch day, at least you’re not starting cold.
And that can make getting press a lot easier.

3. Be Revolutionary
When Steve Jobs takes the stage, the whole world watches. It’s not just because Apple is a
huge company. It’s not just because there are billions of dollars on the line. It’s not just
because Steve is a great speaker.
It’s because they know Apple isn’t afraid to change the world. Their products aren’t incremental
advances; they are revolutions. They change the way we think about the entire product
category, and whole industries have to shift just to keep up. And people talk about it, not just
because Apple decided to stage an event, but because it’s real news.

Can you do the same thing?I think so. Maybe your company doesn’t have quite the reach Apple
does, but every company, no matter how small, has the opportunity to revolutionize their
business. Do something none of your competitors have ever done before, take a position that’s
bold and imaginative, paint a picture of the future that your customers want to live in, and then
put your whole company into motion creating that vision.
It’ll inspire people. Right or wrong, the world loves visionary companies with the courage to
lead. Instead of fighting to get people to talk about you, they’ll be chasing you to find out what’s
going to happen next.

4. Turn Your Product Launch into an Event
When Apple launches a new product, you don’t see some PR lackey trundling out onto the
stage to read a press release. They stage an entire event around it, going so far as to even
close their online store, so that everyone knows something important is happening and they
need to pay attention.
And who do you have at center stage? None other than the CEO of the company, Steve Jobs.
He isn’t so much a speaker as a showman, spending days or even weeks leading up to the
launch planning his every word and gesture so that it leaves the audience spellbound.
And it works, not just for Steve, but for everyone. If you have the budget for it, throw a big
press event for your product announcements. If not, at least have some kind of online event. If
you make a big deal about your product launch, both your potential customers and the media
are likely to take it more seriously, and it’ll be reflected in your product sales.
7. Draw out the Suspense for As Long As You Can
While Apple always makes a big deal about announcing new products, prior to those actual
announcements their product lines are shrouded in secrecy. And Apple will do almost anything
to protect that secrecy.
Look at what happened when a late prototype model of the iPhone 4 was found by some
bloggers. First, Apple denied they had any knowledge of the product, and then when details
were made public, they pursued legal action against the bloggers who wrote about it, setting an
example to deter future leaks about other products.
To make use of this strategy in your own company, take your hottest product and deliberately
release very, very few details about it. The mystery will drive your customer base into a frenzy.
When the iPad was getting ready to launch, the rumor mill was filled with speculation about
Apple’s new tablet, but no one really knew anything about it. People went so far as to create
realistic 3D mockups of it, hoping to get more readers for their websites and blogs. By the time
it actually launched, its reputation had grown to mythic proportions.