The iPod is a big hit. The very first iPod worked only on Macs. Considering the market share of Macs, sales figures for iPod were astonishing. I want to mimic this success, so I was searching for why the iPod is so successful. Now, I've found the answer.
Not Products, Not Ads
The iPod has cool features, like a click wheel, but good products won't sell by themselves; good marketing sells products. Apple always comes up with powerful ads. You may not own a Mac, but I'm sure you remember many Mac ads. That's how powerful their ads are. But, those powerful ads aren't good enough. Remember, the first iPod only worked on Macs.
White Ear Buds
Then, I heard some columnists saying the iPod succeeded because of its white ear buds. That makes sense. An iPod can fit in a pocket or purse, the things other people can see are the ear buds. Before the iPod came out, no one cared about ear buds' colours. In the middle of the "black ear buds" era, Apple brought out white ear buds. Those white ear buds caught people's attentions and piqued their curiosity; people couldn't stop checking out the iPod. The white ear buds made iPod users walking billboards for Apple and its hot new product.
How to Emulate
To mimic the iPod's success, show people something they have never seen before. This sounds impossible, but Apple did it just by changing the colour of the ear buds. You need to forget about all the rules, i.e. forget about grammar and create the grammatically incorrect ad copy, like "Think Different." However, there is a fine line between being creative and being stupid. If Apple had chosen pink for the ear buds, the iPod might not be as successful as it is today. You have to be careful when predicting what outcomes your think-outside-box project brings, and then begin working on the project that will bring you success.
© December, 2007