I admit it up front, this is an article about Apple, but before you groan and move on, hear me out. I am not here to talk about the latest Apple tech, how good or bad it is blah blah blah. I want to take a look at how some significant failures have actually been good for Apple.
We have had the hype about Apple latest products for months now and as an Apple fan I was even getting fed up of it. The big day came just over a week ago and I sat patiently waiting for the keynote to start. I couldn’t believe I was drawn into this hype and if you had of asked me just two short years ago, I wouldn’t even have been bothered. Now I find myself looking forward to hearing what my next phone will have. Before it was even unveiled I knew I would be buying one. This is the power of Apple’s marketing. Within minutes of it starting, the live broadcast failed and it just went down hill from there. To say I was annoyed was an understatement and I couldn’t even begin to understand how a $600 billion company couldn’t handle a live broadcast. It was a significant failure.
Over the next few days it struck me that a company as big as Apple would not have had such an epic failure unless they wanted to. I reflected on this and realised that not being able to watch the keynote live actually made me want to know more, it encouraged me to pay more attention and engage with the hype more. Apple had managed to get me even more hooked.
A few days go past and it is time to place my pre-order. As I expected the site was hit hard by fellow Apple fans. After 45 minutes of cursing, I finally managed to place my order, only to see I wouldn’t receive it for 7 to 10 working days after release. I was again left feeling annoyed that Apple couldn’t provide enough stock at launch and yet again I realised that annoyance only made me want the device more. Apple are clever here, knowing that a few days won’t really make a difference to how I feel about the product, but it will increase the hype and the feeling of being special to those who managed to get a handset delivered on the launch date.
Apple are masters at failing to meet our expectations, yet actually building love for the brand and products at the same time!
I am still awaiting my new phone and will still love it! – Apple, I take my hat off to you for controlling your customers like this – maybe you should call your marketing team Apple Geniuses?
Well the answer is that failing is not always bad, it can actually lead to being more successful!
Tell me what you think in the comments below or on X @timdixon82
