Mainstream news outlets use the web heavily to supplement (or in some cases, overshadow) their broadcast or print counterparts, but the fact remains, tech writers were there long before the masses showed up. Tech journalists (and the technologies they bring into the spotlight) maintain an enormous advantage when it comes to share of voice online. And tech news isn’t just fighting general news for marketshare, it heavily influences what news outlets are now choosing for their top stories. Just look at Apple and the pending announcement of their new tablet computer. This isn’t just a trending topic on Twitter, it’s also mentioned as a top story on CNN, USA Today, and elevator screens across the country.

The implication? When possible, it is extremely important to time your PR efforts carefully so you are not competing for attention from the likes of Google, Microsoft, and Apple.

Obviously breaking news about the latest gadgets or operating system cannot always be predicted. These companies tend to be quite secretive about such matters. But that being said, there is still a great deal of predictions that can be made and implemented into an editorial calendar meant for brands you represent. Apple often schedules its conferences and Google is beginning to do so as well to build anticipation for their upcoming products. They don’t reveal the topic of discussion, but you will know when something big is coming. Additionally, conferences like the Consumer Electronics Show, E3, or SXSW are all scheduled far in advance. These events make web conversations soar, and they absolutely steal the spotlight from other categories of news in social media and mainstream blogs.

Do not plan your PR efforts in a vacuum.

Obviously not all campaigns can be shifted over a week or two, but when it is possible to have some flexibility with launch dates make sure you’re planning for maximum share of voice. Here are a tactics to help maximize your story vs. being crowded out by the tech crowd:

1. Create an evolving calendar which maps out known future conferences, announcements, etc. Keep launch dates away from those events.
2. Watch for spikes in tech news using free/paid monitoring tools. If you see something that might develop into a big story in a week or two, try to see if you can shift your launch to sooner or later.
3. Watch who you pitch based on current news. If the brand you represent is also going after tech bloggers or mainstream blogs that also cover tech news, you are much more likely to be ignored.
4. If possible try to latch onto pending tech news. This will only work with a certain type of product, but if your product/brand can ride the way of upcoming tech news, help it do so (but don’t get  yourself sued).
5. Select your channels carefully. Even traditional vehicles like newspapers are gobble up tech news these days, but if you do see a looming tech story on horizon, examine what places you might be able to have conversations that will be least likely to carry chatter about the latest nifty gadget from Cupertino.

This has been in the works for years, but what better time to capitalize on the success of the iPod and the iPhone like the present? Let’s face it: with our recent recession, there hasn’t been much to get excited about. There hasn’t been much in the way of innovative new consumer products hitting the market. So the timing couldn’t be any better, in my view.

Here’s the deal according to WSJ: this “tablet-like device” will offer TV and movie viewing capability; games, Internet, e-book and newspaper access. While Toshiba and Hewlett-Packard have similar Window-based tablet computers, “people briefed by Apple say the company intends to carve out a new product category,” according to WSJ.

Well, of course! Apple wouldn’t be Apple without going for a game changer in the marketplace. And there’s nothing like creating a brand new category, is there?

While Apple declines comment until the unveiling, speculation is building. According to sources, Apple’s new tablet will change the way consumers interface with a variety of content. A touch screen and live, up-to-the-minute information from numerous sources are rumored to be some of the product’s new features. There is also talk that content might be presented through color screens.

Downside? Price might be a factor. But who knows? If the new tablet is unique enough, offering ground-breaking innovations and maybe even a subscription to a nationwide Wi-Fi wireless service (WSJ article suggestion), price might not matter that much. Especially for consumers who are ever hungry for the new cool.

But all of this is exciting for lots of consumers. Firstly, for Apple’s legions of fans. Secondly, for tech junkies from around the globe. Thirdly, for Apple’s competitors, who are no doubt nervously awaiting the new multimedia device while feverishly planning their own launches to take it on.

How like Apple to build anticipation and excitement. Masterful marketing: to announce the new product unveiling is imminent, with a TA-DA moment planned for the end of the month, even though shipping won’t begin until March. The most brilliant part: letting the world know the company intends to create a new category…by changing the way people interact with content.

All of this got me thinking, why don’t more companies, large and small, generate excitement about their product innovations? Why don’t they build anticipation if they’ve created a new widget? Why shouldn’t we have more ‘Apples’ out there?

Questions:

• What do you think of the way Apple rolls out its new products? Do you think they do well to create an aura of mystery and anticipation? Or should they just announce an unveiling date and show the world their new game changer?
• Can you think of companies in other sectors that do a great job launching and marketing new products?
• Are there any specific companies you’re watching for potential game changers, that you’d like to share with the Daily Fix community?

I’d love to hear from you.

1. Create A Product With “Wow!” Value: It’s got water-cooler buzz already. “Did you hear Apple has a new laptop that’s so thin, it can fit into an envelope?” That’s pretty cool. And whether you need one or not, chances are you already want one.
2. Design Matters: It’s a great looking machine. With all sorts of cool features like a backlit keyboard (for “taking notes in darkened conference rooms” we’re told) and the iPhone influenced track pad that allows you to zoom in on web pages with your fingers. It’s cool enough that if you didn’t want one when you heard about it, you’ll change your mind when you see it.
3. Theater Matters: Steve Jobs stood on stage at MacWorld and had the machine delivered to him in a manila envelope. Pretty cool and that image got splashed in newspapers and magazine and web sites around the globe. It also provided Word-of-Mouthers with their “elevator speech” …. the quick synopsis of why this is so cool.
4. Consistency Matters: The TV commercial uses the envelope trick too, thus reinforcing the image of Jobs at MacWorld. It’s a simple product demo, but boy is it effective here. They’ve also imbued the commercial with the stark simplicity that defines the Mac aesthetic. Go online to view the promotional video on the Apple site and you’ll see the same aesthetic at play. Everything is consistent, everything is on message, even down to the casting and wardrobing of “John” the Apple store employee and guide. A lean 40something whose salt’n'pepper hair is swept up in a stylish “Ross” hairdo, the Jobs lookalike is dressed in a solid black long-sleeve t-shirt and delivers his speech in a soft mellifluous voice. It’s every bit as packed with Apple branding as the TV spot.
5. Get Ahead Of The Pack: Apple reaffirmed its reputation as a top innovator by introducing an innovative laptop that was extraordinarily thin. Even if the product is sort of a bust, the buzz it generates and the impression it leaves are priceless in terms of building Apple’s brand.

We dried it off with a towel and then a blow dryer, then let it sit undisturbed for close to a week. Then, the test: We plugged it in, and after a few long minutes iTunes recognized it. The Shuffle nonetheless seemed to have some issues: No matter how long we charged it, it did not signal a full charge. But when we turned it on–fingers crossed–it started right up with (I kid you not!) “I’ll Stand by You” by The Pretenders.
Curious, I Googled “iPod washing machine.” It turns out that the iPod vs. Washer is a battle that’s been fought many, many times.
The iPod hasn’t always been the victor. But in most scenarios the patient souls who gave the iPod the space and time to rehab in peace seem to have restored its functionality. (It’s the thoughtless souls who immediately started plugging it in and poking around who seemed to have suffered fatal losses.)
My resident 10-year-old was jubilant at the news of the resurrection. And so was her older brother, in part because he has worked so hard to customize its appearance for her. Apparently, the Shuffle has no moving parts, which makes it one tough little cookie in a run-in with a more powerful household appliance. And most of the jewels held up, too.

Our little adventure made me wonder whether Apple could make use of this bit of customer happiness in its marketing.
Certainly Apple wouldn’t want to recommend a periodic rinse cycle or create a cross-promotion with Whirlpool or Maytag. But, like the Shuffle-in-the-Shorts incident at our house, accidents happen.
iPods are so light and portable that the selling feature occasionally becomes an inadvertent liability. And when that happens, isn’t it nice to know that it can take a licking but keep on ticking? Isn’t it great that its design not just looks cool and functions intuitively, but is also smart and at least a little hearty?
So let me ask you, brilliant marketers: What should Apple do? What would YOU do, if you were the CMO of Apple? Ignore it, as Apple seems to have done? Or exploit it? And, if so, how?

What’s so special about logging on in the morning before school? Well, he figured out how to optimize his KinzCash earning power. You see, has to wait 8 hours between jobs so he can earn KinzCash in the morning and then take another job in the afternoon. He’s a well oiled KinzCash earning machine, so of course my daughter wants to play too, but she can barely read right now.
Instead of letting her sleep in, he wakes her up so she can earn some KinzCash and this means she needs to use my wife’s laptop. He helps her boot it up and log on to her Webkinz account. By the time he leaves for school, she is still online but she now lost her helper and needs to turn to my wife for support.
Unfortunately for Mary, her iPod is also attached so it can be charged for the day. Not only is it getting in my daughter’s way, but as usual, it keeps popping up iTunes to let her know about all the good updates she needs. She can’t unplug it because she needs to charge it, but my young daughter doesn’t understand why this popup ad for iTunes (that’s what it really is) is ruining her playtime.
So, who wins in the end between iPods and Webkinz? The iPod wins but not after my wife is sufficiently annoyed with iTunes. Besides, we count the time she spends on Webkinz as TV time and enough was enough.
However, before the iPod/Webkinz battle is finished, I found my wife sitting at the kitchen table with a phone book (yes, she had the waste of a paper weight in her well-manicured fingers) in her hands.
“Mary, what are you doing with a phone book?” I asked not realizing a power struggle is raging in my den.
“I’m looking for a gym nearby so our daughter can try a new gym. Oh wait, here I found it. Can you wait a sec hon?” she answered back as she went to dial the phone. “Hi, I’m looking to sign up my daughter for a gym…err, what? You aren’t a gym? Oh, I’m sorry I have the wrong number.”
“Mary, why don’t you just Google it (note proper use of the word) instead of wasting your time with that novel?”
“I can’t. Oh wait a second, I dialed the wrong number. Here it goes. ‘Yes, hi, my daughter would like to take a test class to see if she likes your gym…. No, she isn’t 6 yet, but wait isn’t this the same gym that Jane Smith takes a class?… No?… Oh, that’s a different location. Do you have the number for that location? Great. Thanks.’” Mary finally hangs up the phone and quietly curses the phone book.
“See I told you, you should have Googled it. Why did you waste your time with…” Before, I can finish my question that would have ended sarcastically, Mary interrupts and yells….
“Look, I can’t use my laptop because your daughter is on Webkinz and she needs help. Plus, every two minutes iTunes pops up over her screen which drives her crazy. She can’t minimize it and it continues to pop up to let me know about some new song I could care less about. So, don’t come downstairs to tell me to Google it. We’ve got Webkinz, iPods, and Yellow Pages…”
Oh my….
Eric

Today’s Wall Street Journal contained an article titled “How Apple’s Store Strategy Beat the Odds.” It seems that Apple is enjoying phenomenal success in opening high-end retail stores in malls and other high-traffic areas across the United States. According to the article, Apple says the stores have been profitable for several years, providing $151 million in operating income in 2005.

This of course, is in stark contrast to Gateway’s failed attempt at creating something similar through its Gateway Country stores–in 2004 Gateway closed 188 company-run retail stores.

To be fair, Gateway was first with a national roll out of manufacturer-led stores featuring computers, accessories and educational classes. Gateway experienced the growing pains associated with early adoption including getting store layout right, and effective merchandising. However, it’s also pretty clear that Mr. Jobs learned a thing or two from Gateway’s mistakes.

With a new store about to open on Fifth Avenue, across from Central Park in New York City, Apple can teach us a few lessons.

First and foremost, and typical of Apple, Mr. Jobs has made sure that those entering the Apple store get the “Apple Experience.” That means the stores are open, airy and the interior design is simple. Products are featured with minimalist interpretation and without clunky merchandising displays. And sales people know the product features and can competently articulate product benefits.

Design is also a key component of the Apple Stores. In fact, for the Fifth Avenue store, “all that is visible from the street is the entrance, surrounded by roughly three-story-high glass cube jutting from the ground, reminiscent of I.M. Pei’s glass pyramid at the entrance to the Louvre museum in Paris.”

Gateway Country stores had computers, classes, accessories, plasma screen TV’s and were also well merchandised. However, very few Gateway Country stores received press attention, much less people lined up around the block for grand openings. What gives?

I think the key lesson for marketers can be summed up in one word: cachet. At all times, Mr. Jobs endeavors to give us something unique, distinct and authentic. The iPod, for example, can be customized and personalized with our own music and TV shows. And within each Apple store, Mr. Jobs has designed a stunning glass staircase with the effect in mind to get people to walk up to the second floor and see more merchandise.

As a customer, you’ll be engulfed by all aspects of the Apple experience. And that’s just the way Mr. Jobs wants it.

Back in 2001, former Apple CFO, Joseph Graziano griped, “Apple’s problem is it still believes the way to grow is serving caviar in a world that seems pretty content with cheese and crackers.”

Forget the cheese and crackers Mr. Graziano. I think crow pâté might be in order.