#91 _Think Stupid: kill a product

In the real world of advertising, companies sometimes hand their entire future over into the hands of the ad agency. Could this be the case with Apple's ad budget and the death of the Newton?

Toasted bunnies, snails and smoking Intel action figures -- is it time to ask why the marketing giants design ad campaigns that put great products -- out of business.

In December I had conversations with both product departments for the Newton and eMate -- two outstanding Apple products -- both with the potential to move markets and change the future for the better. Through these conversations I learned that Apple is "...very satisfied with the advertising and marketing." There was this loud snoring sound in the background.

Obviously neither Apple nor their high-price agency gave any attention to anyone actually using Newton technology. Did Newton and eMate have to die? Would you be satisfied with unsuccessful marketing? Seriously: what would you do if your multi-million ad agency stopped making good ads? What if every million you spent with the agency put you two-million in the hole? The lights are on, but there's no one at home.

How about if you stopped looking at the way the consumer uses and enjoys the product? Scrap the success stories and testimonials of real problems being solved by the product. Ignore the bright transformation that takes place when you introduce middle school kids to the eMate. Walk away from the affluent parents perfectly willing to purchase eMates if the schools won't. Instead, let's think different! Let's put that kind of money into... something really fun, like a "think different" campaign or something.

What may have happened is the same thing that happened with eWorld. A conceptually outstanding product given over to the mercy of an army of MBAs at Apple and the agency -- being paid far too much -- huddled around their PowerPoint presentations at meetings with the other MBAs who will take another three months to prepare their PowerPoint presentations to begin to develop a presentation they can give to the feasibility committee so that an MBA can be hired to launch a study to determine if a series of presentations should be created to look into the declining sales of Newton and eMate.
"Hello, I'm out of the office all week. Please call on Monday to hear this message again."

Two years of finger-up-your-you-know-what marketing spells death. US Robotics swooped down and took the teeth right out of Apple's Newton market share. Know why? USR's agency recognized what the market actually wanted, 3Com took advantage of it. And it didn't take an agency nor an MBA to see that coming. Duh

Now, Gates comes with the PCPalmtop (read my lips: watch out 3Com!) but where's Apple??? Schmoozing with Chiat/Day someplace out in San Francisco, slapping each other on the backs at the unveiling of their new 30-second television commercial.

Apple's PR machine is right on top of it... 'Thinking different' no doubt with no less than a dozen press releases blowing www-DOT-do-dah,do-dah-Slash-bunny.html! One over-stimulated Apple zealot even attaches the entire 4.5 meg QuickTime movie to my email. Wait and see... Apple will probably measure the success of the ad by the number of hits at the 'Bunny" website.

How come they can't position ads to build a 2-for-1 stock split at $24 with a climb-out to $54 in 60 days (like some others we know about) instead of getting just hits? Will that small up-start company in Texas rub Apple's nose in the leavings of Newton? I certainly hope so.

What's next? The Intel/Mac on the horizon? The G4? I can hardly wait to see what morsels of wonderfulness the ivory tower spews forth next. Will we see fire-suited computer rangers dancing to thumping '70s disco music with Mac/OS on their suits? No? How about a toasted bunny pounding a drum that says "Think Stupid" ...

I'll have to close here... for some reason I've suddenly become nauseated.

Fred

Fred Showker is director of The Design & Publishing Center on the web at http://www.graphic-design.com/, and is a co-founder of both The User Group Forum on America Online, and The User Group Network at http://www.user-groups.net/. He has been a user group activist and supporter since 1984.

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Fred Showker, nationally recognized designer author and speaker, is a 25-year veteran of the graphics industry, with his own firm Showker Graphic Arts & Design. Heís an associate editor for the Mug News Service (MNS) as well as Home & School Mac. You can see Fred in action at any of his Design & Graphics workshops around the country sponsored by Dynamic Graphics Educational Foundation, InHouse Graphics, PrintFest and others. You can chat with him directly on America OnLine, where he is ìAFA Shwkrî, a forum assistant in the User Group Forum (UGF), or in eWorld as co-host of the WORKING SOLO forum.
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