This is a brief iPad case study that shows how the iPad first became successful. It’s all in the marketing.
When the iPad first came out, I remember it got some negative reviews. People were calling it “the most useless product of the year”, and were asking “what the hell is it used for?”. Back then, I personally thought it was just a fancy but useless accessory. I didn’t get it, because if I wanted to work, I’d use my laptop, and if I needed internet access on the go, then I’d use my smartphone. So how did Apple turn the iPad into a success? It was the marketing strategy. The iPad was 1st promoted as a “prize”. Hundreds of iPads were given away to contests as prizes. Everywhere you looked on Facebook, you saw contests that said “win an iPad”. This gave the iPad value.. and changed its image into an object of desire… a “prize”. Before you knew it, the iPad became successful.. it caught up and became a trend if you wish to call it that. One has to give credit where it’s due though.. the product itself is a well designed, well finished one with emphasis on user experience. Hadn’t it been well done, it wouldn’t have succeeded in filling its marketed “prize” image.
Pros:
- Easy to use
- Small and slim
- Good for business presentations
- Good for entertainment / internet surfing as a smaller alternative to a laptop and a bigger alternative to a smartphone
Cons:
- Relatively expensive
- No keyboard
- No Flash support
- Issues of syncing Apple products with PC
Verdict:
You decide… Do you want one? Do you really need one? Whether you really do or not, the verdict is that Apple has a killer marketing strategy.
Here’s a link to another article about the iPad’s marketing strategy:
http://www.fieldassignment.com/2011/03/ipad-marketing-strategy.html
You can buy an iPad from Amazon:
