Over the edge of illusion - Secrets of Apple PR-Success (Part 4)
Makradar Technologies / / December 19, 2019
(Part 1)
(Part 2)
(part 3)
From Apple, probably the best in the world of public relations department (public relations, PR). This is especially significant during the development and launch of new products, because no one technology company can not call such a resonance with their innovations. Before the first time, users can see the new Apple product and touch it, the company carefully plans all of its public Remarks and references to it, control the leak, organizes briefings for journalists privileged, closed the presentation on which can only be accessed by invitation and, finally, early testing for pre-selected, positive-minded media representatives. Nothing ride, on those rare occasions when Apple does not control the initial promise, it corrects it using his powers to bring elaborate answers in an informal order.
Except for some moments, PR-strategy was flawless for years. But it also creates tensions between Apple and the people who cover the events happening around us. Katie Cotton, is the head of the department of public relations for almost twenty years,
He left the company this year,When Tim Cook has shown the desire to change the ways in which Apple has interacted with the media and their consumers. As the search for a replacement for Cotton is still in the process and the seriousness of the company remains unclear, we consider methods that Apple used to manipulate the press and media for all these years old.Failures from Apple Maps to Beats and The Phantom Empire
Most failures in Apple's modern history can be counted on the fingers of one hand. But because of the size and history of the company, each of which attracted the attention of the world community. Most observers agreed that the biggest Apple failure was antennageyt iPhone 4 problem. At that time, the number of reports on this issue has continued to grow, Steve Jobs took a long break before delivered to the press.
Until Friday press conference in 2010 on the iPhone 4 negative comments off scale, as well as dedicated to his videos on YouTube. The problem then was charged heads of engineering departments. Tim Cook, like all of us, is not perfect, but he is trying as quickly as possible to respond to the identified problem, until it turned into a serious crisis.
Cards
Trying to describe the failure of Apple Maps, a member of the PR-company team said that "it is not just" because "many people are upset by the fact that Scott [Forstall] did not take responsibility for their product." One of the staff told me that felt like he was "trying to evade responsibility", it turned into a game and just unpleasant situation. Cook, in turn, did not wait long to resolve it. After just a few days after the release of iOS 6, he has shown his leadership qualities and "began to turn Apple's best company both internally and externally."
Cook apologized in a letter to users of the maps and decided to say goodbye to Scott Forstall, expanding the powers of Johnny Ive, Eddy Cue and Craig Federighi. "Tim, along with the PR-department and a team of product marketing, has played a huge role in the writing of the letter," says one of the employees.
After the incident with antennageyt, Cook knew how best to proceed when faced with a real problem. Instead of looking like leaders accuse each other, sitting at a round table, he took responsibility and promised to find a solution to this problem. Whatever you may think about it, it was an important moment in the history of Apple's management, given that Scott Forstall predicted future position of the head of Apple. And now, despite numerous internal problems and disadvantages Maps team dedicated to Apple Maps is clearly moving forward.
Beats
The acquisition of Beats Electronics and Beats Music has demonstrated one of the Apple internal culture issues. When in various publications have appeared that kupertinovtsy purchased it, PR-team could not react in time, because they do not have sufficient information. Internal company culture requires that sensitive information is only a narrow circle of people was acquainted, so the PR-department could not respond because it has only the information that was lit in MEDIA.
Usually, when there is a leak of information, PR-group goes to the appropriate department to find out how it is accurate. Then she decides how to comment on this incident in their circles, print or even leave it unattended. In addition, these allow us to trace leaks Apple's, how users react to a particular new product. And, if you have time, make it something useful changes. Sometimes the leak is due to Apple's very, in other cases, due to individual enthusiasts. But when the press gets some information, do not touch the product, and corporate policy, then the PR-team is always trying to protect the company.
The Phantom empire
Another unpleasant situation for Apple is a book of the former Wall Street Journal reporter Yukari Iwatani Kane "The Phantom Empire: Apple After Steve Jobs." The journalist described the Apple in dark tones, saying that the company's best years far behind, as at the helm now is Tim Cook instead of Steve Jobs.
Surprisingly, the PR-team had not made any statement, opinion about this book expressed themselves managers of the company. In a letter to CNBC, Tim Cook wrote:
"This is the same nonsense as well as many other books written about Apple. It does not convey the spirit of Apple, Steve, or anybody else from the company. Apple employs 85,000 workers who come every day to perform the best job, to create the best products in the world to leave their mark on history, and make the world better. It was Apple meaning from the first day of its existence and will remain so for decades to come. I am confident in our future. History of Apple knew many doubters, but they only make us stronger. "
Phil Schiller challenged on his Twitter taste preferences to vehicles described in the book, and Eddy Cue said that Steve never gave up in his face the handle, as claimed by Yukari Iwatani Kane. While these statements may seem very trivial, it should be noted that Apple executives rarely give their opinion about the books publicly. That is, they have taken the initiative, without waiting for the reaction of his PR-team. According to the staff, from the cook it was a very "dzhobsovsky" step. The negative reviews of "The Phantom Empire" quickly flooded many online publications covering the Apple event. Was involved in the apple company itself, we certainly do not know, we can only speculate.
Product reviews and publications
Every important event of the company PR-team, of course, pays particular attention. This can even be judged by the number of journalists who do the first review of the new iPhone, iPad and Mac. Every new Apple device applies to the Holy Grail, and so trusted by his only selected journalists, positively tuned to the apple company. All devices that fall into the hands of such masters as Walt Mossberg, David Pogue and Ed Baig, perfect in every sense of the word. They do not have any flaws or the slightest scratch.
Walt Mossberg has long been a respected columnist for Wall Street Journal, and then founded his own website Re / code. Pogue was the leading technology The New York Times, and now heads the technical department Yahoo. And Ed Baig for a very long time, is a columnist for USA Today. These journalists do not only work in major news publications, but this happy trio has access to all new Apple devices since 2007. Two of them were mentioned in the biography of Steve Jobs written by Walter Isaacson, as journalists, who really care about the future of the company.
In recent years, Apple has expanded the number of editions, which are allowed to review the products before they appear on the shelves, including CNET, The Verge and Engadget. Since the end of 2011, Apple has shifted its focus from Engadget on The Verge, which indicates that the PR-team sometimes focuses more on the authors of the publication, and not on themselves surveys. In the season of the iPhone 4S and iPad with Retina display former Engadget editors formed the The Verge, which automatically given access to the new edition of Apple's products, which has been deprived itself Engadget.
Another interesting fact is that Apple gives privilege not only of major publications, but also bloggers, such as John Gruber and Jim Deylrimpl. These bloggers Apple fans have access to the latest product, being able to do some of the first reviews of different products. Some publications even wondered why Apple pays attention to them, because they have much less subscribers than in the same Bloomberg, Time or WIRED. Others have said that Apple is keeping them as lackeys who can, if necessary, to someone later.
The table shows how Apple editions gave the first opportunity to examine their products or, on the contrary, deprived them of this privilege. Gizmodo wrote about the iPhone 3GS in 2009, but then fell out of favor since the first iPad. The situation with the prototype iPhone 4 finally decided the fate of Gizmodo, and they never got Apple devices for the first reviews. Macworld, which was once a partner of Apple, too, has stopped receiving device since the release of the iPad with Retina screen. Rumor has it that the reason for this was not a very good relationship with the publication PR-team Apple.
In other cases, Apple offers its device-specific publications, such as, for example, AnandTech. They were among the first to receive Phone 5s and iPad Air 64-bittnym processor. BoingBoing, resource specializing in culture, also received the right to review the first iPad and the iPhone 4 when Apple wanted to bring their products to the masses all over the world. The Root, telling about African-American culture, was also able to examine in more detail the first iPad model.
In the words of Brian Lam: «Apple might even say, what should be a review, and they will not give you the ability to write it, if you refuse to play by their rules." In other words, Apple itself decides who to give a piece of cake, but someone left quite hungry.
After a special Apple event offers authors' Guide reviewer ", in which it is written, what key points they should pay attention. These booklets contain a large number of phrases that we can find on the official site of the apple company.
For example, the booklet says that the iPad Air and iPad mini Retina - it is, in general, the same device, but with different screen sizes. "Both the iPad Air and iPad mini Retina screen provides the same user experience, there is only a question: what size is right for you" - is written in the manual. The first reviews and argued that we face exactly the same device. But the real test showed that Apple was very far from the truth. iPad Air screen is much better in terms of color, and its faster processor than the iPad mini Retina. Subsequent editions have decided to carry out a complete product testing, while Apple did not have time to present them with any claim.
Access to the latest models of iPhone or iPad has become a kind of game, and perhaps even a curse than a blessing. Even when the device is already in the hands of reviewers, Apple, and then manages them shrouded in mystery. So one of the authors said that «Apple requires that no one knew what the device is for me, so I write, edit the text and videos myself." So make a good product review - this is not an easy task.
On the review of the device takes several days, and, for instance, The Verge, as they claim, publish them as soon as they are ready to leave. But there are reports that Apple itself dictates to them, when they released a survey, usually on a Tuesday or Wednesday, at six o'clock, as the product will be on the shelves on Friday. Others publications specifically ignore the release of new Apple devices to remain on its part independent of the control.
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