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How Apple Sold Me on the iPad: Websites Still Matter

Apple’s ability to generate mega interest in new product launches and press conferences is truly brilliant. As is common with most media consumption today, I actually didn’t watch the press conference in real time – neither on TV nor streaming. Rather, I caught little bits and pieces of it from CNN headlines and iReports, Huffington Post blurbs, Tweets, Facebook posts, and maybe 2 minutes of Fox News coverage as I passed by a television on my way to get a cup of coffee. Much of what influenced me during Wednesday’s buzz frenzy was commentary on the product’s ridiculous name. Here’s my favorite rendition of that hullabaloo. Don’t click if you aren’t amused by feminine hygiene sketch comedy!

After consuming all of that buzz, I just wasn’t that impressed. My takeaway was that this was a giant iPod Touch with a terrible name. But all of that buzz did motivate me to visit apple.com and check out the product. And that’s when my opinion shifted. I was converted from mildly intrigued to full-on salivating. And I think this brings up an interesting point about distributed media. Although the consumer’s fragmented media habits make it critical to adopt a distributed approach, marketers should not neglect their own sites. When a consumer is hungry for more information, they should not be disappointed if they make the effort to type in your URL.

For me the coup de grace was Apple.com’s product video. Now let’s face it, a 7+ minute product video is not something I’m going to take the time to watch from just any old brand. But with all of this buzz behind it, I figured it was at least worth watching the first 30 seconds. Apple, by leveraging their genius ability to cast their own employees (some hipsters but mostly middle-aged, white guys wearing golf shirts) and still make the video engaging, had my attention until the bitter end. I thought one small nuance was especially smart. Rather than showing people sitting on their couch using the product, they changed the perspective so that the camera positioning seemed to put the product in my very own lap while I sat on the couch. Suddenly, it wasn’t hard for me to envision playing the Yahtzee app on iPad with my husband without craning my neck to see his roll on the iPhone. I could picture myself as the first in my book club to show up with an iPad instead of a paper back. With the ease of a car salesman inviting me to picture the car in my own garage while handing over the keys, Apple got to me.

It goes without saying that the market will soon be flooded with advertisements about iPad, consumer reviews, and even more buzz about if/how the iPad will change user experience design, browsing habits, and media consumption. All of these things will most definitely impact audiences and sales. Despite all of the mixed messages and short clips that had me skeptical, thanks to a visit to a product website, at least one consumer (that’s me) is already sold.