Last week, Amazon released its new entry into the tablet market with its low-priced “Fire.”
Before the release event, the name of the device, the price of the device, and most of the features of the device were leaked out. So that before the day of the event, the story of the “Fire” had already been told by journalists and news media. That’s one way to do it.
As you probably know, when Apple releases anything like its iPhone 5 today, there is secrecy, lawsuits, and all kinds of drama that will surround their efforts to make sure that any details about the device get out. These are two stark and contrasting approaches to marketing or branding or mooing out loud. Why?
It’s very important that you understand that Apple’s secrecy is not about sales. It’s not about being clandestine. It’s about the relentless commitment to tell their story first, whether it’s an iPhone, iPad, or something else. They want to be the first in print, and on video, to be telling the story of these products. Amazon allows others to begin to tell the story and loses impact and, I believe, longterm sales.
So which is right? Well because Amazon is such a juggernaut, it seems as though it doesn’t matter. But since you and I aren’t, I’ll tell you that being the first to tell your own story about your brand, your business, your product or your service is essential. That’s why marketing, advertising, and branding are all about telling your own story: why you’re here, what you do, why what you do matters, what your perspective is, what your solutions are going to be. It allows you to tell a compelling story and have people judge you for what you offer, not what other people have said about you. There’s a big difference.