This is not a tech review. Plenty of tech reporters and bloggers out there will comb through the abundance or lack of features on Apple’s newest product launch of, perhaps the undeniably cool, iPad. But all of that is a non-starter for me. You see, first I can’t get past the name. And second, I was mesmerized by what was unfolding as Apple’s Steve Jobs was telling one story about the snazzy new debut of what looks like a giant iPod, and the social web was ablaze with commentary that was spurring quite another. The jokes were flying.
Quite frankly, I had to keep checking to make sure I got it right: Apple was now forever associated with feminine hygiene products…huh?! Could this uber-cool brand that seemed impervious to anything but branding excellence have taken this horribly wrong turn?
Yep.
The Wall Street Journal reported:
Within hours of the announcement, “iTampon” was a hot topic on Twitter. “iPad. Feminine protection for the future. And the future is now,” wrote one. Another: “So does this iPad thing mean that Apple has finally breached the gap between technology and feminine hygiene products?”
Also making the rounds in inboxes was an image of a sanitary napkin with Apple’s logo and the slogan: “iPad. Like a tampon. Only more expensive.”
Oddly, this is so ironic to me, as I’m gearing up to launch a campaign next week for one of my clients. Essentially, the cornerstone of this campaign is a proprietary research study we conducted where 1,000 affluent women from around the country were interviewed about their financial attitudes and behaviors in the wake of the recession. More to come later, but it’s a fascinating study, and one that reveals more and more women are controlling not only the purse strings, but are holding the CFO position in their household. Women have more money, more power, than ever before. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics recently reported that for the first time in history, women will surpass men in the workforce. Their own customer research aside, surely, the R&D department at Apple keep up to date on current events and the national economy, right?
Here we have Steve Jobs coming out yesterday to announce to the world the debut of a snazzy new gadget called — in all seriousness and importance — the iPad. APPLE! It’s so bad, it’s funny. But not funny in a ha-ha way, funny in a “Hey, Apple, you are starting to lose your grip. Not only on your brand, but your audience kind of way.”
Anyone who knows or works with me, knows my mantra is “Own your story.” Owning your story means that when you stand up to tell it to the world, you’ve also done your homework. Somehow, I don’t think the Apple folks, Steve Jobs included, considered just how badly the name iPad would be as a story detractor. Or, did they profoundly underestimate the consumer mind-set? As far as I can tell, the comments and jokes weren’t coming just from the female gender. It was almost as if guys were looking at their Master of All Things Cool, and saying, “Really , Steve, you want us to carry around an iPad, and we’re all ok with this?”
What do you think?
