Sophie Langridge discusses the two sides to the iPad, the possible irrelevance of Sex and the City reviews and a reminder to marketers to be careful what they claim
The light and dark side of the iPad
Mr Stephen Fry himself, Apple Store London (courtesy of Stephen Fry)
It’s been a long time coming, but the Apple iPad is finally here. The BBC and The Daily Mail report of ‘iPad frenzy’ at Apple’s flagship store in London this morning and police were on hand to keep the crowd in order. Naturally Stephen Fry was Tweeting about it and posted this video.
Is this the negative side of generating a massive buzz around such a long-awaited product? I don’t think Apple will mind when sales figures are announced. According to a Deloitte report in the Telegraph, the success of the gadget will spark an interest in tablet computers, turning it in to one of the most lucrative consumer electronics sectors. One thing’s for sure, I’d like to get my hands on the must-have item, just to see what all the fuss is about.
However, it wasn’t all rosy for Apple this week. The Independent talks of a darker side to the boom in the electronic equipment industry. With the suicide of a tenth worker at the ‘iPad’ factory in China, activists are campaigning against poor working conditions. As the story develops, it will be interesting to see if there is a response from Apple, Nokia, Hewlett-Packard and Dell – all of which have components that are produced by the factory in question.
Sex and the City meets Abu Dhabi
Another thing that’s generating a massive buzz is the long-awaited sequel to Sex and the City (out now, in case you didn’t know). As the Mirror puts it, it’s ‘the ultimate Marmite move franchise’ – but love it or hate it, it simply has to be seen (if not by you, then definitely by someone you know). In PR terms, it’s a franchise that’s guaranteed to generate media coverage – but so far, it hasn’t all been great. For the Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw, it’s ‘an incredibly boring sequel’ worthy of just one star and Jenny McCarthy at the Telegraph goes just one better with two stars. But the question I have is how much do negative film reviews matter when, in the days of user-generated content, we’re all so keen to form opinions ourselves? I guess we’ll find out when the box office figures come out.
The lingering effects of recession
We here appreciate a little insight into the aftermath of recession and two particular survey stories covered by the Telegraph caught our attention this week. Research from the NSPCC showed that parents spend on average just 49 minutes with their children due to a lack of cash. Meanwhile, Travelodge statistics revealed that Britons have lost almost an hour’s sleep a night during the recession largely due to stress and worry. The idea of “pound sign parents” and the analysis of our sleeping patterns just go to show that strong survey results still make news, but be warned there’s nothing more annoying than a survey for survey’s sake.
Finally, be careful what you claim
From a PR point of view, it’s interesting to see what claims get squashed in advertising and this week as both Louis Vuitton and Eurotunnel suffered the wrath of the Advertising Standards Authority. The Daily Mail reports that the French design house was found guilty of misleading customers with two ads that claim to show ‘craftsmen’ – when the bags are predominantly made by machine, not by hand. Meanwhile, the Press Association reports an advert for Eurotunnel has been banned for claiming the service runs in any weather. Both cases serve to remind those in marketing to be careful what you claim – and remember that you’ve got to be able to back it up!
