Friday, January 29, 2010

The iPad: A Strategic PR Move?


Yesterday in my Marketing Research class my instructor brought up an issue that Twitter and other media networks are buzzing about currently: The iPad. The name has provoked many jokes revolving around a certain feminine hygiene product, but you have to give them one thing - people are talking about it.

Because of the nature of the class, my instructor thought the name may have been a mistake due to the lack of “marketing research” and thought perhaps there were no women in the focus groups when the name was decided. Although most of the class chuckled at the name, myself and a few others thought differently.

I had just read an article about the iPad in the Wall Street Journal before coming into class and the first thing that came into my mind was “notepad.” I actually thought that it was a good name being as though it maintained Apple’s well-known brand identity with the “iP” in iPhone and iPod.

Once I realized the nature of the name that was provoking jokes and heard about the reactions, I decided that this could possibly be a great strategic PR move. So many people were buzzing about the new product, and name, that the joke “iTampon” even became a trending topic on Twitter.

As one person in my class put it: “People are talking about it and awareness and hype is being generated. Will the name really deter people from purchasing the product? Probably not.”

What do you think of the name “iPad?” Was it a strategic move or did Apple really just forget to do their marketing research among women?

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