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A Bite out of Apple

Posted: September 10, 2014, 3:11 p.m.
by Connor Fox.

“Think Different.” One of the most recognizable campaign slogans in the late 1990s illuminated the efforts of Apple Inc. to begin a new era with innovation. And that it did. Apple products now speak for themselves and have come to be more of a cultural phenomenon than just simply technology. If someone doesn’t own at least one product, then they’ll eventually buy into this widespread culture.

On Tuesday of this week, Apple held one of its grand keynote events to unveil several new products, including a newer version of the iPhone and the sleek Apple Watch. Per usual, the heavily covered cultural event was complete with unbridled anticipation and excitement from many, like New Year’s Eve in Times Square awaiting the ball to drop at midnight. Whether you watched the livestream or not, odds are you at least knew something from the overwhelming coverage and all the buzz it created on your timeline, as well as every other social media platform out there (especially Twitter). But what didn’t you see afterward?

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A missing piece
While keynote events and announcements create these social media storms, Apple continues to sit in the backseat of the online conversation on social media. To this day, the company still remains absent from many prominent platforms. Although Twitter accounts for iTunes and the App Store do exist to promote related content, there are no official, corporate-run accounts on Facebook, Twitter or even Instagram dedicated to Apple products and news.

The majority of Apple’s current social media presence stems from its YouTube page, which has more than 2,000,000 subscribers. Any commercials or online campaigns appear there as complements to the main website, with the most recent example of the Your Verse campaign videos for iPad. However, the comments section for each video is disabled, leaving no room for conversation or interaction from users on YouTube.

So how ironic is it that in this social-media-driven age, which was spurred by access to popular products like the iPhone and iPad, Apple doesn’t have an overarching presence on two of the most popular platforms?

Finding the piece
Corporations have used social media as a tool for establishing two-way communication with their publics at all times. The trend for successful brands in the modern era seems to integrate online components across multiple platforms to optimize their reach. Though Apple’s lack of activity on social media hasn’t necessarily affected its success, it could still benefit from an increased presence.

After years of effective brand management, online communication from Apple still seems narrow and limited in this digital age. Upon the original announcement of the iPod and iPad, many doubted their success and still continue to do so, according to an article from USA Today about a decline in Apple stock after this week’s announcements. With few outlets to respond to doubts beyond fast facts on the website and visuals on YouTube, it’s time to widen communication efforts. The company’s capable of sparking a conversation by not saying much at all while we do all the talking, but imagine what Apple could bring to the table with more engagement on social media. Just as it has done before, the company’s ingenuity could expand interactions and create new approaches to cultivating this modern culture.

For a company so ingrained in many aspects of our daily lives, what is it waiting for?

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