Marketing lessons from Apple’s new wearable.

By Luke Sklar & Amber Hudson

We’ve got another Great Debate from Luke and Amber.  This round:  the Apple Watch.  Luke is on the Pro side and Amber on the Con.  We’ll go age before beauty, as they say…

 

Apple Watch:  Pros

  • It’s a beacon for the advancement of technology: how small can our devices get (sorry Samsung, smaller is better) and how many devices can converge into one
  • It allows the wearer to surreptitiously check their email without seeming rude
  • It will unleash a wave of entrepreneurship behind new apps
  • And really, it’s just cool and super stylish

Apple Watch: Cons

  • You need to have your iPhone on you for it to work…so what’s the point???
  • It’s making us even more device-driven (Watch + iPhone + iPad + Apple TV + Macbook)
  • It’s giving the mindless tech drones something new to brag about. Google Glass anyone?
  • We’re one step closer to the world envisioned in Wall-e, where you don’t have to lift a finger to do anything, even check your email.

Regardless of whose side you’re on, the Watch is yet another Apple case study for the marketing darlings:  does your brand have the ability to create the demand vs. simply meet the demand? Is it able to command a premium price as a well-designed product should?   So tell us, whose side are you on?