Dan's brain Blog

iPod tipped

The iPod is a prime example of something that has tipped. In the first releases of the iPod they went out to bands like U2 and got them to collaborate from the start. The marketers also used college campuses like training grounds for the connectors. Once they had a feel for what design would be “sticky� they had to find the connectors to spread the word outside of the traditional advertising campaign that would follow. In order to do this Apple did what it does best, finds popular people to “hint� at the next thing. They knew that the college campuses would be their starting point. If you can get the connectors on campus to adapt your idea, product, or service you will also have a huge cadre of the other trait filled people carrying on that idea.

In other words if you showed up on campus the first day with the first (or second) release of the iPod and were a connector people would naturally attract to you and feel comfortable asking “what’s that?� Mavens would then go about telling everyone who would listen “did you see that thing that Xxxx had? How cool is that?� and your off to the races. Of course there is the risk factor of the first crowd rejecting your idea.

The other thing Apple had to do immediately was separate form from function. They knew that there would almost certainly be cheaper boxes that would do much the same thing (and there are) so they had to really create a tipping point on the basis of design. It had to be cool not just functional. They accomplished this by carefully crafting an image using music industry stars that connected with the widest variety of people and forming an image that would make mavens want to go about saying who had and did not have an iPod.

Currently the iPod owns 70% or more of the MP3 player market.