We will start with 3D TV. When 3D hit the scene people were told it would revolutionize the way we watch TV in our homes. Every company from LG to Sony developed a 3D TV and let the consumer know why there's was the best. The early adopters went out and ensured they had the largest one on the market. I would like to say however that yes, 3D TV is very cool. It is a thrill the first time you really do see a great program designed for 3D, however it certainly did not meet the hype. I don't just want to say "it did not live up to the hype" without offering some support to my point and to take a deeper look into the issue. The issue really is expectations. As I stated, we were told it would revolutionize something very dear to our hearts - TV. The marketing teams set extremely high expectations without ever really taking a deep look into how the consumer would really receive this new product. Yes like I said the 3D TV is very cool, however it is a long way off revolutionizing TV. Way off. How could the product ever live up to the kind of hype the marketers created? It would be near impossible. I do use the word near because from time to time a product truly does revolutionize the way we live. For instance the cell phone. The challenge with hype is to ensure the product truly can live up to the stage that is built for it.
Apple is another great company who utilizes hype. In the past Apple has created some of the best hype in the industry. Big events with flashy lights and stages. Steve Jobs pacing around a stage captivating an audience. In its hay day Apple was at the top of the hype game. However they have fallen from cloud 9. The Apple faithful and really the whole world would hang on the genius of Jobs. When his new products launched people would wait hours in line for the chance to hold the gadget au jour. The hype was justified in these particular cases, Apple was knocking down walls and expanding the industry. However the last few years have left us with a stale taste in our mouths. The same big events were scheduled. The secrecy was still there, however there was a lot missing. The events left us with versions 1.1 of products we had already seen. The hype was the same but the delivery was lacking. Jobs was missing from the stage and a front facing camera was no longer enough to drops the jaws of tech fans world wide. Hype can not live a prolonged life without support. Lets face it, if we are continually let down by these events and left wanting more, we are going to stop watching. It is not easy to revive hype once you lose it and unfortunately that is the road Apple may be heading down. Remember, Apple does not need to revolutionize the world every time they hold a presser, but they also can not hype the event as if they plan to. Save the hype for something that truly deserves it, not a front facing camera...
The fact of the matter is we will never escape hype, and we wouldn't want to. However we also will perpetually be trapped between true awe and the defeat of utter disappointment. Don't let us down!
Image via Demotix
No comments:
Post a Comment