Apple turns to the habits of users with ‘Life on iPad’

Published November 26, 2013 at 8:09 am

Apple can be accused of being a little monolithic, but its new campaign looks to highlight real people.

These days, we have more easily available evidence than ever before that we are not alone on this Earth. It’s so easy to find footage or blogs created  on portable devices by other users that it almost seems to be a shame to ignore it in your advertising, especially since it’s often of surprisingly high quality.

So it’s worth pausing a second to think: is there a particular way that your most recent business campaign can incorporate user-generated content? The result might be that little boost of populism that your company is looking for.

With its “Life on iPad” initiative, the computer company is spotlighting the specific and perhaps unexpected ways that customers are using its products, particularly the iPad. The videos and promotional articles accompanying this marketing push focus on the many different ways the familiar slab can be put into use in professional environments, from making wine to conducting open heart surgery.

The subjects of these studies are profiled in ways that make their professions seem different, yet keep the iPad firmly in the center of the message.

Now, this is obviously different from drawing upon user-submitted material to create an ad campaign, but the same principle of focusing on the things that make your product work from the customer’s point of view can be applied to pretty much any kind of advertising plan that you have.

But it’s important to make sure your message comes across as  genuine, as your audience is liable to be skeptical without ample proof of your sincerity.