The iPad is coming! The iPad is coming! Whoops! It’s finally here. Though I believe the iPad has some critical flaws for such a device, it will undoubtedly be massively popular and will likely present marketers with tremendous opportunities for user engagement. The question for marketers, naturally, is how best to seize the opportunity.
What’s New – Not Your Father’s iPod Touch
The iPad is sometimes referred to as a large iPod Touch and while the user interface is similar to that of the iPod Touch and the iPhone, there are two major differences that make the device much more interesting as a vehicle for marketing communications – size and speed.
The iPhone and iPod Touch are essentially pocket-sized computers. Their small size makes them great for finding bite-sized information on the go. The devices, especially the iPhone, are great always-in-touch, information-at-your-fingertips devices. What is more difficult with the smaller ‘i’ devices is consuming large amounts of content. Reading books, watching movies, browsing full versions of web sites are all challenging on a device with a 3-inch screen. The iPad’s size makes it far more practical as a media consumption device.
The iPad’s position as a media consumption device is strengthened by its speed. Apple designed and built a CPU specifically for the iPad so that the user experience would be blazing fast. They wanted users to be able to turn the pages of books without delay and watch movies without the stuttering seen on many computers. The result is a device designed to provide its users with an experience that feels more like a desktop or powerful laptop than a mobile device.
Why the iPad Matters
People have their own thoughts on the technological importance of the iPad – whether it is revolutionary or evolutionary. I’ll leave my thoughts on that for another time. Regardless of which ‘-lutionary’ the iPad is, it undoubtedly presents users with a more accessible perspective on the tablet form factor. To that end, it will lead to greater prevalence of tablets by both individual consumers and business users.
In the short term, the iPad’s audience will be early adopters, particularly those with wealth or who otherwise have large amounts of discretionary income. Apple’s goal, however, is for the iPad to be ubiquitous. They would like the iPad to be within the reach of almost every media consumer in the country, if not the world. In the meantime, the early adopters represent a unique opportunity for marketers to reach the ultimate consumer – high-income, tech savvy, heavy consumers of media content.
Not to be overlooked is the new type of relationship users will have with their mobile devices thanks to the iPad and other tablets. The iPad brings to the fore the idea that people can access full-sized content on a device lighter (1.5 pounds) and more convenient than a laptop. This new relationship modality is what allows the iPad to be such a tremendous opportunity for marketers.
The iPad and Marketers
Before getting into some potential opportunities, it’s important that I explain the means by which marketers can reach users on the iPad. Just like with the iPhone and iPod Touch, there are three methods by which marketers can interact with iPad users:
- Web Sites – Marketers can create custom web sites which render content in a format specifically designed to meet the needs of iPad users. Such sites can take advantage of technologies like HTML 5 to play videos and display rudimentary Flash type animations. An iPad web site could live side-by-side with your existing company web site.
- Web Applications – Actually a type of web site, web applications are functional web sites designed specifically for iPad users. These sites look and behave similarly to native applications but can be limited in their scope because they are loaded like a web site rather than a native iPad application.
- Applications – You’ve likely seen applications running on an iPhone or an iPod Touch. At the very least, you’ve probably seen the “There’s an App for That” commercials. iPad users can log into the iTunes App Store and buy applications which extend the functionality of the iPad – just as you can buy applications for your personal computer. Where the web sites and web applications require access to the network for usage, the iPad application does not. Additionally, iPad applications allow access to the full iPad user experience while the previous options are limited to what is accomplishable on the web.
Your company could use any and/or all of these options to engage iPad users. Deciding on which to use should be done on a case-by-case basis. No matter which option(s) you select, however, one key to success is remembering that on the iPad the experience matters.
As mentioned earlier, the small size of the iPhone inclines itself to being used for data-driven type functionality – such as reading a weather forecast or finding a great restaurant. The iPad’s size makes it much more appealing for more experiential endeavors. Rather than just demonstrating the weather with icons and numbers, as is generally the case on the iPhone, the iPad can make the weather experiential with video, maps, animations and, perhaps, a gallery of pictures from the requested city – much as you might see on your desktop computer. By taking advantage of the greater screen real estate, marketers can offer users a more engaging experience on the iPad than on the iPhone.
Marketing on the iPad
The experiential approach afforded to marketers by the size of the iPad’s screen and its speed could potentially lead marketers to think about the iPad in the same way they would a regular computer. In the short-term such thinking would be misplaced. Instead, marketers should think of the iPad experience as living between the bite-sized, data-driven approach of the iPhone and the over-arching, productivity-driven approach of a notebook or desktop computer.
To that end, marketing on the iPad should offer users an experience that differs from those available on other devices. Below, we offer a few examples of ways marketers in different industries might build an iPad marketing program. Each of these examples is based on native applications downloaded from the iTunes app store rather than the web sites or web applications mentioned earlier. Doing so ensures users can access some amount of functionality even when they are away from a network.
Industry: Medical Devices
Company: MediDev
Example Type: B2B
Healthcare professionals are notoriously hard to reach. During the day they’re busy seeing patients, operating or otherwise away from computers where they can sit and access content for long durations. There is lots of opportunity for marketers who might want to reach physicians with the iPad.
MediDev, a medical devices company, could create an iPad application that would allow physicians to look up their procedures (e.g. hysterectomy, angioplasty, colonoscopy, etc.) and learn about the devices the company has which might be applicable to those procedures. Each device could be supported by an image of the device, a full-text description of the device and its specifications, a video from a fellow practitioner (if access to a high speed network exists) who uses the device or an animation of the device itself and a “Learn More” link which presents the professional with a form in which they can submit their contact information so they can be contacted with more information. Additionally, the iPad app can offer a patient-view which, allowing the physician to show a MediDev video demonstrating how the device would be used during their procedure.
Industry: Environment
Company: Murphy Rogers
Example Type: B2C
From recycling to hybrid cars, sustainability and caring for the environment have become a part of our culture. More and more people are realizing that one way they can have a major impact on their own carbon footprint is by changing the way they consume energy at home. However, they are unclear about what they can do.
Murphy Rogers, a climate control company, will create an iPad application that serves as an educational tool for potential customers. Realizing that consumers often don’t know where to start when facing large challenges like making their home more efficient, Murphy Rogers’ application offers users the option to answer a series of questions which help them spell out their energy-efficiency goals while learning more about their existing situation. Users can also create a fuller picture by architecting their existing home within the application. Using the model of the existing home, the application could indicate where different Murphy Rogers components might be used in the house. The application could also help users calculate their carbon footprint, suggest ways the user can reduce their footprint and help the user monitor their footprint over time.
These are just two ideas. Keep in mind that with the iPad, the sky is the limit. For example, B2B marketers could work with their sales team to provide complimentary iPads with orders over a certain threshold. Such an iPad might contain an application that provides easy access to the material data safety sheets (MSDS) or manuals for the products sold. On the other hand, B2C marketers can create a unique experience for the iPad especially for the iPads tech-savvy, affluent audience.
Regardless of what you do be sure set well-defined objectives for your iPad marketing and to measure, measure, measure. That way, the iPad becomes an educational exercise you can use as the tablet market grows rather than only serving as money thrown at the next big thing.
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