Last but not least: Apple's "modern brand management"
Apple is said to use the deliberate leaking of confidential information as an established PR strategy. This claim was made by former Apple marketing manager John Martellaro in an article for the Mac Observer.
Information about Apple leaks out suspiciously often, such as the information about the expected Apple tablet. This recently appeared in the Wall Street Journal. Now a former employee claims that this was part of a sophisticated PR strategy. The information was disseminated directly by the company, Martellaro claims. He refers to his own experience as a PR manager at Apple. The restrictive "one-voice policy" actually contradicts all trends in modern brand management, as Thomas Pleil, Professor of Journalism and Communication at Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences, explains in an interview with Pressetext. In the open social media world, companies are more concerned with opening up to the outside world and turning employees into motivated communicators in the various communication channels from Twitter to Facebook. In its communication strategy, however, Apple is doing the opposite by obliging its employees to remain silent and exercising the maximum possible control over communicated information. Under this control, the brand and the spreading of any rumors about new products and developments have an uncanny attraction.
This can be seen very clearly in the extent to which and how quickly rumors about Apple products make the rounds on the Internet. It is therefore not at all surprising that Apple is taking advantage of this situation with the targeted dissemination of information. Moreover, according to Peil, this is an established approach in the industry. However, such a strategy requires an attractive brand and a strong reputation in the relevant business environment.
This can be seen very clearly in the extent to which and how quickly rumors about Apple products make the rounds on the Internet. It is therefore not at all surprising that Apple is taking advantage of this situation with the targeted dissemination of information. Moreover, according to Peil, this is an established approach in the industry. However, such a strategy requires an attractive brand and a strong reputation in the relevant business environment.
