As a social media data analyst, I have stared at this page for way too long, waiting to hear from the world’s most valuable brand. We have all at some point admired Apple’s simple marketing philosophy, which has always emphasized customer focus,and wondered what their strategy would be on social media.
When almost 100% of Interbrand top 100 companies are already using Twitter to reach out and engage with their audience, Apple has not posted even once. They know that they have a huge and loyal customer base — without even a single Tweet – Apple’s Twitter page already has over 523K followers. So much for engagement!
Hence, it was of immense excitement when I stumbled upon this article about the brand activating their Twitter account ahead of the Sept 7th event. If I was to go by the “Don’t Blink” video released right before the event yesterday, I was sure their Twitter live stream was going to be just as exciting.
The video had already generated 1.5M views on YouTube and over 71K mentions on Twitter by the end of September 7.
Surprise, Surprise
But Apple decided to only use promoted Tweets, which were not visible to their general audience. Last Friday, they posted a promoted-only tweet inviting users to tune in for next week’s special event.The tweet triggered an automatic tweet reply to anyone who retweeted it.
@JADean128 thank you.
We’ll send you a reminder shortly before the event.
See you on the 7th. pic.twitter.com/0H1jR3MteP
— Apple (@Apple) September 2, 2016
We can only guess, but Apple possibly used only promoted tweets to 1. maintain the exclusivity, which the brand is already known for and 2. to prevent its rivals hijacking the event.
Nonetheless, the audience growth for Apple on Twitter in the five days leading up to #AppleEvent has been absolutely meteoric: a growth of 376K (up +287%) between Sept 2, 2016 and Sept 7, 2016. As I write this post this morning, the number of followers for Apple on Twitter has already jumped to 523K (+16K since last night).
The excitement among Apple’s fans is also echoed in the Tweet they sent out on Sept 2,which drove over 160K engagement.
September 7 at 10 a.m. PT
Watch the event on https://t.co/yLa2e4Xr2R.
RT for a reminder on event day. #AppleEvent pic.twitter.com/e9MHNkLeoi
— Apple (@Apple) September 2, 2016
Here at Simply Measured, we tracked the event’s official hashtag #AppleEvent to find out what drove the most conversations on Twitter for the event.
1.As expected, iPhone 7 drove the most conversations for Apple (approximately 29%) at the event. The most talked about aspects of the phone were the two new black colors:matte black model, and the shiny new “Jet Black” variant, along with the two 12-megapixel cameras on the back for iPhone 7 Plus. Absence of the headphone jack was another aspect of the iPhone 7 which generated a huge amount of conversation at the event.
Why are they so focused on the phone being Black? All phones matter! #AppleEvent
— Travon Free (@Travon) September 7, 2016
The phones were also discussed as Apple accidentally released photos of the iPhone 7 on Twitter, just a few hours before the official launch. The Tweet has since been deleted.
2.Airpods or the Wireless headphones were the second-most talked about topic at #AppleEvent. Many were skeptical about the starting price of the airpods at $159, charging the headphones while listening to music,and the little airpods getting misplaced easily.
When is Apple going to announce their new App: "Find My AirPods which got lost somewhere"? #appleEvent
— Peter Sciretta (@slashfilm) September 7, 2016
The Airpods also led to conversations about how wired headphones would become obsolete in the future,and that only who grew up in the 90’s would remember headphones with a jack.
Only 90's kids remember #AppleEvent pic.twitter.com/ZCSKEYnB6N
— Scarce (@JohnScarce) September 7, 2016
While Phil Schiller called the removal of headphone jack from the iPhones as “Courage”, some were not convinced.
Courage. https://t.co/tROAvhzn77 #AppleEvent
— TechCrunch (@TechCrunch) September 8, 2016
3.Super Mario was able to beat Pokemon when it came to conversations at the Apple Event. Apple has collaborated with Nintendo to bring Super Mario to iOS in a new game called “Super Mario Run” which will release this December, just in time for the holidays.
Super Mario is coming to the iPhone. #AppleEvent pic.twitter.com/FrtNdmuyoI
— Lance Ulanoff (@LanceUlanoff) September 7, 2016
Super Mario on the phone also prompted conversations that the game might make kids distracted and get them addicted to the game.
Apple is so committed to education that it just gave kids a Super Mario game they can play in class. #AppleEvent
— Comedy Central (@ComedyCentral) September 7, 2016
4.Apple Watch was also talked about at the event, mainly in the context of its water resistant capability. The watch was also discussed with regards to Apple releasing PokemonGo’s app on the watch. PokemonGo has been the most popular game in the US in the last few months this year.
"You can wear your watch with confidence in the water." -Apple's Jeff Williams #AppleWatch #AppleEvent
— Pete Pachal (@petepachal) September 7, 2016
What was your most favourite part at the Apple event yesterday? And what do you think of Apple’s strategy to only use promoted Tweets for their social media outreach? Leave us a comment or let us know on Twitter.