Apple Teases New Announcement to Grab Headlines

If there’s any brand in America that knows how to grab headlines and drive narratives, it’s Apple. And, while some of the shine has gone from the Apple since the death Steve Jobs, a new “mystery” Apple announcement still gets a ton of press.

One key ingredient of Apple’s PR success tends to be that the company’s “secret” reveals aren’t really all that secret by the time they do the actual reveal. Apple has a very effective template for drip marketing that sends out bits and piece of information in a steady stream, allowing the company to keep an interested public talking about the announcement for months prior to the actual announcement.

Another aspect of the successful anticipation creation is Apple’s trend of making major announcements at just about every September event. Year after year, Apple keeps grabbing the attention of the world each September, and, already, the media is describing this year’s announcement as “impressive even by Apple’s standards…”

What’s truly impressive is that these descriptions are being written about an announcement that has not, technically, even been made yet. The tech industry media and legions of Apple fans are getting excited about rumors related to news that isn’t even news… at least not yet. The only thing we know right now is that Apple CEO Tim Cook will be “revealing its latest lineup of products…”

But what could it be this year?

That question hangs over every announcement like a magnet, drawing attention and speculation like iron filings to a lodestone. Will it be a new MacBook? A new iPad, iPhone, or Apple Watch?

Early expectations include three new versions of the iPhone X, at different size and price points. From a PR perspective, though, it’s not what will be announced that interesting about the Apple effect. It’s the way in which the company can create ripples and shifts in the market just through rumors and guesswork.

That’s the true strength of Apple’s marketing genius. Sure, they can move a ton of products, and that’s vital to their success as a company. But, more importantly, Apple has managed to keep people excited about and committed to the Apple brand for over a decade since the release of the first iPhone in 2007. Sure, the iPod changed the music industry back in 2001, but that industry has largely moved on, the trend leading almost entirely away from standalone hardware.

The company has done this through a combination of strict adherence to style and substance and a magical quality of brand promotion that entices… even when it reveals nothing.