NFL
By: Rick O’Donnell
When it comes to their devices, Apple has no trouble getting their word out to their adoring fans. Their keynote events such as WWDC and spring refresh events get the ball rolling on their product line refresh. Yet there is one thing that seems to be falling behind the curve, their subscription services. Should Apple pivot to announcement events for their services such as Apple TV+?
It was reported this week that Apple TV+ loses around $1 billion a year for the tech giant. When that news hit the social media waves, the instant reaction was that not a lot of people knew about their shows or what they offer. Sure, people have loved Ted Lasso, The Morning Show, and Severance, but those are the water cooler shows that everyone is talking about.
Outside of those shows, has anyone given the lesser-known shows a try? If fans loved Ted Lasso how are they to know that Acapulco and Trying have the same wholesome charm and humor? If they loved the Jason Momoa-led See how are they to know that Apple offers great sci-fi content such as Foundation or Dark Matter?
Let’s face it, the only previews you get of these shows have been on the “skip intro” scene or randomly stumbling across them. Most of the time you see MLS or Friday Night Baseball as the premier title card when you open the Apple TV+ app. Isn’t it time for a shift in marketing strategy?
It wouldn’t even be hard to do. They could borrow from their own strategy as well as a tried and true method. Ask any fan of comic book movies/shows what day they look forward to the most. Spoiler alert: they’re San Diego Comic-Con and New York Comic-Con. As to why? It’s because those are typically the days when new trailers and news for the next wave of movies and shows are released.
You mean to tell me Apple can spend time on these events announcing the “new” iPhone and iPad that have had small incremental changes for almost 10 years now, but won’t invest in doing the same for Apple TV+ that’s guaranteed to have new content? That seems a bit odd.
Apple is late to the party, if they want to catch up, they have to get their fans excited the same way they used to with their product launches. Could an Apple event where they get fans excited, show trailers, and have guest speakers really move the needle for their streaming service? It wouldn’t hurt to try.
Also, to borrow a line from the Apple legend, Steve Jobs, “one more thing” … hey, Apple, let’s borrow from network television and start putting trailers for the next week’s episode somewhere on the platform. Those 30-second clips are what get people to look forward and be hyped about the next episode.
