Why I won’t buy the iPhone 4S (Brilliant play by Apple)

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UPDATE: October 10, 2011
Told ya’ —> As iPhone 4S sets records, Apple’s legacy models show strong sales too – AppleInsider.com http://bit.ly/qtrSPu

FIRST THINGS FIRST: The Big Announcement.

New iPhone called the iPhone 4s.

  • Twice as fast
  • Advanced Voice Recognition software, Siri
  • Better camera
  • High definition video capability, with image stabilization

Biggest Disappointment: No iPhone 5.

Conclusion: Just fast and different enough to stay ahead of the pack, but far from the hype of the expected iPhone 5.

 

THE PLAY TO THE MIDDLE: The Big News News No One Is Talking About.

  • 3 tiered models – Free iPhone 3G with contract – Expect this to be the dagger in the heart of entry level Android phones.
  • Tiered iPhones means rapid deployment – Apple will sell more, phones to more people at a more rapid pace than ever before.
  • First dual ban iPhone – Compatible with both AT&T, Verizon and Sprint (more on that in a minute). This approach, which I’m sure is to become a rule, will allow Apple to focus on one tier model at a time, without having to develop the same model phone for separate carriers. Brilliant. Say it with me now Android users, “No fragmentation”.
  • Sprint gets iPhone – A Sprint iPhone is big news. Sprint has 35 million postpaid customers, many of which I’m sure have always wanted an iPhone. Sorry Android 🙁 .

This play to the middle market is brilliant, even if not obvious. If you have Apple stock, hold on, to it this will be a great year. iPhone sales will far eclipse this years sales. RIM is dead and Android will become the current day RIM.


WHY I, AND MOST IPHONE 4 OWNERS WON’T SWITCH …just yet.

It’s not GREAT enough.Because, the iPhone 4 I have, is great enough…for now.

Because, its the software stupid. – With all the new toys that are about to launch on the 15th, My iPhone 4 will feel like a brand new phone.


ONE MORE THING:

There WILL be a iPhone 5 in 2012 and we top tier users will be there lining up to buy it. Until then, we will wait.

 

REVIEW ENVIRONMENT:
Listening to CNN coverage of the death of Steve Jobs. Sad day.

 

FOLLOW ME:
@techdrake

A nun walks into an ad agency

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…that was right after she marched into City Hall and then the Philadelphia Streets department, looking for the people responsible for the UnLitter Us campaign. Ok, I dramatize. Sister Anne hardly marches about, but rather strides with quiet purpose. And when I met with her, she was on a mission.

The diminutive Sister Anne teaches an art class at the John Kennedy Mental Health Center on Broad Street. Every Monday, she takes the subway from her convent in West Philadelphia to her subway stop at City Hall, where she is greeted by the dramatic faces of our campaign. With close to 100 posters lining the tracks and walkways underground, they were hard to miss this summer. Sister Anne’s voice is delicate as she describes standing on the platform surrounded by the expressive words and faces of our poets, marveling that we chose to fight filth with beauty. Sister Anne not only felt the soul of UnLitter Us, she was intellectually curious about the strategy we chose. She thought that by understanding the thinking behind the campaign, she could better help her students. Ultimately, the Center helps to rebuild lives based on the foundations of respect and dignity. Sister Anne helps her students purge their negativity and find what is beautiful inside of them to express through art.

So she delved…the focus groups, the findings, the creative strategy, the process, the elements of execution. Her questions were intelligent, her comments insightful. No detail was too boring for Sister Anne, so I lavishly divulged the intricacies of the ad campaign that became somewhat of a spiritual journey for the team who nurtured and brought it to fruition.

We always hope our creative strategy will hit the mark and move our intended target – in this case, urban youth 18 – 25. And yes, we have metrics and that show progress city-wide. Inspiring Sister Anne, however, and providing even the most modest assistance in her mission is an added bonus of a much higher order.

MINDING OUR ELDERS

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LevLane has a finely honed understanding of and respect for seniors. How could we not? We’ve been talking with them one-on-one for over 20 years in order to build brands that move them…literally. From Connecticut to Chicago, we’ve picked the brains of retirees, to understand what compels them to abandon an established lifestyle and start afresh in a senior living community. Such insights have never been more precious, now that a precarious economy provides a ready-made excuse to stay put on familiar ground. So we dig – for pearls that when strewn through the creative will help turn the heads and hearts of our prospects toward a wonderful new beginning. It’s gratifying work – to elicit the stories, soak in the wisdom, learn what really matters when you’re 70, 80, 90 years old. And, we get a glimpse of what we would hope to have when we get there ourselves: something of value to share, if someone happened to ask.

-Lori Miller, VP Creative Strategist

We All Win When the Media and the Government Collaborate

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On Friday, August 12, The Philadelphia Daily News introduced “Pick It Up,” the paper’s new campaign for a cleaner city. The front page story and two page spread not only made a call for action to Philadelphians to clean up their act. It did so without dissing the City’s—specifically The Street Department’s—focused efforts to fix the problem. Too many times when it comes to news reporting, it’s a gotcha mentality that drives the story. The government is wrong. The news guys are heroes for exposing the wrongs. Gotcha! Well, at least in this case, the DN joined with the Streets Department in a much needed initiative, even lauding the City’s UnLitter Us movement as “promising” and including the Deputy Mayor, the Streets Commissioner and the Deputy Streets Commissioner in the dialogue. The City’s effort and the paper’s effort are both strengthened by the collaboration. In the end, it’s us—the citizens of Philadelphia– that win. Kudos to all parties for avoiding the finger pointing and for putting the need to solve the litter problem at the center of the discussion.

-Scott Tattar

*Featured photo is from the latest Daily News editorial entitled “We’ve become the Cradle of Littery” by Sandy Shea

New York Times Online: Accounts and People of Note in the Ad Industry

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Emily Verna joined LevLane, Philadelphia, as an account coordinator. She is a recent graduate of St. Joseph’s University who majored in marketing.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/25/business/media/accounts-and-people-of-note-in-the-ad-industry.html?_r=1&pagewanted=2&nl=business&emc=atb1

Business News: Advertising/PR agency LevLane Hires Account Manager

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Advertising agency and public relations agency LevLane, Phila., has hired Emily Verna as account coordinator on the agency’s Taco Bell, Reliance Standard Life Insurance, Philadelphia Financial and Senior Care Development public relations accounts.

Verna is a recent graduate of St. Joseph’s University, Philadelphia, having majored in Marketing.

“Entry level professionals are probably the most challenging hiring proposition for PR and ad agencies,” said Scott D. Tattar, Senior Vice President and PR Director at LevLane. “The number and quality of candidates coming out of college each year is most impressive—especially from Philadelphia-area schools like Temple, Villanova, LaSalle, St. Joe’s and Rowan. Finding the very best of the crop is something we take very, very seriously. Literally, dozens of recent graduates were in the running for this position. In Emily, we found a positive energy and a work ethic that just fit our client-centric culture to a T.”

LevLane is a full-service marketing communications agency with offices in Philadelphia, West Palm, Fla., and Atlanta. Clients include regional KFC/Taco Bell, Beneficial Bank, Jomar, ALI-ABA, Saul Ewing, Phila. Recycling Office, Fairmount Park Conservancy, WXPN, Phila. Corporation for Aging, Reliance Standard Life Insurance, Senior Care Development, Wesley Enhanced Living, Kennedy Health System, Kennedy Health Network and The Phila. Center City District, among others. www.levlane.com

http://advertising-pr.dbusinessnews.com/shownews.php?articletitle=Advertising/PR%20agency%20LevLane%20hires%20account%20manager.&newsid=239580&type_news=latest&s=sbcn

The Ref, The Tweet & The Lawsuit

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You may have heard that NBA official Bill Spooner is suing Associated Press reporter Jon Krawczynski. You may also have heard that pretty much nobody beside Spooner seems to think he has a case.

The lawsuit, which was filed against official NBA advice, is a mistake from a PR standpoint. A single tweet is quickly lost and forgotten in the churning flow of messages we read from social media every day. By filing a frivolous and frankly ridiculous lawsuit Spooner is calling attention to his ability as a referee and ensuring that his legacy will forever be “remember that guy who sued over a tweet?”

Spooner’s case illustrates an all too common phenomenon in social media – when the twitterverse turns against you, the worst thing you can do is overreact. Brands are learning this lesson, too – Aflac and Chrysler’s recent social media flubs dominated the press coverage, distracting the consumer away from the brand. So how does a company restore its good name?

Here are some ways to brave a Social Media Disaster:

An ounce of prevention: Give your employees and social media representatives some clear and simple guidelines for engaging in social media and be upfront about the consequences. Make sure they know what you consider “on the record” and what their responsibilities are.

Don’t overreact: The last thing you need when your brand has made the news for a social media misstep is to prolong the story by creating controversy with your reaction. Assess the situation, react appropriately, and be transparent. Don’t let a kneejerk reaction create more negative news.

React with something positive: The worst news for a brand is no news. You may have made the news with negative press, but now you have the public’s attention. Use it to gain exposure for the things you’re doing well.

Social media is still in its infancy and the legal and ethical implications are still in flux. Despite that, social media is ultimately a benefit to brands. It allows your brand to engage more personally with consumers and to form a lasting affinity.

 http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/basketball/nba/03/15/nba.referee.twitter.lawsuit.ap/index.html#ixzz1Gm8OwPo9

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/16/business/media/16adco.html?src=bus