July Newsletter

June 29, 2007 - Tortus Technologies

Apple has done it again! What a great marketing story.

This months newsletter deals with viral and guerilla marketing. Here's a good question for you to answer. Do you think like Steven Jobs at Apple? If you do there's a good chance you're a very successful marketer, and if you don't think like Steve? Maybe you should contemplate how you can begin to.

Beginning June 29^th the media hyped and highly anticipated Apple IPhone will be available for sale exclusively through AT&T. Hip-hip hooray finally it's here! You can now line up at 4am to get your IPhone at your local AT&T store on June 29th. Great marketing job Mr. Jobs!

You've all seen the IPhone on TV, in print, and on the web right? It's in the news everywhere-the IPhone "buzz" is ubiquitous! This didn't happen by mistake.

Steven Jobs is a marketer extraordinaire! Please consider the following:

• Through carefully planned product feature leaks, press releases and finally the famous Apple media kick-off events, Job's has created the all-important "buzz" for his product.

• The IPhone sells for $499-$599 plus a minutes contract with AT&T. The current cell phone manufacturers/marketers are beating each other up on the street in the $99-$299 price range. The IPhone is TWICE the cost of the competitors. Hmmm?

• The innovative features Mr. Jobs has ballyhooed and demonstrated, such as Google maps and visual voice mail, are options available today on competitor's phones. But we bought the hype!

• Mr. Jobs marketing genius is getting everyone else to promote the IPhone, saving millions on Apples advertising budget. What a great guerilla and viral marketing campaign.

• He didn't market a cell phone. The IPhone has been marketed as a lifestyle accessory and/or statement--like a Coach bag or Armani suit.

In last month's newsletter we talked about agile organizations. You know, the organizations that magically turn their fixed expense into variable expense-many times through the use of outsourcing. In this case Steve Jobs has orchestrated the media to promote his product. This was a great outsource.

Do you have a plan to build your database? Like Steve Jobs are you utilizing all the FREE advertising and buzz available? Look at Apple synergizing the media into their marketing plan--brilliant. Are you positioning and packaging your product or service to be unique? If your answer is yes, congratulations! If not, what positive changes are you going to make to grow your business?

Do you think like Steve Jobs? Can you enjoy champagne on a beer budget? Just maybe you can... contact us today to see if we can help!

Tortus Talk

The tortoises at Tortus Technologies are dealing with the change in our habitat; we're now experiencing the hot summer days. The algae in our pond have predictably arrived, but we're still working hard for you! Like our cold-blooded amphibian friends we like to bask in the sun [vacation] so for July and August we will only be hosting one internal seminar per month.

For the month of July we will have our very popular E-Commerce Roundtable Discussion. It will take place here at Tortus Technologies, Wednesday, July 18th, 2007 from 9:00 to 10:30am. Sign-up [link] today!

Tortus Technologies brings together a small group of e-commerce entrepreneurs and administrators for advanced-level discussion each quarter. The date for Q3 conference at Tortus is July 18. These lively interactive conferences attract herbivores and omnivores coexisting for up to two hours without conflict, both leave with a belly full of new ideas to help grow their businesses. We all have business challenges such as: pricing, product selection, integrated marketing, converting visitors into buyers and how do you keep customers coming back? If you are interested in attending, contact: Caitlin Casali, 413-788-5080 ext.273, or email ccasali@tortus.com.

The Hotel Northampton's new co-owner Mansour Ghalibaf was featured on the front page of the most recent volume of Business West. The Hotel Northampton resides in our pond. Congratulations Mansour on your recent purchase.

Here's an excerpt from the talented Jaclyn C. Stevenson who wrote the Business West article, or go to the Business West website for the whole enchilada.

"When they arrived at the Hotel Northampton as members of the management team assembled by new owners in 1992, Mansour Ghalibaf and Tony Murkett quickly found that the King Street landmark was not as hospitable as they would have hoped. Now the hotel's owners themselves, the partners, who helped write an inspiring and still-ongoing turnaround story at the 80-year-old facility, have plans to give this local icon some worldwide appeal."

Until next month...