He Said:Today we learned of a terror plot to blow up planes traveling from
England to the
US. Just when you think it’s safe to fly again, they strike again. It sounds like the tagline to a new movie, but it’s about as real and scary as it can get. I’ve followed developments on TV and online all day – and there’s a part of this story I think everyone is overlooking. And that is the role of everyone’s favorite portable MP3 player (yes, I’m talking about the
iPod) in today’s events.
When news first broke this morning, it was widely reported that the detonator to be used by terrorists was
Apple’s popular
iPod device. As I saw the
iPod referenced in news stories on
MSN,
USA Today,
CNN and across the bottom ticker on
MSNBC, I couldn't help but wonder how this would impact
Apple's beloved brand. Even though the plot was thwarted, I doubt very much the suits at
Apple wanted their product linked to such a downer of a story.
Apparently, I wasn't the only one thinking that.
Apple acted quickly and efficiently (and probably called in a few favors), as references to the
iPod were removed from all articles found online just a few hours later. Instead of mentioning the iPod by name, the alleged detonator was instead referred to as an "MP3 portable device." How vanilla can you get? I mean, when was the last time you ever used those words to describe your music player? As any marketer can tell you, Apple dominates the portable music player category. Everyone who listens to music on the go has an
iPod. If it's not branded Apple, then chances are it's an
iPodwannabe. They created this category, and it's no coincidence that even the competitors in this space model their "MP3 players" after the
iPod.
So what's the story here? There probably isn't one... other than that Apple took immediate action to protect their brand identity before the
iPod became synonymous with terrorism. And judging by the evening news, it seems they succeeded.
