Sell the sizzle, not the sausage
Chris Bignell
Chief Executive of The Jargon Group - a PR Consultancy focussed on technology, transport, aviation, hardware and software. Helping innovative companies create and articulate the right message and story.
Or – to put it better – the smartphone launch hype has disappeared and is unlikely to return.
Speaking with a market analyst last week, it seems most people are now holding on to smartphones for up to five years.? In the past the replacement cycle was annual.
Some might argue this is price related – but I’m not sure.? The first iPhone’s starting cost was ￡499 in 2007, around ￡800 at today’s prices.? The recently launched iPhone 16 starts at ￡999, which is ?25 percent more – but you are getting a lot more phone for your money.?
I suspect three other things are more important. The first is that smartphones are not novel anymore.? When the market first exploded there was plenty of innovation, with different-sized products, vastly different cameras and huge variances in battery life.? Now it’s marginal.? Smartphones are becoming less like a category of their own and more like other consumer technology devices.? We don’t rush out to buy every new TV?each time a clearer screen or a thinner bezel is launched, so why bother with a smartphone?
The second – and perhaps most important change - is in the reliability of smartphones. A decade ago, a year-old device would lose battery capability, while cracked/broken screens were hard to replace reliably.? It almost felt like obsolescence was built into the products.? Now phones are much more robust.? It’s harder to justify upgrading to a new phone when nothing is really wrong with?the?old one.
Finally, the mobile industry has been rubbish at giving us compelling reasons to upgrade.? It’s all been about megapixels and faster speeds – not what this means for consumers or how it can make life easier, smarter, and simpler.? Take the current ‘AI built-in’ obsession.? The manufacturers?have failed to articulate the real benefits to users that AI adds to a smartphone.
Which means there is a huge opportunity for any brand that can break through and talk to people about benefits rather than technology.? I wonder who will take advantage?
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Talking of smartphones, you might have seen the recent news that?several schools are banning the use of smartphones.? This prompted me to write?a blog article on my own use of hte smartphone, specifically the apps I use every day.? You can read it here if you fancy.
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Based - in Devon. Tender Writer, Adviser and Evaluator, Supply Chain UK, France
5 个月I'd go further, and say that being human is inversely related to engagement with smartphones. I think people are "over" them, and that this will be a positive turning point!
Chief of Staff Telet Research. Founder Zero Host. Editor.
5 个月Given an afternoon I could come up with a couple of dozen new, innovative features for phones. But the handset manufacturers seem to have given up. Apple thinks adding a confusing fourth button is some kind of improvement.
Consultant in the travel and fleet industries and charity worker
5 个月Couldn’t agree more Chris. I think you’re right about the second point being key but, also, I think cost plays a big part too. At the end of my last contract I got a ￡7 a month SIM only deal and carried on using my phone for next to nothing for another 2 years until the battery and OS got too low/slow. You make such a great point about the manufacturer totally missing the point about new features too, a feature needs to benefit me in some way but most of the time they’re lost in jargon (if you’ll forgive the pun!).
Reassuringly pragmatic LinkedIn, social storytelling, and comms advice for business leaders @ Sett Social | Men's mental health advocate @ GoodEnoughChats
5 个月Agree with all of the above, Chris Bignell. Back in the day, when I was involved with handset launches at big red, it became apparent that there were already fewer reasons to switch phones frequently. Despite efforts from RIM and Nokia/Microsoft to put up a fight, it really was a case of Apple or Android pretty quickly. I had an iPhone for a bit. But Android devices caught up on so much, and had the added benefit of offering a more open experience, that I switched to Android back in 2012, and have never been tempted back to iPhone. I think people think of phones as more of a utility these days. If it's working well enough, there's no urgent need to replace it. And, like any utility, you only really talk/think about it when it's not working. BTW - can you tell I'm not a gadget guy? ??