Adaptation of Social Media in a Feudal World: Cisco vs Apple
Last Updated on Friday, 26 October 2007 02:26 Written by greg Tuesday, 16 January 2007 08:00
Last week the world was taken by storm by quite a few pieces of tech news. As none of them were, at the time, related to Social Media Optimization or Social Media Marketing, I really didn’t feel that it was appropriate to talk about them here. Besides, with 64 million sites already talking about the biggest piece of geek, what would I have to say on the matter that hadn’t already been covered?
Well my friends, the line has been crossed into the world of SMO and it will be interesting to watch the outcome, even if it does signify an un-official beginning of another hundred-year war.
The news is that Apple officially threw it’s hat into the smart phone arena with the announcement of the iPhone. The iPhone is a slick looking phone with DRM crippled media playback and a price tag that ensures only the coolest richest kids on the block will get one first.
This, as you might gather, comes straight out of the Marketing 101 playbook: Create and own the rights to a product or future product. Release the news. Create a buzz. Sell your stuff. Become rich(er).
It’s really no surprise or big deal. When someone as large as Apple releases some hot new designed tech gadget, it’s automatically going to create a stir and people will flock to see what all the fuss is about. The problem this time out is that they kinda decided to rush through the first step in the rules. While they have created the product, they don’t actually own the rights to use the product name: iPhone. Turns out that a little company(by the name of Cisco), who happens to be more entwined in the interwebs than Apple could ever be, actually owns the rights to that name with a trademark that reaches back to the mid ’90’s.
Still, you say, what has this to do with Social Media Optimization? So there’s a trademark dispute going on between two heavyweights in the tech industry. Who cares? As it turns out, you do. Or maybe not you, but people like you. As a company in a Web 2.0 environment, the end consumer can have a weight that you might not be ready for. You can’t expect that what you do will just create positive hype. That’s all Web 0.4 and old school media (like TV/radio) in which you’d get either:
- a nod from the media or influenced hype to help you sell whatever
- a media thrashing (usually if you screwed the pooch or sold OJ the knife under the table)
In 2007, with Web 2.0 and social media, you have to expect the people you are subtly trying to screw over to use the medium against you. They have a voice. They have an opinion. They have a place to get their voice to the masses. Enter Cisco, who have recently learned the importance of paying whatever PR company they pay to maintain their blog.
The fact that a company who is so behind the infrastructure of the net that you are probably using something of theirs to read this, would have a blog which allows comments in the first place is a sign that people who aren’t hip to social media are way behind the times. The fact that this company would use this medium to strike out and make their say on important legal matters to the public, is a testament of the power of social mediums in today’s marketplace. The fact that they have received hundreds of comments that have been unmoderated and actually shown they are listening to or at least reading these comments only speaks to the future of social media optimization.
As you may have guessed, as a rebuttal to Apple’s press release and trademark infringement, Cisco replied with a blog post declaring the illegal nature of the venture and their displeasure at such. Be sure and read the umpteen hundred comments following the post too.
What interests me in all of this is not whether Apple succeeds with the iPhone or not. It’s more along the lines of whether the concept behind socialized media wins or not.
You see, beyond a feud that includes 2 companies that couldn’t give a toss about me, lies a paradigm of questions regarding the philosophy of the age of Social Media.
For decades, we the public have been spoon-fed news, opinions, and ideas. For decades we have lapped it up like a thirsty dog shown a bowl of fresh water. The problem is that a dog will drink a dish of muddy nastiness if it’s parched enough. It’s been shown that we are not much different, save the fact that we have to be told when we’re thirsty. My hope, and probably a false one, is that with a new medium.. a new level playing field.. people will not only piss in the bowl of muddy slop they are presented, but on the very concept of their thirst.
I know it won’t happen. At root, I’m an idealist, but I can’t help myself from getting a bit excited when a company who has been feeding a bit of flashy crap to the masses gets served a piece of the pie they’ve created.
Thanks to Rohit for the heads up on this story.
Obama and Edwards are onboard. Hillary will make a late, lame effort. I think corporations will be very quick to follow. I think it will happen, bigtime.
Definately fun to watch how politicians explore the world of SMO. I imagine in the next few years and, as you mention, in the potential big presidential race, it will become more and more prevalent.
Cool! kabababrubarta
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My friends and I mostly think of Facebook as a “time vampire” and the silly tag-you’re-it games played on Facebook is the glaring proof.
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