The Steve Jobs effect

We all know Apple founder and CEO Steve Jobs. Maybe lots of people know his spectacular rhetoric skills, and I’m sure more are aware of his “childs” called IMac, IPhone and so on. But today I will talk about one specific methodology he applied recently when launching the IPhone, maybe noticeable for mostly of Steve’s seekers but no extracted as a specific management strategy up today (as I known).

Lets take a look at the IPhone launch very close news Apple disclosed:

- June 11: IPhone will support third-party web 2.0 applications (you’re right, this means Youtube).
- June 18: They extended to eight hours talk time and put a top surface optical-quality glass to achieve a superior level of scratch resistance.
- June 28: IPhone launch.

At naked eyes, that news doesn’t mean something new. Really, were ingredients to put a bump in demand, just days before launch. And what’s the “secret” strategy? Artificial boost in product quality, exceeding customer expectations. Do you believe Apple will make such change like supporting a whole package of new applications, change the battery storage capability or change the display surface just days before launch? It’s impossible to do that. I love just in time improvements, but those, believe me, aren’t real. So, with that in mind, is supposed to believe Apple took those design decision moths before, they kept them as top secret information and disclosed them just when they believe will be strategic to do it.

And what’s the key strategy points behind that? First, I found that recipe to get a steve jobs effect:

- Design to meet customer expectations and do “the extra mile”; I will call the extra features “goodies”.
- At pre-launch presentation, disclose enough information to meet expectations, to create buzz and reach people attention but keep those goodies in top secret status. To make that, you will need to communicate this strategy to your key players in your organization and create a plan to keep those away from press.
- Just days before launch, start disclosing those goodies, in a convenient schedule to stimulate buzz and start to exceed demand expectation.

The key strategy points you must take in consideration are:

- Customer expectations identification
- Design to exceed expectations
- Access to communication channels
- Strict communication policies
- Design a clear plan to meet those goals
- Keep the key people group small (those fellows who knows the secrets)

I find this kind of strategy can be applied also to other activities. In fact, if you have a client and a product, this works like a charm. In example, take in consideration a simple report you must made for your boss. In my opinion, this is the best way to show your “extra mile”. Thanks Steve!

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