iTunes’ Three Steps to Success
1. Book a star performer every night for the entire month of July
2. Make all tickets FREE via a competition on Facebook
3. Give away 10 free songs from scheduled artists when guests arrive at the venue
To the undiscerning eye, this plan is silly–giving away? Or it just seems like it’s too good to be true. However, the folks over at Apple are onto something greater.
To win tickets people have to “Become a Fan” of the iTunes Live event and join a group on Facebook. These steps allow iTunes to communicate information about the events via members’ news feeds. Also, iTunes can send direct message for members, giving them valuable access to the market. Members can easily share info with their friends, which provides the opportunity for limitless dissemination of information.
Winners go to the show for free and feel great about having won something; the whole audience is excited. It’s a good strategy to have large groups of people feeling good about your brand and spreading the love. To make it even better, when guests enter and get 10 free songs on top of the free ticket, making them feel extra special.
Here’s the best part though, guests then redeem the 10 songs, and then buy one or two more. For every customer that does that, Apple’s raking in the dough.
Essentially, iTunes has given away a lot, but the gains are significant. They’ve created an access point to a market that’s saturated with information, and iTunes now has the competitive advantage as they’ve built a relationship with customers by giving them something back. I went to see David Guetta tonight, and I’m sure next time I’m on iTunes I’ll remember the night they footed the bill for a friend and I.
The lesson from this is that companies shouldn’t be afraid to give things away, and the internet is an excellent resource to maximize the returns in the long run.
Photo credit: http://www.ituneslive.co.uk/
