The story of Apple’s almost mythical white iPhone 4 took another twist this week when the company reluctantly admitted that the release date had slipped again, this time to a hesitantly vague ‘Spring 2011’. The announcement was the latest in what has been something of a PR rollercoaster for Apple. The timeline of the product can be pinpointed with highs and lows – the now-infamous stolen prototype, the fever-pitch first weeks of the release, record opening sales, ‘Antennagate’ snowballing, the ‘Antennagate’ explanation press conference and free case program, ‘Antennagate’ losing momentum, more record sales, and now, the news that the white iPhone will be delayed yet again.

The latest white iPhone 4 announcement throws up five questions that go to the heart of Apple’s product philosophy, PR and ultimately brand identity.

1) Why has it been delayed so long?

Apple isn’t saying anything officially further than unspecified “manufacturing difficulties beyond its initial expectations”, but the rumour mill has generated one or two reasonable suggestions.

An early but enduring rumour spoke of rapid discolouration of the white plastic used in the phone. While the iPhone 4 body has a glass front and back which would protect against grubby fingers, surfaces and pockets prematurely aging it from the outside, the rumour spoke of components heating the unit to the point where discolouration occurred from the inside out.

A more recent, and perhaps more feasible suggestion online talks about the white plastic compromising photography performance by allowing excessive light exposure on the lens. Either way, the “difficulties” have obviously proven to be especially difficult, hence the stretched-out delay.

2) Will anyone want one now?

A white iPhone 4 has an immediate visual appeal, with a clear reminiscence of the earliest, most beautiful iPods, so there was a definite market of buyers ready and waiting with open arms.

However, the established product cycle of the iPhone is a clear twelve months, with an early summer release taking place since the very first version. So, with Apple now saying it’s on for a spring launch, the white iPhone 4 will have at the very most three months as a top-of-the-line product. Being unavailable for nine of the twelve months in which it is most desirable is catastrophic. Assuming the pricing stays premium there will be a vastly reduced number of buyers willing to part with the cash to buy one, with a new model just around the corner.

3) Why has Apple got the PR so wrong on this?

Apple’s PR machine, equally respected and derided, is without a doubt one of the most successful media operations going, in any commercial industry. A press event earlier this month, which revealed the relatively modest new MacBook Air models and an incredibly limited preview of next year’s OS update, sent the tech press into speculation meltdown in the seven days between the initial announcement and the event itself. The reason for this is because Apple is a past master of creating buzz, hype and even mystique around the products it creates. Apple events are just that – ‘events’, no matter what they ultimately result in.

So, with such mastery over the art of essentially controlling both press and public opinion, why has Apple’s handling of the white iPhone 4 degenerated in such a way? Well, it’s worth remembering that Apple hasn’t lied. A release date slipping, even to this extent, isn’t exactly unheard of in the consumer electronics industry. The official reason for the delay, despite being infuriatingly hazy, is an indisputable fact – manufacturing difficulties are clearly the cause. The problem, in essence, is that there is seemingly such a high demand for a product that is unavailable to buy. This would still be the case if the company explained the hold-up in more detail, it wouldn’t change the fact that you can’t buy the thing.

Effectively, Apple has fallen victim to its own hype machine.

4) How will it play out?

At this point in time there seems to be two possible outcomes to the white iPhone 4 tale, neither of which will be remotely palatable to Apple. Scenario one; the phone is released next Spring with the hobbled sales potential of a product that appears a few months before its successor. Scenario two; Apple admits defeat and publicly cancels the device. The latter is the more intriguing of the two.

With the ‘Antennagate’ press conference in July, Apple (or more specifically, Steve Jobs) demonstrated how an out of control backlash could be turned into something of a PR win. A public culling of the white iPhone 4 couldn’t possibly have the same potential, so a similar staged ‘performance’ wouldn’t be expected. A more likely outcome in this scenario would be a carefully-phrased press release, perhaps even distributed around the same time as some positive news to dampen any backlash.

5) Will there be a lasting effect on Apple?

Put in perspective, the white iPhone 4 delay is a minor affair. It of course wasn’t the sole model of the iPhone 4. It wasn’t even expected to be the most popular of the two models. Anyone who wants an iPhone 4 can buy one, just not in white – hardly a deal-breaker. Sales figures of over 14m to date tell their own story.

However, the delay may have damaged the brand in some subtle ways.

For a company that prides itself on technological innovation, the fact that simply making a product in white has proven to be such a headache should be highly embarrassing, whatever the reason turns out to be. It’s mildly ironic that the colour white has created a stumbling block for Apple. The modern generation of the company was effectively reborn with the iPod – originally a white device – and white casing has become a signature appearance on the flagship MacBook and iMac computers. White really shouldn’t be such a mystery to Apple at this stage.

The incident may also dent the aura surrounding Apple’s live events and the unquestioning way in which Steve Jobs’ proclamations are received by the public at large. When Apple products are showcased in such a desirable fashion, it naturally leads to urgent demand. Demand that needs supply. If there’s a chance that any future super-devices announced at these events could be delayed in such a way, then the allure of the whole process begins to fade a little. Losing the ‘magic’ of the live events would be the first step to subduing the hype, which Apple can’t really afford to happen.

There was a substantial amount of media buzz, this week regarding ‘leaked photos’ of a Sony PlayStation phone using the Android system. Sony were rumoured to have applied for a patent four or five years ago for a portable gaming device with the capacity to be a mobile phone, and many online believe the time has come for the long awaited PlayStation phone. The topic spread round the internet like wildfire with YouTube videos, Facebook statuses and Twitter updates all trending the ‘release’ heavily, showing the level of interest there would be if the rumours were true.

What would the release of a Sony smartphone do to an already crowded market? Would it revolutionise? Or would it blend in with the vast array of smartphones in store windows? If the phone is real, with the sheer wealth of knowledge Sony has of the mobile communications market, a PlayStation phone would pack a heavy punch before the gaming aspect were to even become involved. PlayStation also has such a massive fan base combined with the draw of the Google Android operating system; the phone would have the potential to compete with the latest handsets using the newest operating systems. The Android system is becoming increasingly popular, along with the updated Symbian and most recently the Windows Phone 7 system.

As operating systems are becoming increasingly advanced to cope with complex programmes and functions, more and more people are turning towards a Smartphone for the apps available and satisfaction gained from it. Figures published by Gartner Newsroom show that the Symbian operating system is used in 41% of handsets, an incredible figure considering the popular Android system is used by 17% and Apple’s iOS in 14%. Are we moving into a time when consumers care more about the System the phone uses, then the handset itself?

This is when the authenticity of the so-called rumours comes into question. Why would Sony wait so long to launch a smart phone containing the PSP console? The Sony Ericsson branch has such huge power and resource, combined with the technological advancement of PlayStation, the specifications for a Sony PlayStation phone would look very promising for a gaming enthusiast or an admirer of the latest technologies. However, the controversy arose due to the poor quality of the photographs, showing a dirty screen and un-focused close ups, bringing authority of the photographs into question. Yet the idea of the phone was greeted with enthusiasm and excitement, leading to comments discussing all the directions in which the phone could go.

Whether it is real or not, Sony have created a stir throughout the technological and gaming world, which shows it would have the potential to do extremely well in the lucrative smartphone market. Sony, if they were to launch a PlayStation phone, would certainly not look out of place amongst the leaders of the market, Nokia, Apple, Samsung and HTC and the contest would also be an interesting one to watch. With each company trying to better the next with faster, sleeker and more technological models, how would they each respond? Sadly however, Sony rejected claims the ‘leak’ had made that a PlayStation phone would be released by the middle of next year leaving those so wildly caught up in media storm, scratching their heads and wondering if the time would ever come?

With so much focus on updated web content for SEO there’s never been a better time to get into blogging – but what should you blog about?

Perhaps it’s easier to start with what you shouldn’t blog about.

Blogging as a form of writing is refreshingly casual and unrestricted. However, we regularly see bloggers fall into one of two familiar traps, both of which ultimately result in dwindling reader levels, a drop-off in interest and generally miss the point of what the whole process should be about.

Writing about irrelevant topics

While you might think it’s quirky and interesting to flit about around a wide variety of topics, you’re risking being unpredictable for your readers. The most successful blogs in the world – the ones that have millions of regular readers – stick to a clear formula of writing about certain topics. People visit these blogs or subscribe to their RSS feeds for a reason, the reason being that they know what they’re getting from them.

Writing about themselves too much

A company blog naturally has to talk about the business to some extent, but let’s face it, unless you’re a company with real devotees like Apple or Google then the chances are that there’s a limit to how much ‘you time’ even the most dedicated readers will accept. The worst examples of this are endlessly self-congratulatory and dull. Take a step back and think about it… are you writing for yourself, or are you writing for your readers?

So, with these two dreaded blog faux pas in mind, let’s look at what you should be writing about on your corporate blog.

Industry comment

Points of view on industry hot topics are a popular type of blog, and the nature of the resource makes it a constantly supplied subject. Check out what’s happening in your sector, form an opinion and get it on your blog. Regularly offering views on a focused area creates a familiarity that readers will respond to.

Your offerings

While it’s bad form to endlessly bleat on about yourself in post after post, there is certainly a place for measured discussion of your company products and services. After all, your blog exists to draw attention and promote youself. Used sparingly, sales-orientated blogs can be powerfully persuasive. Again, think about it… if a company solely blogs about how good they think they are, every day, it will lose impact and simply become background noise after a while. Compare this to a company that mentions its offerings only occasionally – these blogs will be fresher, more credible to the reader and ultimately more effective.

Last but absolutely not least, what could be called the ‘golden rule‘ of corporate blogging – give something to your readers. Whether its usable advice, interesting information or simply an entertaining way to spend a few minutes, it’s essential that the reader gets something out of visiting your blog. When they do, they’ll come back.

A compelling blog rests upon strong ideas, conveyed in a flowing style that has the ability to connect to its reader.

The writer behind the words provides a focus that steers the reader towards a specific state of mind by establishing a tone and set of images.  A writer’s job is to make the time spent reading an article worthwhile, with a view to enhancing the moments after by making a lasting impression. The reader’s surroundings should fade away as they delve into a world constructed of text. Writing however should not necessarily be about the writer disclosing personal details whilst boring the reader in the process, much like a conversation dominated by a speaker whose main subject revolves around them. A single writer should adopt an array of perspectives for the purpose of different subject maters and audiences.

Copywriting sites and courses geared towards the development of writing aim to add layers to a skill set through the deployment of new approaches and techniques, demonstrating the ever present learning curve when it comes to the production of skilful copy. It seems that there is always room for improvement, in which it doesn’t pay to stand still.

A useful piece of advice is that writing leads to better writing. A writer should write every day, regardless of mood or energy levels, as the writing process inevitably uncovers an interesting angle in which to take a subject, even if only one sparkling idea emerges from a mountain of discarded copy.

Creativity is in constant motion. The creative process of a copywriter does not stop at the end of a working day, although the typing may. Experiences continuously feed creativity and no matter how small or insignificant an event or sighting, they can be adapted and incorporated into descriptions. Either consciously or subconsciously an archive of retrievable data can be formed; a writer can effectively file away a range of information until a memory complete with imagery, sound or feeling corresponds to a subject. A passion and respect for words becomes central to creating an effective piece, as well as a sense of empathy and imagination which can also power the content and connect writer to reader.

Blogs can be the backbone of any website, acting as a supporting structure that provides steady traffic as well as flexibility in terms of its vision and style. A blogger should have the ability to communicate a message in a variety of ways, ploughing time and effort into ordering words with a sense of direction.

A blogger also needs to sustain a quality that will dependably attract an audience, just as film writers and directors create a solid reputation through a catalogue of quality releases that ensure popularity. A blogger will also use a skill set that makes someone want to buy rather than simply telling them to. Considering the volume of blogs and articles on the web, a subject is rarely unique; however the ways in which a blogger presents and interlaces fresh material will provide the edge that separates it from the rest. Essentially a good blog needs to provoke thought, making an impact before and after the final full stop.

When faced with budget cuts, and with politicians thinking there are too many hours allocated for the workload, the Greater Manchester Police have turned to Twitter to inform the world just how big their workload is.  Every 999 call they receive is being posted onto several of their Twitter pages to show the vast amount and variation in calls they receive on a daily basis, not just criminal calls but also social problems.

Using Twitter to show the large numbers of calls they receive, over a thousand before 12.30pm, gives the topic plenty of media buzz around the site. Twitter can snowball causes and trends, creating massive media stir and attention on an individual topic, therefore it is no surprise that the stunt has attracted thousands of followers, with the draw of reading severe or comical calls sparking curiosity.

In essence the stunt by Greater Manchester Police is to raise general interest of the complexity of the incredible number of the calls received and hoping this will persuade politicians against cuts to the budget.  So is social media now the primary choice to voice concerns?  Facebook groups and pages are created when people feel aggrieved, sometimes even receiving media recognition.  Greater Manchester Police had to create 3 Twitter accounts with their first ‘jailed’ for excessive tweeting; they are creating a big noise in the media environment.

Only time will tell whether the Greater Manchester Police were successful in their attempts to block budget cuts, but they have certainly shown there is a high level of interest in the phone calls and enquiries they have to deal with continuously throughout the day.  Social media is expanding and evolving day to day, and Greater Manchester Police have used this to their advantage to show the volume of calls received and also gain nationwide interest in what they are trying to achieve.

American clothing giant Gap has decided to abandon its new logo after a matter of days, amid almost universal criticism. The new logo was revealed last week, instantly sparking a wave of disapproval on Facebook, Twitter and elsewhere online, resulting in the change of heart.

Company President Marka Hansen’s opening explanation of the new logo – published after it was released on the website – was riddled with corporate-waffle, including the dubious belief that the graded blue square “honours our heritage”, which got the whole process off to a bad start. The situation worsened as the week progressed, with the initial dismay evolving into something closer to ridicule as more commentators latched onto the story.

Perhaps the tipping point came with tech-blogger John Gruber’s devastatingly succinct advice; “Sell your Gap stock.”

So, Gap has gone back to the old logo and essentially apologised for the whole affair.

The incident highlights a few interesting points;

The power of social media

The platform for the vast majority of the opinions expressed on the new logo was of course the major social networks, primarily Facebook and Twitter. Gap openly invited such participation, with its own official Facebook page asking customers for feedback, and (slightly oddly considering the new logo was already chosen and live) a crowd-sourced design process. Had the protestations come mainly from paper-based outlets I doubt that we would have seen such a quick reaction from the company. A drip-feed of criticism through traditional channels would have been far easier to shake off than the 24/7 deluge that social media enables.

The power of a familiar brand identity

A brand identity is more than simply a logo. It represents everything about a company, from the top to the bottom, from the CEO to the staff on the front-line. It is the ‘voice’ of a company, and it is how it choses to present itself to the world. Perhaps most importantly in a commercial setting a brand identity absolutely needs to represent something that the customer can relate to and wants to ‘buy into’. The new Gap logo, while definitely insipid and uninspired, did seem to succeed in bringing the company into the 21st century. It used a form of the Nimbus Sans font, which has a clear and current appeal. The old logo – now reinstated as the existing logo once again – is incredibly dated, with a serif-heavy Pall Mall font. Launched over two decades ago, it now seems wilfully, almost proudly, outdated. Although a great deal of the furore over the switch centred around the perceived poor design of the new logo, the powerful familiarity of the old brand also played a part. Without reaching the heights of, for instance, Levi Strauss’ red tab, with which a brand becomes defined and beloved, the Gap logo does have something of an immediately recognisable appeal. The company may have underestimated what it already had in this regard.

The willingness of a major company to backtrack

Maybe the most surprising part of this story is the fact that Gap performed a u-turn. It shows that for all the bluster about ‘heritage’ and changing the face of the company, it still considers customers and their opinions as valuable enough to feature in such high-level decisions. It is this point that is likely to ‘save’ Gap from the incident triggering some sort of terminal tailspin that some have predicted.

When a company is so determinedly customer-focused and is willing to adapt so reactively to what the paying public wants, it certainly doesn’t have any problems with its priorities.

Social media has emerged as a platform for consumers to air their opinions on companies and products, broadcasting, re-tweeting and posting their views for millions of online users to see.  A YouTube video by folk singer Dave Carroll, slamming United Airlines for their mistreatment of his $3500 guitar reached 9.2 million views in just 4 months.  The video sparked an increase of complaints by other unimpressed customers and snowballed into mass criticism of the company.  After nine months of several failed attempts to gain compensation and being rudely spoken to and treated by staff, Carroll decided enough was enough and made a sequence of three songs slating the company.  As well as self promoting himself and his music, this is an extreme way of publicly criticising a company.  The review is available to everyone and when it’s broadcasting such a negative message about the company, it can definitely be seen as an example that social media reviews should be held at the highest regard by companies.

Social media and networking could be seen as a mood ring for companies to look at, and instantly get an idea of their public brand image.  They can also check how many people are receiving their message and more importantly digesting the information and using it.  This real-time feedback allows companies to assess and act quicker, hopefully saving any damaging effects, or making decisions to better their status.  Twitter has found that it can predict the films it believes will perform best in the box office by those films that are trended and mentioned most in the weeks leading up to the release of a new film.

Therefore, it is important for a company to have a strong presence on social networking sites, to reassure customers about their values and ethos.  A marketing or branding strategy which didn’t have some focus on social media could be considered flawed.  However, a social media image for some companies is sometimes seen as a too public or open to customers.  It could be argued that an open image makes a company more appealing to the consumer, with no secrets or hidden messages it makes it considerably easier to trust a company who presents an uncompromised brand image.

With companies now very active on social media sites such as Twitter or Facebook, the message they portray is important and must represent the company values.  Starbucks for example has 14 million fans and if they were to begin receiving material which may be unsuitable, then it is a vast consumer base to offend.  It is very important to come across as natural sticking to the core values of the company not changing your style for social media, but portraying the core values of the company appropriately through the media vehicle.  If used effectively, social media is an important factor in modern marketing, resulting in new subtle techniques to gain a prolonged interest in a company and their activities.