A lot of hype has been generated by the recent release of the iPhone. I've read countless articles referring to the iPhone hype as "unprecedented" and "the most anticipated product release in history". I must give credit where it's due, and Apple definitely deserves some with the launch of the product. They simply do things right...design, marketing, hype, product experience and overall PR...it's hard NOT to love that brand. However, I'm reminded of a brand that did something, arguably more exciting, more new, more fresh, generated more hype and caused more hysteria than the iPod, iPhone and Paris Hilton combined. Yes, it's The Beatles. True, I wasn't alive to see the fab four in their hay day, but wasn't Beatlemania the first example of true WOM marketing? Didn't they lead the way with PR and Buzz marketing? Didn't they also create a brand themselves, that people would line up for 24-48 hours prior to a major release? A so-called "cult" brand, if ever there was one...
Perhaps Apple has always been taking a few Marketing queues from Sgt. Pepper all along...
