“Apple’s online push behind the iPhone 5C has gone from Tumblr to The New York Times home page,” Mark Walsh reports for Mediapost. “A display ad dominating the upper right corner of the page features the same ad creative as the Tumblr page launched earlier this month to promote its mid-tier-priced handset, which has had disappointing sales so far.”
“Opening NYTimes.com initially sends a series of animated yellow dots scurrying from around the page into the ad unit, resolving to form the rear image of an iPhone 5C official case,” Walsh reports. “The ad then presents a selection of six of the 17 15-second videos showcased on the iPhone 5C Tumblr page, highlighting its array of bright colors.”
Walsh reports, “The ads mark a more aggressive promotional effort online for a particular product than usual for Apple, which has generally favored TV and print over online advertising and shunned social media marketing. Creating a presence on Tumblr for the iPhone 5C looks like a bid to reach millennials as a core market for the lower-priced model. It has been overshadowed by the flagship iPhone 5S since both were released in September. The company conceded in its fourth-quarter earnings call that it has seen lower-than expected sales of the 5C. Separate eports have indicated the model been outsold 2-to-1 by the 5S.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: According to CIRP, in the days after launch, the iPhone 5c accounted for 27% of iPhone sales vs. 64% for iPhone 5s. In the previous year, also according to CIRP, the iPhone 4s captured 23% vs. 68% for iPhone 5.
So, how are sales of the 5c “disappointing?” Answer: They’re not. It’s a media concoction. Apple expected a bit more than they got, but that doesn’t mean sales of iPhone 5c are “disappointing” in the grand scheme of things. The iPhone also-rans would kill for iPhone 5c sales.
Related article:
Tumblr becomes weapon of choice for Apple’s marketing team – March 2, 2014
CNBC claims iPhone 5c sales ‘disappointing’ despite proof otherwise – October 15, 2013
Another way of looking at it is that sales of the iPhone 5s are disappointing:
Tier 3 – stable YOY at 9%
Tier 2 – 23% increased to 27%
Tier 1 – 68% decreased to 64%
Those colourful little devices are gaining share at the expense of their metallic siblings.
There are so many ways to play with statistics that they can be made to say whatever the intended audience wants to hear especially when talking about derivatives and derivatives of derivatives.
The consensus view of Apple — to discredit Goliath at every opportunity — has been arrived at because it appeals to the intended audience, more than any passive view of an enchanted and immortal giant.
This means that the numbers must be arranged to accentuate the negative, despite record sales of both iPhone models, to better fit the narrative. Only when Goliath pounds the Earth, freeing a spray of gold from its depths, will sycophants alter their view; and then only until the giant slumbers again.
I don’t know what sources of information you’ve been checking, but everything that I have seen shows 5s sales as remarkably robust, which pretty much gives the finger to your theory that the 5c is somehow cannibalizing sales.
As I wrote prior what I suspect the sales that the 5c are taking are Android sales.
Which makes sense, considering that is probably what the device was designed to do.
The fact that they don’t see the 5c as the incarnation of the iPhone 5 is the issue. To them is a brand new iPhone.
MDN publishes almost no stories of the 5c poor sales compared to other tech sites.
Apple is beating a dead horse in their attempts to get people to buy the iPhone 5c when it is such a bad buy. Drop the price to $400.00 and watch the 5c disappear. Though may soon disappear anyway as we get closer to June.
Wait till the iPhone 6 comes out and you may get your wish.
I agree. If you make a second tier phone, you have to put it at least close to a second tier price. Cause mainly it’s going to kids who aren’t careful.
(0_o) ‘See! I told you the 5c sales were disappointing!
Do you HEAR ME?!
Hello?
Anyone listening?
It sucks to be wrong.’ (o_0)
BTW: There is nothing new about Apple promoting gear on the home page of the NY Times. That’s been going on for years. Yawn.
You or I don’t need an ad to be talked into buying an iPhone 5s. The target audience for the 5c can use a little nudge. Then Apple can upsale a good percentage of those customers.
The NYT? Really? The printed news enemy of Apple?
@bjr001.
Perhaps MDN does not post any articles about poor iPhone 5C sales because the sales have not been poor!
Yes I thought the same MDN having stated that view at the top I almost lost the will to live reading someone totally ignoring it as they posted that comment. Agree or not it seems rather self indulgent to not even acknowledge the position of those they are criticising when it actually answers the question they pose.
Yeah, top 5 is so disappointing.
/s