3 lessons from Apple’s U2 fiasco
The outrage over Apple’s decision to upload a U2 album to its users’ devices was widespread; PR pros would do well to learn from it.
When results are hard to come by, it’s easy and natural to look for other ways to get in front of a target market. Sometimes, however, what might seem like a positive PR move can backfire, spurning negativity and customer resentment.
Apple learned this the hard way this week.
Making headlines Tuesday, Apple created a service for “returning” the free U2 album that was auto-uploaded into customer accounts. In case you missed it, the details leading up to this announcement are critical.
The story
Last week, Apple announced the release of a new iPhone and sports/music hybrid watch. While there was a slew of consumer criticism related to the similarities between the new Apple watch and the multitudes of existing smartwatches already available, the real uproar occurred after what happened next.
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