Blockchain
Web3 marketing needs a little of Apple’s secret sauce
The launch of Apple’s Vision Pro headphones was perhaps the most controversial in its recent history – certainly, the biggest event since the company entered the telecommunications market with the launch of the iPhone in 2007. Showcasing innovation , then-CEO Steve Jobs claimed he would “reinvent the telephone.” Boy, was he right.
Current CEO Tim Cook is betting that the magic is still there with Vision Pro – and he’s doing many of the same branding and messaging moves that proved so effective for its predecessor, though apps, as use cases that demonstrate the technology, they are still in their early stages of development.
Note: The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of CoinDesk, Inc. or its owners and affiliates.
The Apple Vision Pro is a headset, but you won’t find that word on the product landing page. Nor is Apple overly concerned with terms like augmented reality, extended reality, or mixed reality, even though these technologies are the essence of what the Vision Pro does.
Instead, Apple chooses to tell you how Vision Pro lets you enjoy immersive entertainment experiences from your couch, capture and relive your precious moments as 3D photos, and collaborate with remote colleagues as seamlessly as if you were in the same room.
This is Apple’s secret sauce. It doesn’t tell us why we need the technology – shows us because we want what it can do. This simple yet impactful communications strategy has been instrumental in the widespread adoption of smartphones – and it already appears to be working for the Vision Pro. The device launched to US consumers in February with an initial user base of up to 200,000 based on sales. If this sounds disappointing, then game engine giant Unity announced support for VisionOS since its release and there are further plans to distribute the device to the tech-hungry Chinese market within this year.
Like spatial computing, Web3 is also an umbrella term, loosely lumped together with terms like blockchain, digital assets, DeFi, and the rest of the dictionary of crypto jargon. But most people involved in the crypto sphere have no idea how meaningless these words are to laypeople, and it’s not for a lack of understanding of their implications.
Definitely, technology is attractive: a global survey conducted by Consensys found that 83% of respondents prioritize data privacy, 70% think they should share profits made from their data, and 79% want more control over their online identity. Therefore, the core values of Web3 get the vote of the general public. Yet a disconnect remains: People support the Web3 ideology without realizing what it is or how they can incorporate it into their lives.
At the moment, the industry is a sounding board with companies preaching to the converted using esoteric language lingua franca that resonates with a small audience of avid users, tech savvy and crypto-native investors. To deliver on the promise of Web3, a shift toward more accessible and relatable messaging is needed.
To give a simple example, instead of discussing the complexities of distributed ledger technology, the focus should be on new use cases: what can we do now that we couldn’t do before?
For example, how can a person who works abroad and wants to send money home to their beloved family access instant, cheap and secure cross-border payments while protecting their personal data?
Or how can new login methods and a new online identity help otherwise non-tech-savvy users regain control of their data, eliminating the need for complex password managers or the headache of lost credentials?
Or, how can we enable a growing global population of digital creators to earn real, meaningful revenue from their creations without relinquishing control of their intellectual property or risk losing audiences and carefully curated content?
All these and many other use cases are critical for the massive adoption of blockchain-based products. But in any case, they focus on a person who wants or needs what technology can do, in a different or better way than what can be done today.
Just as the Internet was once a complex and now widely understood concept, web3 can be explained through familiar scenarios and analogies that connect it to everyday experiences. In the case of NFTs, the comparison to irreproducible digital collectibles – one-of-a-kind trading cards – is understandable to almost everyone.
In short, for Web3 to break into the mainstream it must adopt a communications strategy that reaches the 92% of people currently outside its realm of influence. This can be achieved through simplified messaging, a focus on easily identifiable benefits, and jargon-free storytelling and analogies.
By speaking the language of Web2, the blockchain world will not only be understood but also embraced as the natural evolution of the World Wide Web.