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July 14, 2009
Hype vs. excitement: expanded
We had nifty comments to the original hype vs. excitement post, so here's an enhanced version of the chart featuring them.
| Hype is: | Excitement is: |
| An impossible promise | A realistic promise |
| Sales-driven | Value-driven |
| Exclamation points | Passion |
| Obnoxious | Contagious |
| Cause for mistrust | Cause for belief |
| Overuse of adverbs | Adverb-free |
| Narcissistic | Optimistic |
| Segway | Bike Friday |
| Contrived | Authentic |
| Unsustainable | Fuel for the future |
| From COTC readers: | |
| Bound to burn out quickly | Bound to improve ROI (Zoltan Devai) |
| Overpromising | Overdelivering (Dan Limbach) |
| "Some restrictions apply" | Free (Bob Poole) |
| Mob mentality | Individual thrill (Jeannie Walters) |
| Artificially colored cornstarch | Top sirloin steak, medium-well (Jon Nichols) |
| Showing off | Showing up (Maria Reyes-McDavis) |
| Focused on yourself | Focused on your customer (Bruce Kaechele) |
Other blogs that reference Hype vs. excitement: expanded:
that's a pretty good definition of hype as opposed to excitement, though I can think of numerous product launches that had aspects of both, such as the iPhone.
Navid -- My definition of hype is what a company/service provider and/or their affiliates say or do -- to push it through various sales and media channels.
Apple did very little to hype the iPhone. It was the culmination of the right product, at the right moment, delivered by a company with a track record of delivering game-changing products.
As Matthew May describes it:
"There were ads, but Steve Jobs’s simple 2007 MacWorld demonstration was the lynchpin. The spare design was coupled with a spare strategy. No appearances by Mr. Jobs on television. No sweeping demo model program for technology journalists. No advance reviews. No evangelistic outreach to the Apple cult. No special introductory offer or handset rebate. No preordering. By the time the iPhone finally went on sale, 20 million Americans had expressed interest in buying one, regardless of the price or potential wait time. It was a well-executed seduction strategy, and the iPhone “tipped” well before it hit the market."
Excellent table, Ben. You got me going:
HYPE = Deception
EXCITEMENT = Stimulation
HYPE = Hyperbole
EXCITEMENT = Curiosity
HYPE = Exaggerates
EXCITEMENT = Evokes
Best, Robin
HYPE = creating sonthing to increase
Excitement = is a feeling like a witness that has never been witnesed
Hype = Still Hungry
Excitement = Leftovers

