SmartPulse — our weekly reader poll in SmartBrief on Social Media — tracks feedback from leading marketers about social-media practices and issues.
Last week’s poll question: Will the new Apple iPad affect your marketing plans for 2010?
- It will not affect my plans at all. 72.92%
- It may have some affect; I’m just not certain to what extent. 20.42%
- It will greatly affect my marketing plans; it’s a game-changer. 3.33%
- It will affect my marketing plans somewhat because of some useful features. 3.33%
By an overwhelming margin poll respondents said the iPad would have no effect. Still, I’m with the “may have some affect” camp. I think the iPad may play more of a role than we realize, though to what extent remains unclear.
The iPhone has certainly affected the way we market today. One can hardly think of Internet marketing without thinking in terms of developing iPhone apps, or at the very least, considering the impact of mobile technology. Given that the iPad is a larger version of the iPhone (or i Pod Touch) and it’s easy to see how application development makes the leap from one device to the other.
I am very intrigued by the small percentage who see this as a game-changer. I’d like to know their rationale as to why. What do they know that we don’t?
Paul Chaney is the Internet marketing director for Bizzuka, author of “The Digital Handshake,” and a member of the SmartBrief on Social Media Advisory Board.