According to comments on the BBC’s dot.life blog, many people are becoming increasingly angry with the staggering amount of publicity the BBC keep giving to Apple’s new iPhone.
Their pre-launch and now post launch iPhone publicity is all the more mystifying; as the BBC is NOT ALLOWED to advertise products here in the UK! Equally, the iPhone has a very small percentage of the UK mobile phone market – making it of limited interest.
Both here in this blog and on the BBC’s own blog, people are asking for answers – and not getting them.
What do you think?
Are the BBC right to GIVE hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of free publicity to Apple?
UPDATE:
What do I know about the power of this kind of advertising? I should disclose that whilst I am NOT a professional tech journalist, I own and run an international marketing company and produce one of Europe’s best known marketing blogs
I have just been answered (kind of) by Darren Waters at the BBC.
I say I was answered, I was actually insulted, accused of using their blog as link bait and told that the BBC had only given iPhone one article and one blog post – which is 100% incorrect! One of the other comments in their blog, listed 4 recent iPhone stories and gave links to them!
So, we still know nothing about why they are dishing so much free publicity out to Apple – they are just denying it – even when it is presented to them.
Is it possible that the blog’s Editor REALLY didn’t know that his staff had already written a massive blog post about the iphone launch?
Related posts:
Jim,
Once again you are promoting the new iPhone. 3 out of the last 4-of your blog entries have been about this iPod-with-a-phone attached. This “phone” offers absolutely nothing that is innovative or original that has not been done before by many other phone manufacturers a thousand times. It is simply a fashion toy, nothing more.
It’s clever to act as though you are criticizing the absurd iPhone coverage, while clearly ADDING to the obscene media frenzy over this insignificant trinket. This new “phone” might deserve one or two lines on the back page of some low circulation newsletter. Yet the BBC, TechNewsBlog and other media outlets are conspiring to force this news down our throats, when absolutely NO ONE is interested in reading anything about this pathetic phone that can’t do anything right.
Ryker,
I am writing about the BBC coverage of iPhone – not iPhone. I never even blogged about the iphone launch yesterday!
Also, the BBC have removed around 50% of my comments to their blog! You have only seen what they were ‘comfortable’ for you to see.
I genuinely have no idea where you are coming from with your argument. However, unlike the BBC, I am happy to reply to your comments!
Jim,
At this point, it is very clear that you are on Apple’s payroll. Your continual coverage of the the BBC iPhone coverage has given the company millions of pounds in free publicity. This is especially upsetting because you run a technological blog, and you should be unbiased and not simply prostituting yourself as a promotional tool for Steve Jobs and his silly device that is 20 years behind the times. This so-called multimedia device is not worthy of being used as a paperweight let alone a smartphone, and there is zero news interest in a product that will die out within a few months and no one will ever hear of again. Indeed, Apple should be sued by the inventors of fingerpaint for copying the idea of multi-touch.
The only buyers of this phone in the UK are obviously Apple plants or people who have been threatened into buying them or people with severe mental disorders that make them unable to discern right from wrong. These same frauds will be the only people who buy the new one — that is, before this conspiracy is uncovered, and Apple disappears forever, never to be heard from again.
It is sad that tech blog news has succumbed to the temptation of taking the big bucks from Apple and agreed to create this false conflict with the BBC in order for both media outlets to publicize the iPhoney and give this pathetic device free advertising — which it does not deserve.
The iPhone was not just covered by the BBC (although they did not go overboard as you seem to suggest) but most other media outlets. The Guardian did a live blog of the keynote.
While the iPhone does not appeal to me, I understand them, on their technology section, covering it. Just like they did when Microsoft introduced elements of the next version of Windows last week, like they do when Sony introduced the PlayTV thingy, and just like when Gmail introduced a bunch of (beta) features last week.
Covering the keynote (i.e the iPhone) is to be expected since the WWDC is a big technology event. The details of the iPhone (massive price drop, 3g) is enough to warrant attention both in terms of the exictement it generated in the tech community as well as a admission of the previous failures of the device (lack of 3g, high price point, no 3rd party apps).
I am left to wonder if you simply dislike the BBC, Apple or both. The BBC did take time to address your issue, in a whole blog. They are a big company, and it is not often companys like that will address any blogs about them. They even linked to your page, quite happy to admit and show that people have problems with them
Frankly I noticed more coverage about this whiney blogpost on the BBC than I did about the iPhone.
The weird thing is, the author is attacking the BBC for, and i quote:
“However, unlike the BBC, I am happy to reply to your comments!”
If the BBC were really so keen to censor him they would not have linked to this blog in the first place! Also the BBC have been very restrained in their goverage compared to The Times, The Guardian, and more.
I counted two stories on the BBC news technology site, one preceding the keynote and one after, As well as one blog post. Hardly overkill.
@Kradium
I don’t this he was especially whiney, no need to get personal. Just disagrees with the BBC’s attention to the iPhone, although we just disagree because it is quite hard to spot in this case. They have spent a lot of time on Apple before, say Macword, and they admitted as much.
It’s bizarre to use this event when it has been very restrained.
That said he hasnt censored our comments so is keen to allow other views to be heard and credit to him for that.
@Jim
Sorry, I did not know you worked for the BBC, I too have the uppermost respect for them and understand why you are keen to ensure they do not dilute their purpose by pandering to commercial companies.
In this case though I disagree they did that. They have admitted to going a bit too far in the past. I personally think Apple are an important company, The iPhone (1st gen) was not without a large amount of problems but it did inspire a generation of copy-cats and forced phone companies to PROPERLY invest in their GUI and touch screen features.
Before the iPhone (and still to an extent) there were horrible interfaces and implementations and the iPhone was a different device and it implemented the small feature set it did have very well.
Apple are a company that do things well, even though they are hyped to a stupid degree and other companies also often beat them in terms of pure technology. Apple know how to present that technology and, like the iPod and the original Mac, push that technology into wider use.
While I don’t want the BBC to promote Apple or spend too much time on them. I do expect them to cover the WWDC and Macword just like I expect them to cover CES and E3. As these are big events in the IT world.
@Jim
I didnt imply you did reply to our comments, just saying that the BBC did give you a decent hearing dispite censoring your comments on the editors blog.
Sorry if it seemed otherwise
@jimconnoly
Just checked through the comments posts on both of the bbc iphone blog posts and youre right that no one answered your question.
- Perry
@Ryker.
You are joking – right?
@ Ryan,
I am assuming you did not already know that I WORK with the BBC; as a contributor to BBC radio? I once did three hours LIVE on air; coaching one of their broadcasters during her first ever live show. I am also a member of the BBC listener panel.
I LOVE THE BBC!
I have no problem with other media outlets promoting iPhone – my issue was with the fact that the BBC is bound, by its charter, NOT to advertise or promote a company, product or service.
I asked Darren a week ago why the BBC were giving so much pre-launch coverage and PR to Apple and he never responded – he still hasn’t in fact. He has simply denied it.
He said that the BBC gave just one blog post and one article to Apple. Within MINUTES he had to take that back and then said they had given twice as much coverage!
He then had to admit that they had given twice as much coverage AND that BBC TV and Radio were giving it coverage. So much coverage via the BBC website that it was actually the most emailed story on their homepage!
The launch of iPhone was also given; ‘breaking news’ status at one point – which is F*CKING INSANE!
Whatever you take from this, rest assured that the BBC is, in my opinion, outstanding! I also stand by my praise (see the BBC blog) of Maggie, Rory and Darren’s work.
I just find their OTT coverage of iPhone, as you seem to, a little too much.
Thanks for the comment mate!
Ryan,
Yep – I can’t disagree with ya!
There’s a difference between covering an event (that’s news) – and promoting a product launch, (that’s advertising / PR.)
All the best and pop back any time! If you have anything you would like me to blog about, let me know!
Dear EVERYONE!
I have literally just seen the post Jeremy Hillman wrote about this blog. I was curious why so many of you were commenting here (this blog’s only a few weeks old and not even picked up by search engines yet!)
Yep, this blog, which is just a hobby for me, is now being reported about by the world’s largest news gathering company – and I am still wondering why no one at the BBC has actually answered my original question.
@perry
Ive had lots of comments from BBC staff – none have answered the actual question.
Perhaps they can’t?
Jim, when you look at your site’s statistics since you posted this story, you will see that the BBC’s coverage is easily justified by the public’s interest in the device.
If anything, your question should not be “Are the BBC right to GIVE hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of free publicity to Apple?“, but “Are the BBC right to ACCEPT hundreds of thousands of visitors worth of free publicity from Apple to their news website?“.
Jim, i was linked to your site from Hillman’s blog. I haven’t followed much of BBC’s promotion and i am not sure which side to take.
Assuming what you pointed out was true, i just wanted to say something. With the competition the media industry is facing these days, it has become a requirement for them to be dependent on commercialization. I don’t call that brand dilution. Atleast BBC does not resort to sensationalism and glamour to sell their news like other news channels do.
If(as another comment pointed out), the Iphone is not really worth its promotion, then the BBC must be socially responsible and not promote the product.
@NotRyan,
I am guessing you are not from the UK?
If you were, you would know that the BBC is NOT ALLOWED to promote a product, company or service.
The rules governing advertising on the BBC are so strict, that you are not even allowed to post a comment in their blog that carries the name of your company. You cannot even submit a comment to a BBC blog, if your username is linked to your business! Yet, iPhone gets all that advertising!!
No matter how many people love the iPhone, the BBC can only report on it if their report is news. By publicising the pre-launch so heavily, the BBC have given iPhone hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of publicity – something they are simply not allowed to do.
@Mukundhan
The BBC gave masses of free publicity to iPhone BEFORE it was even official. The BBC gave publicity to what was just rumours.
This added to APPLE’S superb pre-launch PR.
In other words, the BBC were NOT reporting news – they were spreading iPhone’s ‘buzz’ before the launch of the product. Companies PAY marketing and PR experts to do this for them, because it is worth (potentially) millions in sales.
I don’t think the BBC’s insane amount of publicity for iPhone did anything like that for Apple – but it DID help Apple shift more iPhones into the UK.
This is 100% NOT allowed by the BBC’s charter. The BBC is not allowed to promote any Company, product or service in the UK.
I wouldn’t go as far as saying the BBC is on the take from Apple, but the sheer volume of Apple articles, be it the phone or other things is quite staggering. Even the computer props in their programmes seem to mostly be Mac.
I’ve just trawled through the last 18 months of articles and it’s very obvious that Mac is not only over represented, but that “rival” brands such as Microsoft seem to be approached from a negative slant to begin with. They are represented, but in a much more critical manner.
To me there seems no doubt they are pro Mac and anti Microsoft just from the words used in their journalism. It’s often subtle, but very obvious when you go looking for it. According to the BBC, the iphone revolutionised the industry. Then why is it such a small player? And do the BBC not realise that touch screens and music playing phones have been around for 5 years?
Then there’s the Xbox 360. An amazing success. It did the unthinkable. It dethroned the mighty Sony Playstation. Sure the Wii took the overall sales title, but Microsoft did extremely well to become the best selling top end console. Millions more sold than the playstation, or the iphone for that matter. Yet if you read the console articles, you would think that Sony still ruled the world. BBC The coverage is totally out of touch with the reality the market.
The BBC even handed Sony an “interview” two months ago that read like a giant advert for the PS3.
Then of course we have Macs on Spooks, Macs on House Hunt, Macs on Hustle……
I think the BBC freely promote apple products especially the I-phone & I don’t pay my licence fee for that purpose!
I blogged about this the other day after hearing it on Radio 1 & think why!
“The iPhone has a very small share of the uk market. ” You need to do some research. The bias here is a joke