This article was taken from the July 2011 issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online.
Steve Jobs has long known that the best advertising is the kind that money can't buy -- that is, news stories. From the very beginning of his career, Jobs has persuaded the news media to cover his product launches as news events. It's been spectacularly successful. The launch of the iPhone, for example, was estimated by Harvard Business School professor David Yoffie to be worth $400m (£246m) in free advertising. It was covered by news organisations across the world, from CNN to Stephen Colbert, and there was barely a tribesman in the Amazon who didn't hear about it.
He persuades the media to cover his event by pulling a clever psychological trick -- he says he has a secret. A week before a product launch, he sends invitations to a mysterious event, the subject of which is not revealed. It sets off reporters' innate curiosity, and even the most jaded hack can't resist. The invitations themselves set off a round of speculative news stories and rumours. These days, even the biggest news organisations get in the guessing game, priming the pump for the big unveil, which Jobs reserves for the "one last thing" finale.
Where did Jobs learn these tricks? They come from his playful personality and penchant for secrecy. Back when he was developing the first Mac, he wrapped prototypes under a blanket before showing them to outside partners. He was delighted by the mixture of surprise and awe in observers' faces when he pulled off the cloth. So he used a similar trick when introducing the Macintosh for the first time in 1984 and, of course, noted the massive press it generated. Every major product introduction in the 20 years since then has followed the same time-tested format -- and we all still look forward to it.
Leander Kahney is the editor of news website Cult of Mac and author of three books on Apple
More from the Steve Jobs MBA [
Unit 101: Future thinking](https://www.wired.co.uk/article/unit-101) [
Unit 102: People pay more if it's worth it](https://www.wired.co.uk/article/unit-102) [
Unit 103: Connect your people](https://www.wired.co.uk/article/unit-103) [
Unit 104: Master the entire business](https://www.wired.co.uk/article/unit-104)
Unit 105: Build from the bottom up
Unit 106: Interpret, don't impersonate
Unit 107: It's all about design [
Unit 108: Dazzle your audience](https://www.wired.co.uk/article/unit-108) [
Unit 109: Steve Jobs: in his own words](https://www.wired.co.uk/article/unit-109)
Unit 110: Challenge the expectations of others [
Unit 111: Be your own competition](https://www.wired.co.uk/article/unit-111)
Unit 112: Reboot, reboot, reboot Unit 114: Stay hungry, stay foolish
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
