Nokia are the latest in a line of companies who are looking to take advantage of the GapingVoid tactic of sending free products out to important people in the tech industry to create a buzz about their new handset. This strategy has had varying results in recent years but we haven’t seen companies invest in it quite as much as Nokia have. This is very much a growing trend, the use of important players in the industry, especially those with a healthy social media following and here is why I think that this strategy is one which will be used for many more years to come. 

Inspiration 

It is all well and good paying a key member of a certain community cold, hard cash to promote a certain product but there is something about this which leads to lackluster and rather hollow reporting. Sure someone with a healthy fanbase may be able to convince one or two that they really ‘love’ a certain product, but in the main it will come off as disingenuous. The idea of sending products out to people on the other hand completely flips this on its head and instead of asking people to promote something, they are going to be able to share actual experiences with their followers which of course will result in a far more wholesome review. 

Cost Effective 

If we are talking about cost then the truth is that a product, to a company, is far cheaper than the amount which they may pay for someone to write about that product. To the influencer of course this feels more expensive based on what the company could make from its sale, but in terms of actual manufacturing cost they will be saving an awful lot of money. 

Wow Factor 

I have be paid by companies before to review their products or services and whilst I have gladly done it for some products, there is something which just feels a bit forced about the whole thing, and more often than not I end up thinking that I wouldn’t use that company in the future. What Nokia have done however is given themselves a real wow factor, something which bloggers and influencers on social media will look upon with real fondness, at least this was my experience when that N95 came in the post. 

Talking 

Above all else the result of what Nokia has done has created a stir and conversations, and as we always say on here, the only thing worse than people talking about you is people not talking about you. Many won’t review the phone they’ve been sent, but they’ll still discuss the fact that they have been sent a handset and what that means for Nokia. The company have managed to put themselves front and center of the conversation and all they have had to do was hand out a few freebies. 

This model will continue to work for more businesses in the future, just as it has for Nokia.