$400 million in free publicity for iPhone

Events this January surely got the media talking. I'm referring not so much to the launch of Microsoft's latest operating system, Vista, but to the short appearance of Job's newborn, the iPhone. And, technically, Apple's iPhone is not even born, we've got until the end of June to actually see it.

Jobs grabbed the attention of the media (and of the whole world) by offering a short glimpse of iPhone, the touch-screen internet-enabled cell phone with multi-media functionalities. The phone seemed groundbreaking, a revolutionary, innovative, beautifully-designed product that was ready to rule the world of gadgets.

The media frenzy was set loose: the headlines, the rumors, the speculations. iPhone was (and still is) on everyone's lips. Everybody wanted to know about the iPhone, and they did, perhaps more than they needed to. Thanks to CEO Steve Jobs and his brilliant marketing move, iPhone got and is still getting incredible media coverage.

Harvard Business School professor David Yoffie says Jobs' marketing stunt generated about $400 million in free publicity. "No other company has ever received that kind of attention for a product launch," he said, "It's unprecedented."

Jobs won the appreciation of Marketing guru Peter Sealey, professor at Claremont Graduate University, who called the controversial Cupertino exec "the best marketing CEO in the business."

Will this $400 million free publicity (which I'm adding to right now) mean increased sales for iPhone? Perhaps not, but it can't possibly hurt either. Can you imagine the crowds of people that will step in Apple stores to see the little gadget? Maybe just to confirm the cell isn't worth the $500 Apple's charging, but people will still want to take a look.

Well done, Steve Jobs, for creating and promoting a product we just can't ignore.