Apple’s PR apparatus is the stuff of legend and often a big target in the blogosphere. The company has to be commended for generating relentless buzz around its products, but that also puts them out there to take some licks.
Valleywag posted a video (Gizmodo had it first) of Apple’s senior VP of worldwide marketing Philip Schiller (how’s that for a marketing name) conducting an interview with U.K.’s Channel 4. When the reporter questions the iPhone’s mandatory use of Apple’s iTunes platform, the word “monopoly” gets tossed out and the interview is abruptly shut down.
As Schiller hears the question—“Are you acting in a sort of monopoly way?”— his eyes turn to the Apple PR pros off-camera. When the PR staffers move in Schiller, looking very uncomfortable at this point, says he “already answered” the question.
“You’re talking on the subject of iTunes, but this today is about iPhone,” says one PR exec, stepping in front of the camera.
“We’re happy to deal with you another day; we just have so much going on and we’re really excited and we want to stay focused,” says another PR pro.
Here's a link to the resulting TV news story.
Were Apple PR pros wrong to cut off the interview? Could this have been handled better?
