At some point in our lives or the other, we all have gotten a kick out of the “Pass the Heinz” or “Got Milk?” ad campaigns. All through these years, such creative milestones have given people across the world something to remember and cherish forever. In fact, just like these ad campaigns, there have been equally influential product launch presentations that have changed the way we live our lives or drive to work or even convey messages.

 

Every other year, a revolutionary product comes along that shapes the vision of the future. Technology keeps offering us more compact and robust solutions which we adapt to our daily needs. And while introducing the world to such products with a presentation, entrepreneurs and tech giants have changed the demographic of the market as well as consumer psyche. So much so that these product launch presentations have become the epitome of remarkable moments in history.

 

What truly makes these product launch presentations remarkable is that they make us think. They make us believe in a certain type of power. They make us think above and beyond human capacity. And whether we are watching them for fun or just to stare in awe at the people who present them, we do learn something and get to apply these learning points in our daily routines. Most of all, these presentations give us the power to leverage the power of speech to leave an impression while moving the needle.

 

In this blog, we break down 11 such product launch presentations that did, in fact, put a ding in the universe, and what you can learn from them.

 

#1 The iphone unveil

 

If there is a gallery of world’s most influential presenters, Steve Jobs is definitely in the topmost league. We all know the late co-founder of Apple Inc as a presenter of substance. And no matter what product he brought into the world, he did it in style. Among his most influential presentations, the iphone launch event is one of the most impactful ones. With an impeccable presentation during the MacWorld 2007, Jobs made a phenomenal case for the phone that will “change the world”. The presentation was something that disrupted the mobile industry. In fact, it introduced us to the world of multi-touch, built-in camera, call merge, media synchronization across devices and most importantly, something wonderful that fits right in your palm.

 

 

A key factor that makes this product presentation a gem is that it catapulted Apple to the front of the mobile industry competition. After the launch of iphone, other companies also jumped on the bandwagon, but Apple’s feat became somewhat of a blueprint of how we interact with technology. And with iphone sales making up for more than half the multi-billion dollar revenue of Apple Inc, it is no surprise that it is one of the most used smartphones in the world. And the charm began with, you guessed it right, a spectacular presentation.

 

#2 The Macintosh launch

 

Before Apple Inc was taking the world by storm with the iphone, Steve Jobs along with the company’s co-founder Steve Wozniak at the very beginning had pushed the creative envelope with the Macintosh computer. The ambitious product, which Jobs highlights as “insanely great” in this presentation, became pivotal to the technological advancements that followed it. The Macintosh presentation has been etched on the tablets of history as it showcases Jobs’s impeccable drive to convince people with his presentation skills. The Macintosh, which eventually morphed from a small box with floppy disk socket to the inspirational Mac PC or Macbook laptop that we so adore today, had what no other product had. It put Apple on the map and took computing to the next level. It reformed the way human mind perceives digital design, besides giving us a taste of what an inspiring GUI looks like.

 

 

Another highlight of the presentation is that it focuses on how Macintosh pioneered use and manipulation of fonts in word processing. Moreover, from a presenter’s point of view, one can observe how Steve Jobs had the zeal to make products that matter and transform our conscience. The presentation also cements Apple’s core value of making efficient design their priority while designing products. The product presentation does the rest of the work, with finesse.

 

#3 The Macbook Air introduction

 

If the “What’s in the bag?” moment in the previous product launch presentation kept you on the edge of your seat, believe me, this one will take the cake. The Macbook Air presentation is one of the most influential to date. Why? Because it sets the mind in motion. It appeals to the senses. When Steve Jobs started the presentation with the memorable tagline “There’s something in the Air”, even the remotest corners of earth had held their breaths for what wonder was about to come from the bag of Apple Inc. But Jobs being Jobs, the wonder came, not from a bag this time, but a very sleek and distinct envelope. This moment sets this presentation apart as it gave the marketers and presenters all around the world a reason to think outside the box.

 

 

Announcing the exit of DVD for Macbooks, Jobs introduces the Macbook Air as the world’s thinnest notebook with marvelous features and practically weightless hardware. The influence of the presentation has ignited all genius minds across the globe while making the word “Air” synonymous to all things light and compact. And it is this influence that keeps Apple at the top of the game. And we are sure, there’s more Air where that came from.

 

#4  The ipod take-off

 

Speaking of all things light and compact, it is no surprise that the revolution in the digital music industry was spearheaded by Apple Inc. And the product launch presentation is nothing short of inspiring. In fact, if one says that Steve Jobs could sell water to fish with his marketing panache, that would surely not be an overstatement. The ipod has been a revolutionary product in the digital music market, all thanks to Jobs’s vision for creating niche markets that give the competition a run for its money. The highlight of this product launch presentation is how Jobs implores the audience on an intellectual level, while showing how Apple leveraged a vast market to bring about a product that speaks to the audiophiles in us.

 

 

With this presentation, Steve Jobs set off an example for conglomerates within the Silicon Valley and beyond that potential markets need that problem-solving acumen from entrepreneurs to turn into a literal goldmine. That is exactly what Apple did. The presentation highlights the new trends in digital music technology on the lines of three breakthroughs: Ultra-Portability, Ease-of-Use and Auto-Sync. While giving live demo of how to use the iphone, not to mention the multi-faceted scroll wheel and creating and playing playlists, Jobs gives the audience a slice of Apple’s core purpose of staying ahead of its time. All that while keeping an entire library of a 1000 songs (pretty impressive at that time) in a device as compact as a deck of cards. Aced that!

 

#5 The Tesla Roadster launch

 

It is not like every great product launch presentation has come from Apple only. There is another Silicon Valley giant that has left a lasting impression with their product launch presentation. The company we are talking about is Tesla. The presenter — Elon Musk. The billionaire entrepreneur has always left the world on the edge with products that have spoken to generations of tech lovers. And with Tesla, Musk has put renewable energy at the centre-stage. Here we are going to talk about how Tesla marked the dawn of an era of electric vehicles with the unveiling of the Tesla Roadster: a superspeed four-seater sports car. Interestingly, just like Jobs, Musk has leveraged a niche market and turned it into multi-billion dollar concept. And the product launch presentation charts that idea exquisitely well.

 

 

The presentation of the Tesla Roadster made such waves that the company has carried the impact to space, quite literally. The company launched the vehicle as a dummy payload into space with the help of the Falcon Heavy spacecraft on February 6, 2018. It is such influential presentations that get consumers excited. And Musk has figured that mantra right from the start.

 

#6 The AirBnB pitch

 

Let’s face it. There is no entrepreneurship without ideas. And this one right here is the boss of all ideas. The AirBnB presentation, which fetched its founders Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia, and Nathan Blecharczyk a decent 600,000 dollars in investment, will always be in the hall of fame of impeccable pitch decks. In fact, the homestay rental service giant gave the world a blueprint of how to put forward an idea that investors cannot say no to. The pitch is beyond methodical and persuasive. It brings a problem-solution proposition to the table while using data to gain the audience's trust.

 

 

Cherry on top is that from a company dealing in air mattresses to a travel industry giant that is helping people make money off hosting across locations, the presentation showcasing an inspiring business model has paved the way for many seeking investment from venture capitalists. The presentation is, indeed, flawless execution personified.

 

#7 The Kindle Paperwhite unveil

 

There is a voracious reader in us. And what adds to that quality is a revolutionary product from the assembly line of e-commerce giant Amazon. What makes Kindle Paperwhite truly revolutionary is that it reinvented the e-reader display. During its product launch presentation in 2012, Jeff Bezos introduces the device that will enable e-book readers to enjoy tomes and tomes of digital books in the dark. The smart fiber display that makes digital reading a practically glare-free experience became the highlight of generations of Kindle that delighted readers. No wonders Bezos brings out the revolutionary product from the dark into the light, the screen still well-lit to read off of.

 

 

Indeed, Kindle was never aimed at replacing paperbacks. Rather it aimed to be as gripping. Imagine a library of over a 1000 books that you can carry in your bag. Kindle achieved that and projected Amazon into an ever-growing market. The presentation also highlights Jeff Bezos’s simple yet effective speaking style and interactive way of connecting with the audience. And after Kindle Paperwhite, Amazon has never looked back. Hundreds of thousands of books get added to kindle subscription module every year. The love for reading remains digital, and it all took centre-stage with a remarkable product launch.

 

#8 Microsoft Windows 95 launch

 

Nothing screams exhilarating more than Microsoft Windows 95 launch of August 24, 1995. The “people’s operating system” was introduced to the world with a presentation that spoke volumes of the path that lay ahead of Microsoft as the software giant it is today. Rather in those times, when the focus was mostly on hardware, it became quite clear that with Windows 95, Microsoft wanted to establish itself as a company for people’s computing and software needs. It put Microsoft on the map with the excellence that Bill Gates had to offer to the people of Silicon Valley and beyond. And this presentation mirrors that excellence.

 

 

The key point of the presentation is that Microsoft leveraged the influence of pop culture to bring Windows 95 to the masses. The appeal of celebrities (cue Tonight Show host Jay Leno on stage, and later Friends stars Jennifer Aniston and Matthew Perry for the user guide) helped grow the welcome quotient of the operating system. And it is only because of that magnetism that Windows went viral (despite social media nowhere near in existence). The impact of the presentation (featuring Bill Gates and others dancing, and the sound of Rolling Stones’ Start Me Up) was such that OS became ubiquitous since its launch. And with each successive version, the popularity of Microsoft and its revolutionary tools was felt far and wide.

 

#9 The Tinder pitch

 

An excellent example of norm-variance or problem-solution paradigm is the pitch deck of the popular dating app Tinder (dubbed Match Box at that time). The pitch is seamlessly entertaining and alluring, not to mention incredibly simple and equally impressive. “Meet Matt” says the very first slide. Classic example of getting the audience hooked from the get go. And then the pitch explains the problem of how Matt is unable to go over and say hi to ladies at a party out of fear of rejection. And the cure is… Match Box.

 

 

The pitch deck is a classic example of how visual storytelling works in the art of persuasion. Raising venture capital with out-of-the-box and incredibly simple ideas became the norm for startups. Today Tinder is arguably the most popular dating app in the entire world. Fundraising became a breeze on the lines of this presentation deck.

 

#10 The Messenger App opening

 

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has utilized the power of a product launch platform like the conclaves such as F8 to roll out interesting products that have revolutionized internet technology and how we communicate and connect. However, with this presentation, there is no specific product launch per se, but it elaborates what dots companies should connect to excel in an already populated sphere. The market here is content sharing through chat. Although launched as Facebook Chat initially, Messenger has quickly gained steam due to its association with Facebook at large. The presentation, however, shows how the chat service has advanced as Zuckerberg opens the app for developers across the world.

 

 

The presentation also gives the audience a chance to know what Facebook Inc has learned about content processing and bringing people together. In fact, the listeners get a glance into the future of visual content on the social media platform. And there is no doubt that all the upcoming F8 events will keep give the company a chance to implore tech minds to achieve something great in collaboration with them.

 

#11 The Apple Watch unveil

 

We saved the best for last. The Apple Watch unveil made waves when Tim Cook started the presentation with the iconic tagline “One more thing…” It marked the beginning of a new era for the technology product giant as the company looked to explore the market of wearable fitness trackers. Ideally, Apple designed the Apple Watch to bring the consumer connect up a notch. And while Fitbit remained in the league of its own, the Apple Watch leveraged a consumer base to try its own take on the fitness band. The presentation also features a cool video showcasing the ergonomic design of the watch, sparking the craze for fitness enthusiasts.

 

 

And no doubt the presentation carries forward the unwavering legacy of Steve Jobs and what he thought will make the company great. Basically Apple Watch redefined fitness tracking with its own hardware and software, appealing to the masses about a timepiece that can do more than just show time.

 

Learn from them: How to turn your product launch presentation from ordinary to extraordinary

 

Of course, for the presenters in us, there is a lot to learn from these influential presentations. Product launch requires effective strategy for the presentation, besides careful planning and execution. Startups gain funds to fuel their ambitions based on how they pitch their product. In such a scenario, learning from these presentations that changed the world becomes imperative to a commercially successful product launch. You have to handle the structure of the presentation, master the delivery and influence your listeners. Here’s a rundown of what you can key learning points you can gain from these presentations and incorporate in your product launch strategy efficiently.

 

#1 It is about the people, not the product

A major takeaway from these presentations is that you want to present your product as a solution to your audience’s problems. So always plan your product launch around your target audience. What is their pain? What do they need? You cannot make the presentation all about yourself. That can detach the audience quickly and drive them away from the product.

 

#2 Make sure you have set the stage right

Here we mean the run-up to the product launch has to be as much influential as you plan the presentation to be. Get your social media marketing teams to run thought-provoking campaigns to draw crowds toward your product. Apple’s teaser’s videos might flood our YouTube recommendations, but there’s a purpose. They get the audience hyped about the product. If you are going to launch the product on a smaller scale, fun ads may be the best option to make your audience listen.

 

#3 Intrigue and tell a story

Devise your product launch presentation content in such a way that it tells a story the audience can relate to. Skillful presenters like Steve Jobs always kept the world on its toes with the way they intrigued the audience. Catchy taglines like “One more thing…” still strike a chord with tech enthusiasts across the world. You want to give the listeners something more than a product description. Give them an experience.

 

#4 Know the product, believe in it

The power of conviction is more inspiring when you yourself believe in the product and know it inside-out. You have to do your practice. You have to keep your facts ready. You have to focus on what works for the audience. Data is your friend if you learn to love it. Take your time researching about the metrics associated with the product and you will be ready for every question that comes your way.

Related read: Why Product Management Templates Are a Must for Every Business in 2021

#5 Feedback is a must

If you are ready for feedback, you are destined for growth and improvement. In fact, one can take pointers from the launch of Barclays’s money-sending application, Pingit, they will know the power of invigorating oneself with prompt redress of consumer concerns. After all, the companies that have put consumers first have scaled the heights of excellence.

 

So in conclusion, one can see that the path to excellence for a business rests on the way a product launch presentation is conducted. One can get overwhelmed by the scale at which these presentations have made an impact. But the more you believe in yourself and address the pain points of your potential customers while being open to feedback, the better are your chances of take the world by storm.