Have you ever thought why there is noiPhone 9, BB9 and Windows 9? I also thought of that especially when Microsoft skipped Windows 9 and launchedWindows 10. Recall Blackberry also skipped BB9 and launchedBB10and now, Apple has skipped iPhone 9 to unveiliPhone 10 (iPhone X)
But what is the problem with the number 9? Why is it been neglected and skipped by electronic and mobile phone makers? Well, the reason is notfar fetched. Brands avoid some numbers like 9 because of some superstitious believes of some peoplein certain regions. For more reasons and information why brands skip the number 9 and few other numbers are explained below. Thanks toMister Mofor the insight.MARKETING AND PERCEPTIONIf you want to sell products across multiple cultures, the rule of the gameis to understand those cultures and their superstitions. This is the 21st century, but human nature is still essentially the same. For example, even in many places in the West, the number 13 is considered a number forbad luck. Remember “Friday the 13th”? Aha. Because of this, you are not likely to see Windows 13 or an iPhone 13 in the future.Also, in countries like Korea, China and Japan, the number 4 is a synonym for the word “death”. As such, brands active in those countriestend to avoid it. Who wants to buy death?! I remember Nokia avoiding that number in phones they shipped to that region.Don’t forget it. If you want to sell products (consumer products especially) across multiple cultures, the rule of the game is to understand those cultures and their superstitions.Sometimes, brands take a chance andgo ahead to push a product associated with an unlucky/negative number anyway. Sometimes, that is part of the game. But with the consumer public, perception is a factor. A strong factor.THE NUMBER 9So, what’s up with the number 9? It is a curse word in Chinese and a synonym for suffering, agony or torture in Japanese. That’s what.Note the Chinese connection. That is a huge market that big brands cannot afford to play with, so those brands who wish to sell there avoid numbers that can mess up product perception. In marketing aferall, perception is everything.
Now you know why there is no iPhone9. Apple jumped and passed the Chinese curse word. And when I say curse in this context, I do not mean swear.
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