F**k Apple — HEY and Epic Games Are Weaponizing Controversy
Credit: Epic Games
I am ranked 284,827 in the world at Risk. Since the pandemic started I’ve racked up 251 hours playing the game and played 402 matches with players across the world. It’s not only a fun game, but it helps teach me strategy about life. For example, if I try to conquer Asia too quickly, my resources will be spread too thin and I will fail. Well, the same can be said for real life.
Sometimes we chase a shiny object and see initial success before realizing that it’s not sustainable. Well, this brings me to a story about two companies HEY and Epic Games and their fight against Apple.
HEY is an email company and Epic Games is a software company. HEY is owned by Basecamp, the same company that created Ruby on Rails. Epic Games is the creator of Fortnite and the Unreal Game Engine. Both these companies are in a public dispute with Apple. They argue that the 30% fee Apple takes from in-app purchases is unfair. It’s a classic David vs. Goliath fight -- the up and comers taking on the big dog. However, what makes it more interesting in my mind is the emergence of a new strategy that both Epic and HEY are employing -- controversy as a marketing strategy.
Controversy Sells
This isn’t anything new. Our current president ran a whole campaign predicated on saying controversial things to get air time. And why not? It works. Trump earned $2B worth of free media in the 2016 Republican primary.
HEY attracted 185,000 sign-ups in its first four weeks. Its whole marketing strategy was predicated on picking a fight with Apple. They have a whole page dedicated to the dispute. The page lists 15 tier-one media outlets that covered the story. Do you think the NY Times would have covered a story about HEY, the email service? The answer is no. They will, however, write a story about how a new tech product is fighting against an industry giant.
While Fortnite is a household name, I’d imagine the average consumer isn’t familiar with Epic Games. I don’t want to argue the merits of what Epic is doing, but rather look at how they are executing a similar strategy to HEY. Instead of the target audience being press, the target audience is Fortnite users. They are informing their millions of Fortnite users that their app will be taken off the Apple App Store unless Apple changes their policy. As Imran Khan writes:
“Epic is choosing to weaponize fan outrage alongside its lawsuits against Apple and Google and appears to have been planning to do so for some time. For better or worse, Epic Games has realized that boring corporate litigation is much more effective when paired with buzzwords and hashtags, and has ensured themselves a public relations victory regardless of how things shake out legally.”
Controversy Needs An End Game
Ok so we have a bunch of companies using controversy and they have gotten an inordinate amount of attention. But do you remember what I said about conquering Asia? Well, Apple is Asia. Don’t fuck with Asia until you’re ready. And this is where the rubber hits the road.
What’s the end game? HEY achieved a minor victory by getting Apple to cave on a few of the issues they raised. They, of course, turned that into a blog post. I predict it’s a temporary respite from the fight.
Epic is suing Apple. This will not be a short fight. After the initial press dies, what does Epic Games have going for it? Will their customers really support them when they can’t play Fortnite on their iPhone or will they just go to another game?
How Far Will a Brand Go?
In 279 BC, Pyrrhus of Epirus invaded Apulia, a region in Italy. His army defeated the Romans in what was known as the Battle of Asculum. While victorious, the Romans were easily able to replenish their forces and Pyrrhus was left decimated. Today, we call this a pyrrhic victory.
So as I write this I wonder. Is controversy as a marketing strategy really worth it? Maybe it’s just a pyrrhic victory. Epic has created a brilliant video and an explosive lawsuit. But when will it end? And if they declare victory, will it be worth it?
Postscript: I know Epic is suing Google, but it wasn’t relevant. I do think HEY is in the clear for now. Epic’s situation is much more murkier.