Unlike software, marketing physical hardware demands a significant focus on in-person experiences like trade shows and partner events. Customers need to physically touch and interact with the product to understand its differentiation, something a spec sheet cannot convey. This fundamentally shifts the marketing mix away from purely digital channels.

The core innovation of Silicon Valley may not be technology, but its mastery of marketing. This skill, which faded after Steve Jobs' death, was reignited by Elon Musk's "Jobsian" style, making marketing a central pillar of success again.

By launching the iPhone at Macworld, not CES, Steve Jobs controlled the narrative. He prevented journalists from framing it as just another phone to be compared feature-by-feature against competitors like the Nokia N95, which was superior on paper. This allowed him to define a new category instead of competing in an existing one.

When competing with incumbents, a social tool's brand is a critical differentiator that cannot be easily cloned. An invitation from Partiful signals a specific vibe and energy for an event, which is part of the product experience. A technically identical feature from a company like Apple fails to replicate this brand-driven expectation.

The AI industry operates in a "press release economy" where mindshare is critical. Competitors strategically time major news, like Anthropic's massive valuation, to coincide with a rival's launch (Google's Gemini 3) to dilute media impact and ensure they remain part of the conversation.

Jobs chose Macworld over CES to control the iPhone's launch narrative, avoiding spec-for-spec comparisons with Nokia. This set a precedent for companies to host their own events (like WWDC), diminishing the role of independent conferences for major product reveals.

Marketing high-priced in-person events requires less "shtick" than digital equivalents. The inherent scarcity (limited seats), tangible experience, and human craving for connection are powerful, built-in marketing hooks that digital products struggle to replicate authentically.

Presenting at an Apple event requires days of intense preparation. The company controls every detail, from the punctuation on slides and the specific font used, to choreographing where speakers stand and walk on stage, even providing teleprompter cues for positioning.

In-person events create a powerful, hard-to-replicate competitive moat. While rivals can easily copy your digital products or content with AI, they cannot replicate the unique community, experience, and brand loyalty fostered by well-executed IRL gatherings.