Leveraging social media for product launch using bugs

Product launch
If you launch a new product or service the conventional way using press releases, advertising and even post it on Twitter and Facebook your product will hardly get noticed as there are so many contenders in the attention competition. There is nothing to write about: your product just does what it promised to do in your launch campaign.
- A new faultless product or service is boring to write about.
Moreover praising a product or service feels like bribery from the masters of the blogging sphere.

Launching with bugs for attention
The better approach is to launch your product with several obvious bugs or problems using the conventional launch methods and present it to bloggers and reviewers.
These bugs or problems will give the social media masters something to write about together with the basic explication and benefits of your service.
- A buggy product or service is great to write about.
People prefer to complain over praising.

All this content, even negative content, created about your product or service generates interest and branding. It will spread the message about your solution with a greater reach than any of your press releases or advertisements.
If many blog posts are written, chances are people start discussing about the use or benefits.

Google applied this method for Buzz as we cannot imagine Google released such an under performing web service. In any case it grabbed the attention on the blogs and social media websites.

The updated version to leverage social media
The trick is to release an updated version as soon as possible or when the media interest starts to decrease. This second version should be ready at the moment of the first release.

Admit your mistake publicly
Just make sure this second version is bug free and that it will get positive reviews.
Of course you will need Press releases and advertising admitting the mistake you have made, but with the advantage the brand name is already branded in the minds of the potential customers.

Benefits of buggy product launches:
- Branding (just make sure the bugs are not major)
- Reach
- Linking brand name with the functionality
- Benefits of the solution
- Explication of the service or product to the public
- Admitting your mistake is a sign of being humble making you popular
- Low cost campaign compared to the number of Internet mentions

How successful was your last product launch ?