Mark Evans

iPod's New Skills: Strike Breaker

I've got a story in today's Financial Post looking at the strike at Telus Corp. What's interesting about it is many unionized employees in Alberta are crossing pickets lines while Telus has told employees in British Columbia to stay home amid fears of physical and verbal intimidation. The Telecommunication Workers Union contends Telus is luring its employees across the picket line by offering them all kinds of incentives, including a $400 iPod for free. This is just another “imaginative” way the iPod is being used as a marketing/sales vehicle, which I believe is aimed at younger people who appreciate the iPod's cache. I've also seen the get a free iPod offer used by TD Bank to convince people to move their bank accounts, and by Apple to encourage people to buy an Power Mac, iMac or Power Book.