Apple Brand Equity

Apple is an American multinational corporation which designs, manufactures and markets a range of consumer electronics and software products (Apple Inc., 2008). At the end of last fiscal year, Apple’s worldwide annual sales amounted to $32.5 billion, an increase of 35% from 2007 (Apple Inc., 2008). Not surprisingly then, was Apple voted America’s most admired company, also topping the global survey (Fortune,

Apple uses a very own made image that can be apart from the other companies that share the same market. That images helps the target people to differentiate the products, for example, there are many kinds of media player, but the apples’ media player are known as one of the best, with a sound resolution that exceed the competition, making that product wanted by a large slice of the market. That same differentiation can also be seen in every Apple’s products. Apple is one of the best examples when talking about differentiation of products.

Apple was established as an IT company dealing in exclusively in computers. However, competition in the technology sector forced the firm to focus on other consumer products. The diversification strategy has seen Apple’s sales grow tremendously in the last decade, earning the firm the No. 1 brand position at Forbes. The Apple brand is recognized on an international scale and enjoys a strong recognition thanks to its aggressiveness when it comes to creativity and innovation (Tar, 2013). It has a large number of loyal customers who would purchase the new products regardless of the market price, which guarantees profits from the new division.

The brand identity can used to drive and guide strategic initiatives throughout the firm, to differentiate the firm’s products and create a competitive advantage, to drive the committed to customer, to support the firm’s values and culture, and to support an easier protection of the brand (Danciu, 2010). Apple’s good brand identity strategy has provided supports to its unique position and its products in the global market. Apple has ranks as the top ‘Luxury Brand’ in China and many people are desired to own the products of Apple due to its luxury identity (Kedmey, 2015). Even though Apple has charge high prices for its products to customers, but customers are willing to buy as it provide innovative and better quality of products in terms of privacy, systems, application, and functions which easy to win the customer’s respect and loyalty. The distribution and retail strategy of Apple made it successful (Denning, 2011). There are four main distribution channels for Apple of its products, which are an online store, its retail store, direct sales, and third party wholesalers, which are easy to distribute its products to consumer. The store of Apple is intensive to control the ways that employees interact with customers, scripted training for on-site tech support, and consideration of every store detail down to the pre-loaded photos and music on demo devices. It also creates a carefree and

Apple has prospered internally and it is necessary to consider both strengths and weaknesses. Apple has lots of strengths, the major of them being it’s impressive brand reputation, Apple managed to position the brand as “premium products” for “elite” people. Customers are loyal and tend to stay in Apple’s ecosystem. Apple’s self-reinforcing ecosystem, it has a diverse ecosystem which integrates various hardware and software products into one large interactive space. Status of top innovator, Apple is perceived as the leading innovator and its products are highly anticipated. Apple’s very strong financial performance, high profit margins and very high liquidity. It’s network of retail stores, high-quality customer service helps to create advanced user experience. A powerful marketing strategy, Apple’s team masterly uses various marketing techniques to create a hype for their products and to strengthen the brand.

The success factors of Apple are obtained through meeting the appeal of the corresponding aspects of consumer behaviour that are Perception, Learning and Memory, Motivation an Values, The Self, Personality and Lifestyles, Attitudes, Attitude Change and Interactive Communications, Individual Decision Marketing, Buying and Disposing, Group Influence and Opinion Leadership, Income Social Class and Family Structure, Subcultures, Cultural Influences on Consumer Behaviour, and Creation and Diffusion of Culture. During the course of the 41 years of existence for the company, as the history background detailed above states most of these aspects were surely addressed in one way or another in order to maintain the on-going and everlasting success of the brand along with being able to recognize the failures and later turn them into successes as well. Apple has established its brand to meet the consumers’ perception by setting a standard that involves selection, organization, an interpretation of it sensations. This is made possible through the eye grabbing aesthetics’ characteristics of most its products and the logo that were designed to be visually appealing to create and immediate response of sensory receptors such as basic stimuli like light and colour. Through the aspect of Learning and Memory the use of repetition from associative learning to the brand name Apple is easier to be familiarized with. As it constantly being repeated, the term increases learning and generates more

Apple implemented the marketing concept by focusing on customers’ needs through imagination, design, and innovation creating an emotional brand for its customers. Even though Apple is a technological company it takes a humanistic approach to satisfying the needs of its customers far better than the competition.

Apple’s branding strategy focuses mainly on emotions. It centers on a person’s lifestyle, imagination, his passion, hopes, dreams and aspiration, and lastly empowering the people through technology. The Apple brand personality emphasizes on making people’s lives easier and it is a company with a genuine connection with its customers. Apple try’s to brand the business around customers; every aspect of the customer experience is relevant. Every contact with the customer must be a reinforcement of the brand’s values.The brand is currently expanding by opening retail stores in high-end shopping districts in major cities around the world. The brand provides expert staff to selected stores; it has formed alliances with other companies to distribute its products (like with HP for example, who pre-loaded iTunes into its PC’s and laptops). The brand has also increased its accessibility through the expansion of its online stores.Through its retail stores, Apple is able to offer customers a direct

Apple has done well in focusing on the customer’s needs and wants as it is related to the quality of the product or service as well as price.

Thesis Statement: The Apple Corporation exceeds competing companies in product sales because of the company’s high recognition as a top selling brand, along with the dependability of its product and the technological innovations it consistently provides for consumers.

introduction of the Apple II, to the Mac, to its more recent iTunes and iPhone, Apple has managed to maintain a competitive advantage and in recent years been able

It is clear that a strong brand image is very important for Apple Inc. because a strong brand image is one that consumers trust and feel is a sound investment representing value for their money. The company's financial performance is robust and this certainly is a positive attribute and predictor for survival of the company in the present economic crisis because Apple Inc. is well established and financially sound. Apple Inc. focuses on research and development which means that the company will stay abreast

The Micro marketing environment plays an important and crucial role in Mac’s line of success.

Apple prides itself on offering innovative technology to a society that has become dependent on it. In markets inundated with companies offering similar products and services, Apple has had to rise above and distinguish itself from the masses. While their products have a cultivated a devoted-customer following (our family is one of them), their organization and the values it espouses are what will help them to remain a relevant and successful company in the tech world.

2． Powerful brand image associated with quality and superior hardware design: Apple continues to innovate in the area of hardware design. Some innovations are:their own A-series chips for iDevices: Where others use general purpose ARM based integrated circuit chips to drive their devices, each A-series chip is designed specifically for the devices it is to power, designed explicitly to meet Apple’s specific requirements; the unibody design for the laptops: provides a lighter, stronger case for the MacBooks; the multi-touch track pad on the laptops: was new & innovative; the magnetic charger connection on the MacBooks; all the iDevices: the build quality is surpassed by no other; The newest iPhone 5 is regarded as a gold standard in terms of its durability as well as the iOS. In each of these examples, hardware design – aesthetics aside – is always of high quality, and uses the latest technology that is ready.