Marketers manage product positioning by focusing their marketing activities on a positioning strategy. This essay will discuss the multiple factors that are crucial to optimal market positioning. The factors that impact the chosen organisation, Apple, and the chosen product, laptop computers, include market segmentation, market positioning, and the marketing mix, which comprises price, promotion, place and product.
Established in the United States of America in April 1976, Apple Inc is a multinational corporation that designs and manufactures consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers. The company's best-known hardware products include Mac computers, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad. As at January 2010 the company
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Usually smaller brands single out the leader and attack them, not one brand positioning themselves against the whole category.
For Apple to effectively position its laptop computers in the market it must formulate an effective marketing mix. The marketing mix is defined by Kotler et al (2008, p.106) as “the set of controllable marketing variables that the company blends to produce the response it wants in the target market.” The marketing mix comprises of the “four P’s”- product, price, promotion and place.
Kotler et al (2008, p.57) define product as a “goods-and-service combination the company offers to a target market”. The satisfaction and value perceieved by the consumer is dependant on whether these attributes are satisfied, or exceeded. To achieve optimal market positioning, all product attributes for Apple’s target market, tangible and intangible, must be recognised in conjunction with their weighted importance. Product attributes considered important by Apple’s target market are seen to be: competitive pricing, range, functionality, information provided, friendly service, quality assurance and added value.
The time necessary to learn about a product or service and to travel to purchase it, as well as time spent in a store, can be important costs to the consumer. From a consumer’s point of view, price is usually defined as what the consumer must give up to purchase a
Apple Computer uses focused differentiation to help sell its computers to a narrow target market of graphic designers and educators rather than the general population of computer users. Apple’s innovation on the ITunes store together with the widespread use of the IPod. The corporate strategy is focused on being a market disrupter, and in turn a market maker, by focusing relentlessly on the customer experience.
The success of an organization depends on the ability of the business entity to adopt and integrate quality marketing mix. This relates to the generation and implementation of an effective and substantial balance among the elements of the marketing mix. The organization creates a successful mix through consideration of four critical factors. One of the main aspects of a successful marketing mix by an organization is making sufficient decision in engagement of the right product (Everett, 2009). This is an indication that the product must have the right features thus attractive to the target audiences in diverse market segments. The second consideration is the adoption of an effective and appropriate price mechanism with the aim of exploiting the available market opportunities. According to this factor, organizations must adopt effective pricing mechanism in order to offer quality products at healthy profit levels. The third consideration or success factor is a critical decision with reference to the right place for marketing and distribution of the product. This is a reflection of the need to deliver products at the right place at the right time for the satisfaction of the needs and preferences of the consumers. Finally, the organization should also make substantial decisions in consideration for appropriate, effective, and efficient promotion or advertisement mechanism. The main objective of this project is to examine the marketing
Pricing is one of the most important elements of the marketing mix for the MARC. It is the only one of the components that generates revenue, while promotion, place, and product generate cost. Producing, designing, distributing, and promoting products come with expenses.
Apple, Inc., an American multinational technology company, which founded on April 1, 1976 in California, United States. The company has earned $53 million of income in 2015, which increase $14 million of income compared with 2014 (Apple Inc., 2015). It has developed from a small personal computer company to a multinational corporation that selling various types of electronic products and software such as, iPad, iPhone, iOS, and others (Apple Inc., 2016).
Apple is a technology leader with its innovation, and it reflects all of its unique products. The company understands consumers’ need, and its clever marketing strategies continuously developed the wide product lines and advanced the competitors in its dynamic industry. This paper will analyze the strengths and opportunities that the company can utilize to the marketplace, and weaknesses and threats that the company faces and has to overcome in order to survive and succeed. Also, it will focus on how the company targets and appeals its customers and the various business environments that can have an impact on the future of the company.
Apple, Inc. (formerly known as Apple Computer, Inc.) was incorporated in the State of California in 1977. Apple currently designs, manufactures, and markets a variety of computer and personal electronic products, including Macintosh computers, and the iPod digital music player. AppleÕs key markets are consumers, creative professionals, educational institutions, and business users.
Apple computer, Inc. is one of the largest tech companies in the world. The company was established on April 1, 1976, and incorporated on January 3, 1977. Apple computer had been using this name for the first 30 years then removed the word “computer” on January 9, 2007. Apple has produced a lot of innovative products and has successfully become one of the top leaders in the field of technology. Apple itself produces hardware which includes Macintosh computers, iPods, iPhones and iPads. In order to support their own hardware, Apple has also created software including Mac OS X operating system, iOS mobile operating system, iTunes, a professional photography package, a suite of professional audio and film-industry, final cut studio, logic
Apple Inc. is a corporation that designs and manufactures computer hardware, software and other consumer electronic products. The company is known for the Macintosh personal computers, iTunes media applications and the iPod personal music players. Apple was founded in April 1976 by Steven Wozniak and Steve Jobs, both college dropouts. In 1976, Wozniak and Jobs created the Apple I computer which did not have a keyboard or power supply for a computer hobbyist club. Later that summer Wozniak started his development of the Apple II, which
Even though Apple has encountered many setbacks, it continues to bring new and improve products to the market. Apple’s competitive strategy has been innovation. They have made an extraordinary effort developing, implementing, and executing its very unique strategy through innovation which has resulted in new product, and the enrichment of the existing ones. More specifically, Apple attempts to meet and supply the needs of a global market, by offering eager and enthusiastic consumers with innovated and high-quality products and services. Apple has employed a differentiation strategy linked to innovation with its three core products (computers, personal media player, mobile phones, tablets and other accessories). A key piece of their strategy involves meeting the needs of the converging digital electronics and computer markets. Apple has elected to implement its strategy by designing and developing proprietary operating systems and software technologies, thus allowing for strict protection of its intellectual rights.
This paper comprehensively describes the marketing plan of a charismatic organization Apple Inc. The main focus of the paper is to describe the most important marketing strategies which Apple has espoused from the date of its emergence and different challenges which it has faced from time to time. The paper begins with an introduction to the organization. Apple Inc. is an American MNC; engaged in the business of developing and marketing of IT products. Apple has expanded its business operations all over the world. Every product which Apple introduces has its own target market; it develops marketing plan and strategies for each of its products separately (Apple, 2012). Apple's strengths include strong brand image, financial strength, product and process design, and highly efficient operations management while high prices and inability of up gradation of some products are its main weaknesses. Apple has threats from its competitors, increasing costs, and economic situations but has greater opportunities in entering new markets, making strategic alliances, and bringing innovations through efficient R&D. Before entering new markets, Apple has to analyze the business environment through sensitivity analysis, and then decide a framework for the future strategies.
Apple Company is one of the most successful companies in electronic industry and is one of the most important valuable companies in the world .its sales and makes value increased for the past ten years. Apple Company has used many different strategies to become successful in the market. “The Apple strategy is essential determinant of advantages towards with other companies such us, Samsung, LG, and BlackBerry. It used Porter’s model strategy and this strategy is the key to achieving this generic strategy and supporting Apple’s success. Apple general strategy focuses on key features which is differentiate the company and its products from competitors and which is essential .for example, it focus on elegant design and branding. The Apple
I have been hired as an external strategic marketing consultant for Apple Inc. to prepare a report about market development.This report will include a discussion andrecommendations for the strategic management of the market mix using Ansoff Matrix.
This report will identify the positioning of Apple’s notebook product line ‘MacBook’ to its relative competition by the use of marketing concepts such as; segmentation marketing, target marketing, buyer behaviour, product strategy and how the company has enhanced the product over the years.
Apple Inc. is established in California on April 1, 1976 and incorporated on January 3, 1977. Apple Inc. focuses on designing and manufacturing consumer electronics and software products. Which should be mentioned is that the company's best-known products are Macook, iPod, iPhone, and iPad.
Apple Inc. is the most revered corporation of the USA, both in terms of brand equity and market capitalization. The company’s international competitive strategy is focused on the innovative product development, which Apple controls through its eight business segments: Portables, Desktops, iPads, iPhones, Music related products and services, peripherals and hardware (Lam et al. 2005).