EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
As witnessed in Silicon Valley, the recent technological breakthrough is slowly transforming the world into a small ICT village. As a leading Global 2000 company, Apple Inc. emerges as a key player in the mobile phone industry. Besides its remarkable innovative designs alongside the impressive media content and apps, the unadulterated consumer appeal for Apple’s products and services has propelled the company to the status of ‘most valuable brand’ surpassing Coca Cola in the Omnicom Groups’ Best Global Brands 2014 report (Hertzfeld, 2014). Apple has featured as the best marketer for four consecutive years by winning the CMO Survey Award for Marketing Excellence. Apple’s immense success in marketing is in part attributable to its profound 3-point – empathy, focus, impute - marketing philosophy. Empathy entails a comprehensive understanding of their customer needs as compared to their competitors. The focus entails identifying potential marketing opportunities and subsequently exploiting them. Impute entails providing a more appealing product based on the understanding that people actually do judge a book by its cover.
STRATEGY (TCO F)
Apple Inc. is an American corporation that specializes on designing, developing, and selling electronics that include smartphones, tablets and computer software (Hitt et al., 2014). Apple’s strategy is anchored in four pillars that the former CEO, Steve Jobs, had strategized. At the outset, the company main objective
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Apple is a global company represented in many parts of the world, but born in the United States by computer wizards by the names of Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak who founded the company back in 1976 (Capon, 2008). The organization deals with the design and sale of computer hardware, software and offers tech support to its customers. Examples of the hardware the company manufactures and sells include mobile phones, personal computers, iPads, tablets and iTunes with associated brands, like the MacBook and iPhones that represent Apple’s driving force towards its success. It is recognized as a brand leader in consumer electronics by the world in terms of quality and customer satisfaction and despite the wide product range, Apple manages each product in a distinct way that is a single business unit (Mittan, 2010).
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.
With Samsung doing so well in the cellphone market, Apple is going to have to step up its’ game in order to ensure that it stays right there with them at the top. Although Apple is constantly advertising worldwide and finding new and impressive ways to get its name out there, it is still in need of something that will send it flying ahead of Samsung. For Apple’s corporate strategy, it already uses a close-related diversification strategy. This strategy has assisted the company in finding out exactly what consumers want in this day in time. In a way, this gives an explanation as to why there are always constant updates and additions to the Apple IPhone. With the close-related diversification strategy, Apple has the ability to change its
Apple is a leading company in the industry of Technology manufactures mobiles, computers, communications devices and portable devices. The company also sells software computer accessories and network solutions. Apple was said “the most valuable company in the world” apple earn this value though its creativity and innovation. The company has high values for its stakeholders and it has a sustainable competitive advantage for its shareholder in the industry.
Apple has always been something of a trendsetter in the tech space. Its product history since Steve Jobs’s return in 1997 gives us a solid list of examples to choose from, from its very first iPod, to Apple’s PowerBook (and later MacBook) lines, to the iPhone and the iPad. Apple’s history is dominated by products that existed before Apple had a crack at them - but it was Apple who simplified them, made them appealing on a much wider scale, and ultimately made them objects of desire for the masses.
Nowadays, Apple has positioned itself to be an innovator in the personal computer industry and Apple has developed by offering modern products compared to its competitors. According to Apple’s mission statement last year, “Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.” (Business Management,
Apple Inc. is one of the top technology company which is measured by the market capitalization and still, leads and dominate in the categories of invented or popularized company. While it appears that Apple is on top of its scheme, there are several limitations that Apple faced;
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.
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,
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.
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).
Apple Inc is an International American Company that produces cell phones, personal computers , softwares & consumer electronic products. Apple is known for its products, some of its famous products include: Macintosh, iPod, iPhones, iWatch, iPad, Macbook. 486 Retail stores in 19 countries and an online stores available in 39 countries are operated by Apple Inc. The product of Apple comprises on the MAC OS X working framework, iWork suite for productivity, Final Cut Studio, Logic Studio a music generation device's suite, iOS; a iPhone operating system, the iTunes media program, the iLife suite of sight and sound and innovativeness software, AirPlay, Airprint, and so forth.
The multi billion-dollar corporation, Apple Inc., designs and manufactures some of today’s highest technological gizmos and gadgets. Among their best known products are the Apple and Macintosh computers, iPods, iTunes, iPhones and iPads. Apple is one of the most powerful and influential high tech companies in the world. The success of Apple Inc. stems from the innovation and visions of co-founder and entrepreneur, Steve Jobs, the excellence of the stylish, user-friendly products, and the ability to create innovative products that consumer’s desire.
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.