Maketing Strategies of Apple

The Marketing Strategies of Apple Inc.

Charles Pinckney II
Jason Miller
Kim Lehecka
Robert Paul

Texas A & M University CommerceTable of Contents

Executive Summary………………………………………………………………………......3

Introduction, Company Overview and Market Opportunity Overview……………………4

Situation Analysis……………………………………………………………………………...4

SWOT Comparison Table…………………………………………………………………….6

Target Market Analysis………………………………………………………………………..6

Marketing Mix…………………………………………………………………………………..7

4P comparison table ………………………………………………………………………….9

Contingency Plan, Internal and External Risks…..………………………………………...9

Description of Growth Plan…………………………………………………………………..11

Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………..13

References…………………………………………………………………………………….14

Executive Summary
Steve Jobs was quoted as saying “We need to embrace a notion that for Apple to win, Apple has to do a really good job; it’s about Apple being able to make incredibly great contributions to the industry” (Nosal, 2014). What sets Apple’s marketing apart from their competitors is their core focus, which is serving the customer. Apple is known for asking its employees what they want and using that feedback to improve an existing product.
The primary vision of Apple Inc. is to maximize the user experience through innovation (Koen, Bertels, Kleinschmidt. 2014). Apple has some weaknesses and recently lost an anti-trust case before the 9th Circuit Court involving iTunes and were convicted of violating the Sherman and Cartwright Acts as well as the California Professional Ethics Code. Apple has opportunities to regain its forward positioning by updating all of its current products with unique new features. The most serious long-term threat to Apple is their lack of anything substantially innovative being that they are a company that touts innovation as its main goal.
By focusing on early adopters and the early majority, Apple must continue to innovate to maintain the interest and attention of their target market. To date, Apple has been successful in satisfying the market’s desire for innovative products; but it has been some time since they have come up with “the next big thing”. Apple is losing market share to its largest competitor, Samsung. The last few iPhones have looked the same, felt the same and have not had the right type of updates to keep loyal customers happy.
The iPhone accounts for more sales than everything else combined for Apple (Apple, 2013). While this is good for Apple, it is also bad. Apple seems to have all their eggs in one basket as some might say. Google for example, produces its own operating system called Android. Not only does Google put this on their phones, so do Samsung, LG, Motorola, HTC and many more. Another example of Apples lack of diversification would be that they do not manufacture their own products allowing any number of factors to get in the way and hinder an already tight manufacturing schedule. Creating the future is what Apple is all about, they were the leaders in personal computing and turned the world on its side with the invention of iPods, iPads and reinvented the mobile phone into the iPhone. Introduction Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak founded Apple in 1976. Apple started out making personal computers and went through some tough times on their way to being a household name. Steve Jobs held his position as CEO until 1985 and was ousted by the board of directors. While sorting through various CEOs afterward, Apple’s rough road to the top included production ventures in desktop publishing, education hardware, servers and even cameras and CD players. All proved to be low profit margin and not what the core of Apple was about (Wang, Hsu, Zhou and Yan, 2012).
In 1997, Apple hired Steve Jobs back as interim CEO and he cleaned house so to speak by implementing his philosophies of offering something extraordinary. Jobs was quoted as saying “We need to embrace a notion that for Apple to win, Apple has to do a really good job; it’s about Apple being able to make incredibly great contributions to the industry” (Nosal, 2014). Today, Apple has expanded their offerings and now has a multifaceted product lineup.
Company Overview
Apple currently offers hardware in the areas of personal computers, media devices, and mobile communications. Their software lineup is expansive, including iTunes and multiple other software applications for their devices. ITunes net profit alone in 2013 was over $16 billion (Apple, 2013). Apple is unique in that all of their devices seamlessly integrate with each other and they are one of the only manufacturers that sell hardware and software giving them a distinct advantage in some respects.
Market Opportunity Overview Apple’s competitors in the fields of personal computers, media devices and mobile communications include; Google, H.P., Microsoft, Toshiba, Samsung, HTC, Asus and many more. Apple’s 2013 annual report states competition in these markets are expected to “intensify significantly as competitors attempt to imitate some of the features of the Company’s products and applications within their own products or, alternatively, collaborate with each other to offer solutions that are more competitive” (p.6).
What sets Apple’s marketing apart from their competitors is their core focus, which is serving the customer. Apple is known for asking its employees what they want and using that feedback to improve an existing product. The iPhone was a result of Apple employees unhappy with their own mobile phones (Nosal, 2014). Apple uses the same angle with all of its products to improve and or introduce new technology along with an expansive R&D department.
Apple has been on the cutting edge of many new trends and technology in the past. The iPhone, iPad and iPod are some examples from Apple’s product lineup that have created market opportunities to compete with the aforementioned competition. With the death of CEO and cofounder Steve Jobs, Apple is faced with many new challenges.
Apple SWOT
Strengths
The primary vision of Apple Inc. is to maximize the user experience through innovation (Koen, Bertels, Kleinschmidt. 2014). To date they have been extremely successful in accomplishing this goal. Due to sales from the iPod, iPhone, iPad, iTunes, iCloud and Mac; Apple has led the technology industry in nearly every category for the past decade resulting in $416 billion in earnings for the second quarter of 2013 alone (http://investor.apple.com).
Apple is able to achieve such success because it has more freedom to pursue experimental projects than most of its competitors due to their capital structure, which is maintained primarily through equity investors as opposed to debt financing (Agnihotri, A. 2013). Apple is one of the world’s most valuable companies with a per-share stock price of $535.37/share as of March 2014 (www.nasdaq.com).
Weaknesses
Ever since the passing of Steve Jobs, Apple has become less innovative. Mr. Jobs was integrally involved in the production of all of the products for which Apple is currently known (Koen, et al. 2014). Apple has yet to introduce anything revolutionary since their founder’s death. In fact, their March 2013 financial reports reflect an unexpected degree of volatility in their stock price, which Apple blames on unforeseen fluctuations within the greater market (http://investor.apple.com). Apple has not been faring well legally losing several cases that have been ongoing for the past few years. They recently lost an anti-trust case before the 9th Circuit Court involving iTunes and were judged guilty of violating the Sherman and Cartwright Acts as well as the California Professional Ethics Code. Final damages have not been specified; however they are expected to be significant (Apple Inc. 2013). Apple has also lost a similar antitrust case involving eBooks; however that case is currently under appeal.
Opportunities
Apple is currently surviving based on its past accomplishments and the market share it has accumulated throughout various technology sectors. Technology aficionados are constantly in search of the next best thing. On top of that, Apple users tend to show some degree of brand loyalty. Given these combined factors, Apple can regain its forward positioning by updating all of its current products with unique new features. For instance, tablet customers have at the top of their wish list a tablet with USB ports. Apple CEO Tim Cooks ingenious networking trips to China have paid off. Apples recent deal with China mobile has the potential to double or triple their worldwide market share. China mobile has an estimated 760 million subscribers (Guglielmo, 2014). An iPhone in half of those hands would push Apple way ahead of their competition.
Threats
Samsung is the industry leader in the smart-phone business and is Apple’s most dangerous competitor outside of the PC market. The Samsung Galaxy is also the most successful tablet apart from the iPad. In fact there are several Samsung licensed parts that go into the production of the iPhone; which is a problem for Apple since Samsung is a direct competitor in the smart phone market (Miller, S., Tabarrok, A. 2014). In addition there are currently 65 patent infringement lawsuits pending in the smart-phone industry, some of which are between Samsung and Apple (Miller, S., Tabarrok, A. 2014).
The most serious long-term threat to Apple is their lack of anything substantially innovative being that they are a company that touts innovation as its main goal. In the technology field the most innovative products to hit the market over the past two years have been Nike’s Fuel Band and Samsung’s Smart-Watch. In fact the Nike Fuel Band won Nike the title of World most Innovative Company of 2013 by Fast Company Magazine (Carr, A. 2013).

SWOT COMPARISON TABLE

APPLE

MICROSOFT

SAMSUNG

STRENGTH:

Has a reputation for cutting edge technology that has changed the consumer technology industry.

Has a stronghold on business related software and has had some success with the hardware they have produced, such as the X-box.

Largest company. Largest budget. Diversification among many different markets.

WEAKNESS:

Has become stagnate since the death of founder Steven Jobs.

They have not shaken their reputation of releasing flawed software. They have few hardware products and have a difficult time competing head-to-head with Apple and Samsung in the hardware sector.

Samsung has followed behind Apple on an innovative level. The products where both Apple and Samsung compete are markets where Apple was the innovator and Samsung the follower.

OPPORTUNITY:

Create meaningful updates to their existing technology and introduce new and revolutionary products.

They have not shaken their reputation of releasing flawed software. They have few hardware products and have a difficult time competing head-to-head with Apple and Samsung in the hardware sector. Come up with innovative products instead of simply putting out a Microsoft version of already established sectors led by its competitors.

Their current advertising focus attacks Apple and portrays them as being obsolete. Samsung should continue this strategy while continuing to introduce new and unique products.

THREAT:

Samsung has surpassed Apple in the smartphone space and with new innovations such as the wristwatch phone threatens Apple 's innovation moniker.

Microsoft does not have hardware that is a serious threat to either Apple or Samsung. Their biggest success in the hardware space is the X-box, which is a threat only to Sony and Nintendo who produces the PlayStation and Wii respectively.

The technology market is volatile. A new Stanford 's Neurogrid supercomputer chip (currently in development), could change the market in a way to make all technology based products obsolete.

Target Market Analysis
Demographics Characteristics of Market:
Apple primarily sells directly to the consumer market through its retail locations, third party distributors and via their own online store (Apple Inc. 2013). Apple is not the low-cost leader in any sector where they are competitive. The consumers of Apple products tend to be better educated when compared to the average consumer in general. Since Apple has produced unique products over the past ten years, they are in an equally unique position of having all available market segments as their target demographic. This is true for every space except for the cell-phone space where Apple faces fierce competition.

Psychographic Characteristics of Market:
Being that Apple focus on unique products, they have to devote a significant amount of their 1.1 billion dollars spent on advertising in 2013 (Apple Inc. 2013) towards early adopters. Early adopters by definition are generally young and on-the-go consumers with a sphere of influence that they can affect (Perreault, Cannon, McCarthy. 2011). The Apple product user values being a trend setter; which is also a common characteristic in adolescence and young adults.
Behaviors of the Target Market:
By focusing on early adopters and the early majority Apple must continue to innovate to maintain the interest and attention of their target market. If Apple begins to be seen as stale or even if their use becomes too saturated, the early adopters’ opinion of Apple could shift. Apple has a good deal of brand loyalty with their customers but this is less reliable when dealing with early adopters since they are always on the lookout for new products.
Strategies Appealing to Market:
Apple’s advertising budget has nearly doubled over the last three years as they focus on every media sector from television to print. To date Apple has been successful in satisfying the market’s desire for innovative products; but it has been some time since they have come up with “the next big thing”. Their current advertising saturation is sufficient to maintain their perception as an innovative elitist hardware provider; however their strategy will need to shift if they are unable to come up with a major new product.
Apple’s current advertisement strategy came under attack during the 2013 holiday season when Samsung ran a series of ads that pointed out the lack of new innovation when comparing the iPhone 5 to the Galaxy 4. If Apple reaches a point where they cease to be innovative then they will need to completely alter their current strategy to avoid having their advertising used against them in this fashion.
Marketing Mix
Product Strategy Apple writes on their website “We want to leave the world a better place than we found it. We strive to create products that are the best they can be in every way. Products that are beautiful, easy to use and powerful” (Apple, 2014). When Apple released the first iPhone in 2007, they easily changed the way wireless phones were made by companies and used by consumers. Apple continues to dominate the market but what makes their products so much better than their competitors? The answer to that question is brand loyalty. Consumers like that their phone can sync up with their tablet and computer without having to plug anything in and that the operating system is the same on all devices.
Pricing Strategy Apple is known for their expensive products. Apple’s laptop computers start at $999, the iPhones start at $99 on a 2-year contract and the iPad Mini starts at $399 while the iPad Air starts at $499 (Apple, 2014). Even with the steep prices people are willing to buy them. Apple is consistent in that their products are the same price no matter where they are sold.
According to a piece in Macworld, Apple maintains the popularity of its high-priced products by only offering retailers such as Wal-Mart or Best Buy a marginal wholesale discount. This small percentage in savings isn’t enough of a profit margin for retailers to offer big discounts on Apple’s products, which means customers end up paying a price close to the manufacturer suggested retail price (or MSRP). This price strategy is effective insofar as it prevents retailers from competing directly with Apple’s own stores, and it also ensures that no one reseller has an advantage over another (Nair, www.finance.yahoo.com). When Apple first launched the iPhone they had a massive marketing campaign. Commercials were all over the T.V., radio and in print. In large metropolitan areas Apple uses an in your face marketing campaign. This tactic seems to be working and each time there is a product launch people wait in line for hours to buy it.
Competitive Analysis
One of Apple’s major competitors in the wireless phone and tablet market is Samsung. One of the main reasons that Samsung has gained so much market share is they have been updating their product line more frequently than Apple and have been more in tune with what consumers are looking for. The last few iPhones have looked the same, felt the same and have not had the right type of updates to keep loyal customers happy. Apple’s products were groundbreaking in the beginning. The problem now is that they have not kept up the innovation since Steve Job’s passed.
Apple has keyed in on great locations to sell their products and services by using major retailers and having stores in areas where they know they can have the most success. The price is still a big problem for Apple. Paying $200 for a phone is not feasible for everyone and by not discounting the price or making a lower end device they are failing in this area. They are very successful in the promotion of their products by using marketing outlets that work. Samsung and Apple have been going head to head in market share for several years and this year will be a big test for Apple. If Apple does not deliver a phone that can push them ahead of Samsung they will lose the lead they have had for many years.

4P Comparison Table Between Apple and Samsung Apple
Samsung
Product
Apple has wireless phones, computers, tablets (iPads) and music storage devices. The interface on their phones, tablets and music storage devices are all the same which makes them very easy to use. Apple creates their own operating system. They only launch or revamp their products once a year for each device.
Samsung sells wireless phones and tablets. They are not in the computer market. Their operating system is Android which is a Google product. The advantage they have is that they launch new products several times a year and that includes newer versions of the ones already on the market.
Place
Apple has their own retail locations that they sell all of their products out of. There is only a handful in the DFW market. They also sell their products at all major big box stores as well as the different wireless carriers.
Samsung does not own their own stores. Their products can also be found at big box retail locations as well as the wireless stores.
Price
Apple dictates what their prices will be and does not allow large discounts at any outlet they are sold at.
Samsung is very competitive with their prices.
Promotion
Apple is a leader in promoting their products. They always have great commercials and even have large signs on the sides of buildings.
Samsung is good at cross promoting their products and offers special discounts if you bundle.

Contingency Plan
In reviewing Apple’s annual report for 2013, one of the main subjects covered is the projected increase in sales of their iPhone lineup. The iPhone accounts for more sales than everything else combined for Apple (Apple, 2013). Every year or so Apple will introduce a new or updated model of iPhone. Many critics believe that the last couple offerings have not been on par with what the competition has brought to the table. As a result, some external risks from competition increase as noted below. External Risks
Apple’s external risks are many; this paper will only cover a few main external risks. iPhone Competition
Google, like Apple has created an excellent mobile operating system called Android. Google has the advantage because not only does Google’s mobile devices run Android so do Samsung, LG and many others. All of which compete directly with Apple’s iPhone. Apple has three main competitors in the phone segment, Samsung Galaxy, HTC One and Google Nexus. The Samsung Galaxy has a powerhouse of a company backing their design and features. The Galaxy 5 compared to the iPhone 5S is like comparing grape juice to the finest wine available. With the last few iPhones Apple has unveiled it was all hype until its release and then a let down because there were no amazement or innovative features. Looking at the Samsung Galaxy S5, HTC One M8 and others, its obvious that they are listening to customers and innovating all while beating Apple at their own game. Apple needs to step it up in order to keep their market share.
Personal Computer Competition
Apple’s personal computers are generally much more expensive than windows based computers. A Macbook Air currently runs from $999 to $1299 (Apple,
2014) while a comparable Windows based laptop is anywhere from $599 to $899. Another factor to consider when discussing personal computers is the new introduction of Chromebooks. Chromebooks are Google’s version of a very inexpensive laptop, which come preloaded with Google proprietary software. These are gaining popularity first because of price, and secondly because of availability. These laptops are mainly suited for any internet related usage and are sold by Acer, Samsung, HP and Toshiba (Bestbuy, 2014). As discussed in the opening of the contingency plan personal computers are not Apple’s main seller. iPod Competition
While there is little direct competition with iPods anymore its because no one really buys them. Smart phone manufacturers are now integrating music playing capabilities and the introduction of services such as Google Play, Pandora and Slacker Radio. Apple iPod sales have plummeted over the past three years (Apple, 2013).
Internal Risks Supply Issues
The purchasing of components and other related parts for the manufacture of Apple’s devices has to be forecasted based on projected sales for periods of up to 150 days (Apple, 2013). Because Apple manufactures their devices across the globe, 150 days could bring any number of situations to light while pre-purchasing this material or components.
Manufacturing Issues
Foxconn is Apple’s sole manufacturer of the iPhone. In 2010, there were nine workers that committed suicide because of poor working conditions and their treatment at the Foxconn facilities in China and Taiwan (Ngai, Yuan, Yahua, Huilin, Chan and Selden, 2014). This turned out to be very bad PR for Apple even though they were not involved.
Legal Issues
Apple has been in litigation with Samsung numerous times for different patent infringement issues. Oddly enough, Apple still continues to contract with Samsung to manufacture touch screens and some processors for use in Apple devices.

Risks Summary With all of the risks internal and external Apple has to constantly be anticipating the next move of their competition before it happens as well as spend more money on R&D. Many of the external risks could possibly be minimized with a larger R&D budget. Apple spent $4.475 billion in 2013 on R&D (Apple, 2013). In comparison to Microsoft’s $10.6 billion (Microsoft, 2013) and Samsungs $11.2 billion on R&D (Samsung, 2013). Avoiding many of the internal risks listed would be impossible. Foxconn’s working environment, global economic issues that are unforeseen and the like are issues that have to be dealt with once they arise. No firm on Earth that makes billions annually like Apple can go year to year and avoid all conflicts and pitfalls.
Description of Growth Plan When a business starts trying to get the last bit of a market share then it is planning to fail. In today’s business world you have to be the innovator, the one that is setting the path, and that is what Apple has done in the past and will continue to do in the future. It was Steve Jobs that was able to look at the big picture and not just create new products but create the future (Keathley, Merrill, Owens, Meggarrey, & Posey, 2013). Creating the future is what Apple is all about, they were the leaders in personal computing and turned the world on its side with the invention of iPods, iPads and reinvented the mobile phone into the iPhone. This is what Apple does best, take what people use, like mp3’s, and invent a delivery system that the world has never imagined (Keathley, Merrill, Owens, Meggarrey, & Posey, 2013). This is the growth plan of Apple to keep being the company that brings a revolutionary delivery device to the world. Apple is also dedicated to the environment they are constantly striving to lower their environmental foot print. They use recyclable materials where they can and invent energy saving features to use in their products so they consume less electricity ( Apple, 2014). Apple has lowered the power consumption of Apple products by 57% since 2008 (Apple, 2014). Apple growth plan is to also take over the world by being the device the world uses for all its data needs. They are taking a big step in this direction by offing the iPhone to China with collaboration with China Mobile starting January 2014 (Apple, 2014). This is a big part of Apples plan to bring their innovative products to the world by working with the country’s leading companies, they can tie in their products with the current companies infrastructure. This is a great example of how to use co marketing to your advantage, because they do not have to establish a market, they just deliver their product to an already established customer base and everyone wins.
Strategies for Market Penetration Apple plans to penetrate the market by being innovative and develop new products or features that the people want to have. Apple also is going to offer products in countries that other companies are not currently occupying, such as the deal with China Mobile. Apple will also penetrate the market by teaming with other companies to offer their products on Apple devices. One such example is Apple teaming with Microsoft to offer Office Mobile to iPhone and iPad (Jelen, 2013). This will help penetrate markets that were not available to Apple by letting customers that want Office but also wanted to use Apple products. This is just another example of co branding and the brilliance of Apple by teaming with its own competition to broker a deal that will give it more of the advantage in the market place. It is hard to pinpoint Apples plan to penetrate the market because they set the path by being the first to come out with innovate products that the world did not know they even needed, then realize they cannot live without. Being first is the biggest part of Apple’s penetration plan and letting the competition try to catch up.
Strategies for Product development The strategy for product development is as it has always been for Apple, to be the first and let everyone try to catch up (Michael Malone). Apple is always trying to develop better ways to use technology that already exists by developing a loyal fan base that will stand in line for its latest products. The latest trend at Apple is to deliver product refreshes that add new features that the customers have desired (Etherington, 2013). This is a way to keep your product current and take care of customer demands by offering refreshed products quicker than totally reworked products, which was how Apple did do it. As Apple works on the next big thing, they will use mid-cycle changes to keep everyone happy and their name in the news (Etherington, 2013).
Strategies for Market Development Apple has some problems with market development with the prepaid smart phone plans (iGadgets & ios). This threat has to be taken into consideration when developing a marketing plan because a lot of profit comes from deals with major carriers that subsidize the iPones with two year plans (iGadgets & ios). The problem comes for the fact that Apple does not offer a cheap phone and do not plan to make one, so the issue of pre paid plans will have to be addressed in the marketing plan by letting everyone know they do not want to sell cheap phones and that they are committed to quality (iGadgets & ios). Even Forbes Magazine says Apple will have to develop a good strategy plan to counter cheap phones in emerging markets because the iPhone is so expensive (Trefis Team, 2013). App sales and development will be a big part of market development because apps are a big part of the equation with smart phones and Apple is leading the way with Apple’s app store (Garg, & Telang, 2013). With over 100 thousand phones sold every quarter you market strategy has to include the fact that you offer the best apps (Garg, & Telang, 2013). Apple does a good job of this by having you sign into the Apple account every time you sink a device; this is great strategy to get you to browse the store by have it readily available to you. Apples market development will also include globalization such as the Deal with China Mobile. You have to be in the global market to be competitive in today’s market and Apple is taking huge steps in this department by trying to reach untapped markets and team with the biggest carriers in that country.
Strategies for Diversification Diversification is Apple’s forte; they have been diversifying since their inception. Apple will continue to diversify by using globalization to open new markets, reach more people and spread their brand around the globe. Apple strategy is to offer a variety of products that appeal to as many people as they can and stay the leader in innovation (Pingdom, 2011). They are doing this by offering their products to as many people in as many countries as they can. By offering such a large variety of products Apple is able to keep the market share they have and actually build on it. Even in 2001 apple saw the need to diversify and opened the first Apple store (Pingdom, 2011). This allowed customers to brows and get help in person. Apple plans to continue in diversification with upcoming products such as the iWatch and new version of the Apple TV (Kovach, 2013). By coming up with new products Apple is continuing the tradition of the company by being the innovators and setting the pace.
Conclusions
Apple has been the innovation leader and will continue to do so in the coming future. The demand for Apple products is not slowing down because people are willing to buy the latest gadget just for a color change. By offering high quality products and not caving into the demands for cheaper, inferior products, Apple is staying true to who they are. Apple plans to work on being more environmentally friendly and lays out extensive plans on their web site on how and what they are doing to help the environment (Apple, 2014). Globalization will be a big part of Apples plan to stay competitive and keep their market share they will offer their products to new countries and customers that will launch them into new markets. Overall Apple is on the right track, they keep the public interested in their products, they have competitors trying to copy them and they come out with new versions to keep the public happy. If you look at the company as a whole then you can see the marketing strategy is working.
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