Brand Position and Brand Equity Executive Summary 2022

Running head: BRAND POSITIONING AND BRAND EQUITY
BRAND POSITIONING AND BRAND EQUITY
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Executive Summary
The prime focus of this study is to present aspects of the brand positioning for Apple with
regards to the chosen product, iPhone 6S. The report comprises of the competitive
information, the PESTEL analysis. This is followed by the demand forecast for the product as
well as the, market segmentation, target market and the market positioning statement for
iPhone 6S.

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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................3
Discussion..................................................................................................................................3
Identification of the Product...................................................................................................3
Competitive Information........................................................................................................3
Environmental Scanning........................................................................................................4
Demand Forecasted................................................................................................................5
Market Segmentation.............................................................................................................5
Market Targeting....................................................................................................................6
Market Positioning Statements..............................................................................................6
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................6
References..................................................................................................................................7

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Introduction
The Apple iPhone 6S is a versatile and extremely awaited product. The analysis of the
market conditions for launching the products are described below. The information regarding
the competitors followed by a PESTEL analysis and market segmentation, targeting and
positioning statement are the prime components of this report.
Discussion
Identification of the Product
The iPhone 6S is the chosen product for this study, which is the ninth generation
smartphone designed by Apple Inc. The product is designed similar to the iPhone 6 but
incorporates certain upgraded attributes such as strengthened chassis, 12 megapixel camera,
updated system-on-chip, LTE advanced, enhanced fingerprint recognition sensor along with
“Hey Siri” abilities. The new facet of the iPhone 6S is the “3D Touch” that capacitates
pressure sensitive touch inputs (Apple.com, 2019).
Competitive Information
The most significant competitor of any iPhone is the varied range of android phones
available in the global market (Lazareska and Jakimoski 2017). For the iPhone 6S products
like Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, Sony Xperia Z5 Premium, Samsung Galaxy Note 5, HTC
One M9 and LG G4 are its contenders. The competition is based on the display technology
featured in these smartphones such as the QHD AMOLED and Force Touch display that are
present in Samsung and Sony, however not in the iPhone 6S. Regarding the CPU used in
iPhone 6S, it still is limited to two while Android flagship have upgraded the core to at least 6
in count. The cameras are also inferior compared to the Android phones and hence, Apple
needs to upgrade varied features to gain an edge over the wide customer base of the Android

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phones. It must be noted that Apple is a premium brand and thus has ample scope to maintain
its position as a brand that sells products considered to be status symbols.
Environmental Scanning
To know the market conditions for the iPhone 6S, a detailed PESTEL analysis of
Apple Inc is necessary:
 Political factors: There are certain scopes for the company to improve its
performance based on the external political factors. Firstly, free trade policies that are
often implemented in varied countries can aid the distribution chain of Apple across
the globe. The stable political conditions of certain developed countries can help
Apple grow and develop accordingly, as reduced political disturbances in an economy
helps industries to flourish (Khan, Alam and Alam 2015). Apart from these
opportunities, the trade disputes between China and the USA can pose as a threat to
the potential growth of the company. The growing tensions between the two countries
can lead to an increase in the tariffs imposed by China on the electronic parts that are
utilized by Apple in its product assembly. By considering these attributes, Apple can
manage its productivity accordingly.
 Economic factors: The stable economic conditions of the developed countries can
procure opportunities for Apple to expand. It must also be noted that the developing
countries shall have more opportunities for the company. For instance, Apple can
increase its sales in Asian markets, as the growth rate of the economies of the Asian
countries are higher.
 Social factors: The rising demands for digital systems is one of the major
sociocultural trends of the world, which contributes to growing demands for Apple
products due to their premium quality goods. However, the Anti-Apple sentiments,
questionable business practices, like lawsuits against third party repair service

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providers, and such other facets have the potential to diminish the consumer
confidence and brand image of the company. These facets can be controlled by
enhanced CSR practices of Apple and such other improvements in the policies of the
firm (Coombs and Holladay 2015).
 Technological factors: The increasing cloud computing demands of the customers
can function as an incentive for the growth of Apple (Othman, Madani and Khan
2013). Similarly, the growing demands in the smartphone market provides more
scope for the company to improve its sales. Technological integrations frames
opportunities for the company to augment its market presence.
 Environmental factors: In order to strengthen the corporate image of the company,
Apple can adopt sustainable practices, due to the growing concerns for ecological
sustenance (Hong, Zhang and Ding 2018). Apple can also adopt the energy efficiency
trend so as to procure more customers who are environmentally aware. Therefore,
Apple needs to exploit the opportunities in these ecological trends and adjust its
technologies and operations accordingly.
 Legal factors: the governments of varied economies are implementing strict privacy
regulations that might cause the company to impose expensive regulatory compliance
requirements. Nevertheless, this same hindrance can be employed as an initiative for
enhancing the security measures taken by the company. The legal issues of the
company such as the lawsuits regarding third party repair services can harm the brand
image (Nwogugu 2015).
Demand Forecasted
The company estimates a minimum of 12 million units to be sold in the Asian markets
at the least within the first 3-5months of the launch of the products. Further the company also
forecasts an increase in the sale of iPhone 6S due to the post sales marketing strategies.

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Market Segmentation
The market for iPhone 6S can be divided into three segments:
 First segment: This segment constitutes of the customers with high loyalty towards
the brand, who are willing to purchase the products of the company at the premium
prices to get access to the features and services the products have to offer.
 Second segment: This segment consists of the technically oriented customers who
are curious new technological innovations that the company introduces.
 Third segment: This comprises of the people who used the Apple products as status
symbols and are social acceptance oriented.
The purpose of the iPhone 6S is to provide acceptable quality to address all these three
segments of the market (Hamka et al. 2014).
Market Targeting
The target market for Apple is the individuals possessing high income, thereby the
niche market.
Market Positioning Statements
Apple aims to fulfil the aspirations of the people, so the high price is justified with the
help of user friendly operating system making the lives of the people easier.
Conclusion
Therefore, it can be concluded that by following the aforementioned detailed analysis
of the market conditions for iPhone 6S, the company can estimate the brand positioning and
equity in relation to the product.

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References
Apple.com (2019). iPhone 6s - Technical Specifications. [online] Support.apple.com.
Available at: https://support.apple.com/kb/sp726?locale=en_US [Accessed 24 Aug. 2019].
Coombs, T. and Holladay, S., 2015. CSR as crisis risk: expanding how we conceptualize the
relationship. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 20(2), pp.144-162.
Hamka, F., Bouwman, H., De Reuver, M. and Kroesen, M., 2014. Mobile customer
segmentation based on smartphone measurement. Telematics and Informatics, 31(2), pp.220-
227.
Hong, J., Zhang, Y. and Ding, M., 2018. Sustainable supply chain management practices,
supply chain dynamic capabilities, and enterprise performance. Journal of Cleaner
Production, 172, pp.3508-3519.
Khan, U.A., Alam, M.N. and Alam, S., 2015. A critical analysis of internal and external
environment of Apple Inc. International Journal of Economics, Commerce and Management,
3(6), pp.955-961.
Lazareska, L. and Jakimoski, K., 2017. Analysis of the Advantages and Disadvantages of
Android and iOS Systems and Converting Applications from Android to iOS Platform and
Vice Versa. American Journal of Software Engineering and Applications, 6(5), p.116.
Nwogugu, M.C., 2015. The Case Of Apple, Inc., and Fintech: Managerial Psychology,
Corporate Governance and Business Processes. Corporate Governance and Business
Processes.
Othman, M., Madani, S.A. and Khan, S.U., 2013. A survey of mobile cloud computing
application models. IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials, 16(1), pp.393-413.