Integrated Marketing Communication Report: Apple iPhone XS Evaluation

This report critically evaluates the integrated marketing communication strategies employed by Apple for its iPhone XS. It begins with an introduction to marketing and the importance of brand positioning, followed by a strategy statement outlining Apple's product-based innovation approach. The report analyzes Apple's brand positioning within the smartphone industry, highlighting its association with high quality and premium pricing. A perceptual map is presented to visually compare Apple with competitors. The target audience is identified as niche customers, and their feelings towards the product are explored. The report concludes by examining Apple's aims, which include capitalizing on consumer motives, fostering trust, and providing value. The provided report also incorporates references and appendices including advertisements and facebook pages.

Running head: INTEGRATED MARKETING COMMUNICATION
Integrated Marketing Communication
Name of the Student
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1INTEGRATED MARKETING COMMUNICATION
Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Strategy Statement.....................................................................................................................2
Brand Positioning.......................................................................................................................3
Perceptual Map.......................................................................................................................3
Target Audience.........................................................................................................................4
Feelings of Target Audience..................................................................................................4
Aim of Apple..........................................................................................................................5
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................5
REFERENCES...........................................................................................................................6
APPENDIX................................................................................................................................0

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Introduction
Marketing is the activity that helps in separating a one brand from another. It is the
role of effective the effective marketers of various companies to ensure that the activities that
are carried out by the companies reach the maximum number of the consumers. Hence,
targeting a group of consumers is important when it comes to the development of strategies
from the part of the consumer community. The aim of the paper is to critically evaluate brand
positioning carried out by Apple Inc., identification of the key strategies taken by the latter
along with identification of the target audiences and the expected responses of the latter to
Apple’s latest iPhone XS.
Strategy Statement
In order effectively communicate the value proposition of a company it is important
from the part of the company to communicate the value proposition of the company. The
method through which companies effectively carry out operations in terms of communicating
the value proposition is through the development of strategies. The strategy that has been
taken by Apple Inc. in order to communicate the value proposition of the iPhone XS is a
product-based innovation (Apple.com 2019). Innovation can be termed as an activity that is
crucial for sustainability exile an organization is operating in an industry that is deemed to be
competitive in nature (Tidd and Bessant 2018). Thus, Apple has succeeded in terms of
carrying out innovation through extensive development of their flagship product. The
company has invested extensively in research and development in order to gain inferences the
needs of the consumers. Furthermore, company has developed various additional features to
add up with the innovation that the company had previously carried out thus, adding the
competency of the latest innovations in technology with their products. The company has
developed various new features, improved their Operating System with iOS 12, improved the

3INTEGRATED MARKETING COMMUNICATION
camera, improved the security features such as face ID, improved the build quality of the
phone along with procurement in various countries (Pujari et al. 2019). The main aim of the
company through the latter strategy is to provide flexibility, convenience and security to the
customers as they are valued by the company.
Brand Positioning
The company has been positioned as the biggest manufacturers of smartphones in the
smartphones industry (Rakestraw, Eunni and Kasuganti 2013). The consumers have been
found to associate high quality with high price and the belief of the belief of the customers
has been justified over the years with the different products that the company has developed
year and again. The position that the company has been responsible for the fact that the
iPhones are used as the benchmark for quality and technical competency of smartphones.
Thus, the iPhone has been positioned as product that is a necessity for some parts of the
world and a luxury at other part. Owning an iPhone is also perceived at some areas as status
symbols that communicate the wealth that one possesses.
Perceptual Map

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The above perceptual map has been developed by comparing the perception about the
following brands regarding quality offered by the respective smartphone brands and the price;
 Apple
 Samsung
 OnePlus
 Motorola
 Huawei
Target Audience
Establishing a target audience while the company operates in any industry, regardless
of the size and nature of nature of the industry determines the effectiveness of the strategy
that has been taken by the company to communicate the value proposition of the company
(Newton et al. 2013). Apple have a loyal base of customers who upgrade to the latest Apple
products and iPhones and stay up to date with everything apple. The target group that has
been targeted by the company is the niche customers. The consumers of the product are not
likely to be affected by the high price that is associated to the iPhone. It is perceived that the
latter are willing to spend high amounts of money if the product that they are purchasing give
them desirable amount of utility.
Feelings of Target Audience
The target audience group is perceived to be insensitive to price apart from the fact
that they derive utility from products that offer them high value. It is perceived that the latter
feel that the high price and the brand image of the company will result in a good quality and
high-performance product in the form of the iPhone XS.

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Aim of Apple
By pitching the product in the global market, the company aims to capitalize on the
motives of the target group of consumers. The company aims to make the target group of
consumers feel that the company can be trusted and the fact that they will be receiving value
for the high sum of money that they spend. Hence, it is the rationale of the company to make
the consumer community feel that the product that is the iPhone XS that they have chosen by
spending a high sum of money will definitely provide the consumers with a high level of
utility.
As a result of the highly innovative product that is being offered to the target
audience, it is likely that the latter will gain considerable amount of satisfaction and utility
from the same. Thus, it can be said that they are likely to stick to the brand and buy iPhones
in future as well. Apart from this, the company aims to provide further utility to the
consumers through add-ons such as Air-pods and others through which they can enjoy
seamless experiences while they carry out their daily activities in which the iPhone XS will
assist the consumers in carrying that daily activities effectively and effortlessly.
Conclusion
Apple Inc. has recognized as one of the top global organizations that needs no second
introduction. The company has recently launched the iPhone XS which is aimed at the niche.
With extensive innovation the company aims to capitalize on the value proposition of the
products through which the company will be able to retain the target consumers.

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REFERENCES
Apple.com, 2019. iPhone. [online] Apple. Available at: https://www.apple.com/iphone/
[Accessed 4 Sep. 2019].
D. Newton, J., J. Newton, F., Turk, T. and T. Ewing, M., 2013. Ethical evaluation of
audience segmentation in social marketing. European Journal of Marketing, 47(9), pp.1421-
1438.
http://dro.deakin.edu.au/eserv/DU:30062383/newton-ethicalevaluation-post-2013.pdf
Pujari, A., Lomi, N., Goel, S., Yadav, S., Mukhija, R., Kumar, P. and Kumar, A., 2019.
Unmodified iPhone XS Max for fundus montage imaging in cases of retinoblastoma. Indian
J Ophthalmol, 67, pp.948-9.
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Amar_Pujari/publication/
333353263_Unmodified_iPhone_XS_Max_for_fundus_montage_imaging_in_cases_of_retin
oblastoma/links/5ce7fde6299bf14d95b5da03/Unmodified-iPhone-XS-Max-for-fundus-
montage-imaging-in-cases-of-retinoblastoma.pdf
Rakestraw, T.L., Eunni, R.V. and Kasuganti, R.R., 2013. The mobile apps industry: A case
study. Journal of Business Cases and Applications, 9, p.1.
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/b4fd/972d8f34de5d8c5eeec805b94642b1610223.pdf
Tidd, J. and Bessant, J.R., 2018. Managing innovation: integrating technological, market
and organizational change. John Wiley & Sons.
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/b4fd/972d8f34de5d8c5eeec805b94642b1610223.pdf

Running head: INTEGRATED MARKETING COMMUNICATION
APPENDIX
iPhone XS advert
Corporate Website (Source: https://www.apple.com/in/iphone-xs/)

Running head: INTEGRATED MARKETING COMMUNICATION
Facebook Page
Source: https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Phone-Tablet/Apple-Iphone-XS-
2116602038352669/