Second Semester B207B TMA: Apple's Global Marketing and Challenges

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of Apple as a global brand, examining its marketing strategies, competitive advantages, and challenges within the consumer electronics market. The report delves into the factors contributing to Apple's success, including its innovative products, user-friendly interfaces, and excellent customer service. It explores Apple's approach to globalization versus customization, highlighting how the company adapts its offerings and communication to local preferences. The analysis also covers Apple's key competitors, marketing strategies, and the challenges it faces, such as technological advancements, brand equity, and economic downturns. Furthermore, the report discusses Apple's future plans, including product diversification and expansion into new markets. The report concludes by emphasizing Apple's commitment to innovation and high-value services while acknowledging the challenges posed by its premium pricing strategy.

RUNNING HEAD: MARKETING 0
APPLE : A GLOBAL ORGANIZATION

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Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
About Apple.....................................................................................................................................3
Success factors of Apple..............................................................................................................4
The marketing strategy, competitors and competitive advantage of Apple.................................4
Globalization versus Customization............................................................................................5
Challenges faced by Apple..........................................................................................................6
Future plans, expansions and diversification of Apple-...............................................................7
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................7
Bibliography....................................................................................................................................9

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Introduction
Brands have become the most important part of the consumers’ lifestyle as they become
attached to the features and utilities it provides to them. It eases out various parts of the
consumer’s lifestyle, as consumers are able to draw benefits from it (Elder & Dauvergne, 2015).
Due to the coming up of various technology, the products with unique features have come up
that has improved their lifestyle in an effective manner. The brands have to go through various
challenges to make it a success in the market place. A brand has to deal with changing
consumer habits, preferences, and perceptive to survive in the market for long run. The following
essay will be discussing about the global brand Apple and the challenges it went through to
become a success in the market place.
About Apple
The global brand is Apple that is a multinational consumer Electronics Company
headquartered in California that develops various computer software, consumer electronics and
online services. The company stands among the top four companies that include Amazon,
Google, and Microsoft. The products that company produces are ipad tablet computer, Mac
personal computer, iphone, Apple TV, Apple watch, Airpods and Homepod smart speakers.
Besides these electronic products, the company also produces its own range of software that is
macos, ios, ipados and tvos (Ejimabo, 2013).
The company also provides its services in the form of safari web browser, iTunes media
player, shazam acoustic, and ilife. The other online services included are Apple pay, stores,
cards, and genius bar. The company stands for the quality with the motive to provide the
excellent services to its target market segment. Due to its high quality and expensive products
and services, the company targets the creamy market segment of the society. Moreover, the
creamy market segments are capable of affording such an expensive brand. The brand has also
taken part in various activities of high importance such as climate change, and laws (Emas,
2015).
Global organization is an organization that operates between countries thus catering to
the target market of every country differently. Its motive is to cater to all the customers globally

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in a manner that the message of the brands is being shared globally (Farndale, 2017). Apple is a
global organization because of its presence in almost every country barring few. The brand is
known to every customer and is recognized for its high quality features and excellent customer
services. Moreover, its high-tech marketing campaigns allured the large number of purchasers
from various countries.
Success factors of Apple
Apple as a brand has created a great liking for its users. Once users get used to the
product, they are far likely to go for other smart phone brands. Some of the key success factors
that have contributed to the brands are-
Easy features-
The user-interface of apple products makes the customers to go for it. All the features
presented in the apple products are quite easy for a customer to understand and use it effectively.
Moreover, the Apple makes the complicated technological features very simple to use thus
making users to fall for its simplicity (Farndale, 2017).
Excellent in-store experiences and customer services-
Apple provides great before and after the sales services to its users as their queries related
to the products gets resolved with ease (Gallo, 2008). One of the reasons for the good customer
services are that the Apple products are already of high quality so they rarely manufacture
defective products in the market. Moreover, the in-store experiences are also great as the sales
personnel are well equipped with the knowledge of the products.
Apple has a habit of planning ahead of its competitors
Apple strategizes every move from launching its new products to changing prices ahead of its
competitors. It is far-sighted player that looks to conquer every possible opportunity. The habit
of planning before two years ahead of its competitors makes its scary for some (Kris, 2019).
The marketing strategy, competitors and competitive advantage of Apple

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Competitive advantage
The key competitive advantages of Apple are-
Innovative products-
The products of the apple are highly innovative because of its innovative features and
design that makes the target population easy to use.
Highly integrated supply chain-
The supply chain of the Apple products are highly integrated where the products are
supplied at every phase with ease. The company has good connections with the good suppliers
in every country (Graham, 2016).
Marketing strategy of Apple-
 It avoids the price wars by focusing on the unique value propositions of its products.
 It ensures that the products as well as its marketing should be kept simple or minimalistic,
as it believes that there is beauty in keeping things simple.
 It focuses on the need to understand the importance of audience so that the right
information and tactics could be adopted (Graham, 2016).
Competitors
Some of the competitors of the apple are Samsung, blueberry, one plus and other phones that
are affect the customer base of the Apple.
Globalization versus Customization
Globalization is all making products and services available to other target market in the
countries while customization is about designing the products according to the needs and
desires of the market segment. The Apple, which is the renowned brand in the consumer
electronics sector, has gained its positions in the market through aggressive consumer
strategy. Some of the measures that were taken by the global brand to recognize the offerings
and communication according to the local preferences and conditions-
Improving customer experiences-

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Apple has always focused on improving the experiences of its costumers by innovating
and creating new products and services for its customers. It had brought about various
technological innovations by looking at the needs and desires of its particular market
segment. For instance, Apple has brought about the new and innovative feature of Apple pay
in its most developed market that is Europe (Florén & Fischer, 2016). On the other hand, it
had also put off the conventional way of selling its products by putting experience before
selling of products.
Focused on inspiring customers-
The apple focused on inspiring the customers who are quite innovative and creative in
nature. The customer segment included students, entrepreneurs, and artists. It had improved
upon the various features of Apple phones and other equipments so that artists and other
groups can use it for their advantage. It has also created “Plaza” stores where the stores of the
Apple were humanized in a manner that provides all the facilities and experiences to the
people (Escobar-Rodríguez, 2017).
Price control-
The Apple also tried controlling the prices of the products so that they are appealed to
other market segment. The products of Apple are highly priced that conveyed the audience
about its luxury attribute. In a view to control its brand image of premium priced products,
Apple tried highlighting the minimum priced products so that the costumers are attracted
towards ts purchase (Heracleous & Papachroni, New york city).
Challenges faced by Apple
Challenges related to technology-
Apple faced various challenges related to technological challenges as it was constantly on
the verge of innovating the next product. After Innovating one type of product, the Apple has to
come up with another innovation in terms of technology. For example, there was a time when
Apple was exhausted with all the technological options after iphone 4s.
Brand equity challenges-

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The brand equity of Apple got affected badly after the death of the Steve Jobs for a time
being as there was the turmoil regarding who would be taking up the position of leadership.
Moreover, Steve Jobs was the man of strong vision who had strong goals for the organizations. It
took some time when the new leader came with equally strong vision to take the company
forward (Florén & Fischer, 2016).
Economy down turn-
Apple enjoys great profit and growth but the lower demand of Apple products in Europe
due to Brexit brought slump in Apple profits and sales thus affecting its long term profits and
growth.
High competition-
There is high degree of competition in the market in the consumer electronics. The
affordable priced products offering good features take many consumers away from Apple
products.
Future plans, expansions and diversification of Apple-
Apple has already achieved great heights in the area of consumer electronics where it has
come up with apple phones with very innovative and exciting features. In 2025, the company is
planning to diversify its product line by introducing a apple car with highly innovative features
just like phones. The organization has a goal of revolutionize the automobile sector of the globe.
The apple is also looking forward to its project “Titan” which is concerned with
autonomous it cars that are far different and highly customized versions than the normal ones.
In 2020, Apple is looking forward to diversify its product line by Aple’s AR glasses as
they are considered the Data glasses (Gallo, 2008) .
Conclusion
Apple has always been the game changer company where it has always lured in its large
premium-based costumer through innovation and high-valued services. Every year, it has come
up with new innovative features of the technology in the phones segment. The company always
focused on providing the best quality to its target segment but somewhere lagged behind due to

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its highly expensive products and services. The high priced apple products are somewhere
justified also because of the cutting edge innovative feature it provides to the target segment

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