A Comprehensive Analysis of Apple's Global Marketing Strategy in Japan

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of Apple Inc.'s global marketing strategy, specifically focusing on its operations in Japan. It begins with an executive summary and table of contents, followed by an introduction that highlights the importance of global marketing strategies. The report identifies and analyzes the issues Apple faced in Japan, such as competition from Softbank and market preferences. It then delves into global marketing theories, including advertising, public relations, and promotions, as well as theories on price and product perception. The report identifies the marketing decisions made by Apple, examining the marketing mix elements of price, promotion, product, and place. Managerial recommendations are developed based on both internal and external factors affecting Apple's iPhone sales. The report concludes by summarizing the findings, emphasizing the challenges Apple encountered and the strategies needed for better performance in the Japanese market, including effective marketing communication and rapid innovation. The report references various academic sources to support its analysis.

Running head: GLOBAL MARKETING STRATEGY AND PLANNING
Global Marketing Strategy and Planning
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author’s Note

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Executive Summary
This current report has focused on the global marketing strategies of Apple Inc. in Japan
along with identifying the issues that are directly associated with the company. Global
marketing theories has been included in this study, which highlights different types of
theories that are relevant to the company. The association of logical consent that are
consistent in nature includes the effective marketing condition for analysing the effective
marketing strategies for Apple in Japan. IPhone is the product that is manufactured by Apple
to attract the customers of Japan, which includes the planning for marketing along with
strategies for marketing.

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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................3
Identifying and analysing the issue............................................................................................3
Global marketing theories..........................................................................................................4
Identifying marketing decision..................................................................................................5
Development of the managerial recommendation.....................................................................6
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................7
References..................................................................................................................................8

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Introduction
Global marketing strategy is important for an organisation as it includes the
improvement in the effectiveness of the products and services that are provided to the
customers by the company. Strategies that are related to marketing mainly highlights the
plans and procedures that are associated with the technologies that are currently pursuing
with the selected company. In this study, Apple Inc. has been take into consideration, which
includes the identification of issue that might hamper the overall business procedures. This
study includes the global marketing theories that help the company in mitigating the issue
that arises in the business operation. The decision for marketing is required to be identified
that includes the overall process of reaching the targeted customers in the targeted market.
Different managerial decision has been discussed along with the recommendation that helps
Apple to rise from the detected issues.
Identifying and analysing the issue
Apple Inc. is considered as one of the largest consumers’ electronics company in the
world and operates with more than 300 stores all around the world. Different types of
products is being manufactured by Apple, which is also favoured by the customers. Few
years back, the company has faced certain issues with their products that distracts the
customers from purchasing their products. As per Zeriti et al., (2014) this particular company
has faced the issue in Japan and as per the market condition, the company comes up with
certain marketing ideas for clarifying these issues. Apple Inc. has launched iPhone in the year
2007 with most of the functions that has been introduced for the first time. The issue that is
associated with the company includes the targeted market where the product mainly aims the
premium segment customers in its targeted market. On other hand, Softbank Corp has
established in Japan, which provides telecommunication services to the customers along with

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other technological services in the country. In the year 2006, Softbank has bought Vodafone
and became the third largest cell phone company in Japan. According to Tiago and
Veríssimo, (2014) the market data that eventually drifts the reason for failure of iPhone in
Japan includes different other reasons for evaluating the certain marketing procedures. As the
products of the Apple mainly includes technological advancement, that attracts lots of
customers all around the world but in Japan it has failed due to present of other rival
companies.
Global marketing theories
Theories of marketing that are global in nature includes advertising, public relation
and promotions along with several marketplace data that helps in extracting as well as
generating information. These theories includes different concepts of marketing that helps the
business to make certain business decision that is effective in nature (Brondoni, 2014).
Marketing refers to the collecting of information along with analysing the data on which the
company sells their products and services to the customers in their targeted market.
Collecting of marketing information is associated with the global marketing theories that
might help Apple to cope up with the issue in Japan. IPhone is required to be positioned in
the targeted market for maximising the sales in the market along with providing the benefits
of the products to the targeted customers (Khan, Alam and Alam, 2015). The difference
between the products of Apple and products of other brands helps customers to choose
between their favourite products. On the other hand, price of products and services also plays
an important role in marketing along with taking any kind of decision. The perceived value
marketing theories points out that the price of the products and services are higher than
products and services of competitors. This has restricted the product that is iPhone to
continue in Japan along with other products that positions the higher quality of the products.
It also includes the viral and social marketing that consist of effects of technology in the form

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of new communication (Clelland, 2014). Different social media platform is required to be
introduced that might participates in the global marketing companies with different factors
that affects the importance of marketing.
The commodity school marketing theory helps in examining the quality of the
products and services that are provided to the customers. Based on the viewpoint of
Steenkamp, (2014) this particular theory helps in categorising the convenience goods along
with several other different kinds of goods in the market. The behavioural school model
mainly analyses the consumer behaviour that mainly borrows the disciplines from other
marketing theories. Customers might choose different other products from other companies
that helps in adapting other marketing strategies for buying similar buyers in the targeted
market. Moreover, managerial school is also a type of marketing theory that mainly examines
the seller’s point of view, which makes this theory as the most relevant one (Clarke &
Boersma, 2017). Apple in Japan is required to follow this particular type of marketing theory
in which the company must aware of the primary four factors that are place, promotion, price
and product. IPhone from Apple has failed in Japan as it includes the realization of other
products that are available in the market. Other products from other companies are attracting
more number of customers as the price of the product is low along with attractive features of
the product. Paul, (2015) has stated that this continuous fall in the product line is directly
associated with some other local insight in which Apple’s category is required to be redefined
its product.
Identifying marketing decision
The marketing mix that is used by Apple in Japan includes the framework of the
survey for enhancing the cultural norms of the main marketing conditions. The following
points out the factors of marketing mix which the Apple in IPhone has affected.

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Price – The price of the product that is IPhone carries a very exclusive price tag,
which mainly attracts the premium segment customers. Softbank has manufactured the
similar configuration model as IPhone but in lower price that IPhone that is manufactured by
Apple. On other hand, the price structure that is followed in Japan were not working at that
time which might fail in the segment of matching the overall segment of phone.
Promotion – The marketing communication of Apple that put certain effort in which
the Japan based Softbank has managed to promote their products and services among the
customers in the targeted market (Aguirre‐Rodriguez, 2014). The affiliation of the preference
has clustered in the communication strategy of Apple along with other factors that affects
their overall strategy for promotion. Softbank has put effort in their communication strategy,
which is associated with their lower prices to the targeted customers of Japan. This helps the
company to promote their products in a better way.
Product – Japan has been one of the most advanced technological countries in the
world in different types of consumer’s electronics such as cell phones, television and others.
IPhone has the ability o send certain multimedia message to the receiver but on other hand,
the cell phone that has been manufactured by the Softbank includes this particular feature
along with option of sending emoji’s to the receiver. The network coverage by the product of
the competitors that is worst for the network carrier along with exclusive carrier of IPhone
(Lee, Chen & Guy, 2014). The team of Apple has outline the product orientation, which
includes the effective customization of accessories that come with the phone.
Place – The product that is associated with Apple includes the adaptive trade off that
is associated with the condition for realising the changes in the place. The formulation
strategy helps in realising the changes in the overall process of marketing mix that includes

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the effectiveness of the product that is IPhone. The competitive advantage at the optimal
point catches up with the similar product that acts as initial factors for failure.
Development of the managerial recommendation
Both internal as well as external factors that affects the business factors indicates the
IPhone of Apple that possessed with effective management decisions. The strength of the
company that is Apple exploits its opportunity along with distribution of its networks in its
normal course of business (Chou, 2014). Apple has the strong brand image along with rapid
innovation process that allows the company to deal with specific lines of product. The
company has faced certain technological advancement that helps the company in considering
the managerial recommendation along with threats to aggressive competitions. It can also be
considered that the issue that are strategic in nature faces certain significant threats to the
competitions and imitation for the earned revenue (Aichner, 2014). The enhancement of
automation is also recommended in the process of production, which supports the contract
manufacturers.
Conclusion
From the above study, it can be concluded that the Apple in Japan has faced certain
challenges in their product that is IPhone along with deliberating the products for better
performance. The establishment of the performances along with the partnership includes the
improvement in the overall market that reaches in the distribution of network of the company.
The marketing strategies includes the effective marketing communication, which includes
effective as well as efficient way. The rapid innovation process has been successfully
enhancement in the overall process of production. IPhone from Apple has failed in Japan as it
includes the realization of other products that are available in the market. The decision for
marketing has been discussed which highlights the price, place promotion and product of the

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company. It also includes the unique value proposition that keeps away the competitors from
the ongoing business activities along with other factors of decision. The issue that has been
identified includes the effective communication chooses different types of marketing
strategies by Apple in Japan.

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References
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Aichner, T. (2014). Country-of-origin marketing: A list of typical strategies with
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Brondoni, S. M. (2014). Innovation and Imitation for Global Competitive Strategies. The
Corporation Development Models of US, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. Symphonya.
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Clarke, T., & Boersma, M. (2017). The governance of global value chains: Unresolved
human rights, environmental and ethical dilemmas in the apple supply chain. Journal
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