Marketing Case Study Analysis: Apple and Toyota Competitive Strategies

This report analyzes the marketing strategies of Apple and Toyota, focusing on their competitive advantages and market approaches. The report examines Apple's product launches, particularly the iPod and iPhone, and how the company employed differentiation and cost provider strategies to gain market share. It also explores Toyota's challenges with manufacturing defects and recalls, and how the company addressed these issues through customer relations and sentiment analysis on social media. The analysis includes Porter's generic strategies for both companies, highlighting their focus on cost leadership, differentiation, and focus strategies. The conclusion emphasizes the importance of customer-centric approaches and proactive measures in addressing business problems. References include academic literature related to marketing, product launches, and crisis management.

Running head: MARKETING
MARKETING
Name of the Student:
Nam e of the University:
Author’s Note:

2MARKETING
Introduction
Effective marketing is a useful business strategy that must be used by different
organizations for attaining success. This is turn is very useful in order to make a proper appeal to
all the customers. Without proper marketing strategies it is not possible for then organizations to
market their products to all the targeted customers living in different parts of the world. Apple is
the most widely known and popular organization in the digital world. They have been working
hard and they launched the Ipods as well the Smart phones in the year 2007. This was a grand
launch and customers from different parts of the world made their entry.
Case Study 1: Apple
Apple Inc. got a great success after starting the new Ipod products launch. However they
made sure that none of their customers are being deprived (Căpătînă and Drăghescu 2015). In
order to market the products or make the products reach to all the customers, effective marketing
strategies needed. This marketing strategy must be such that there is no tampering with the
products or no other company like the competitive firms are being able to use their products in
any negative way or in an illegal manner. However just as there are both pros and cons of any
new kinds of inventions, the same was the case with the launch of the Ipod product. It gave an
opportunity to all the other companies for entering in the black marketing of the products. Thus,
the unlocking of the Apple products let open huge areas for the black marketing of the products.
This was a major threat for all the customers as they would now fear about the fraud products.
Thus Apple Inc. realized that they need to have a very good and effective marketing
strategy. This will ensure that the company will be able to keep a proper track over the activities

3MARKETING
of the company and their competitors (Burke 2016). Therefore they have to make sure that none
of the important data or the features are being given away from the phones. However only
having an effective market strategy would be very helpful in order to provide a proper protection.
Case Study 2: Toyota
This case study is mainly dealing the issues that are often created in Toyota due to the
problems in the technical workings or the proper operation of the cars (Coetzee et al. 2016).
However this must be made sure that the company is being able to keep a proper connection with
the customers in order to know about that are their perceptions over the sound working of the
models or the feedbacks that the customers would like to share about these models (Kehr and
Proctor, 2017). However as there have been several call backs or recalling of the models by the
company it seems that the organization has not been successful in creating the models in a
proper way or they have not been able to understand the errors that might have arose in future.
This case study has also reflected the ways in which the company has later formed the
connections with their customers and made sure that they are being able to cater to all the needs
and demands of their valuable customers by a 24*7 customer care system. This work is mainly
dealing with the sentiment analysis that has been much helpful for the organization to make
sure that they have been able to keep a connection with their valued customers. The social media
and the blog write ups have been impacting the social and the corporate reputation of the
organization (Amamou et al. 2015). Therefore it is the duty of the company to gauge and
measure the actual impact that is being created by the social media sites for the transferring of
the news from the sources to the desired destination that is from the public to the company or the
managing of the company.

4MARKETING
Evidence of Marketing-related success
The success of Toyota is characterized by its ability and willingness to solve problem
and continuous improvement and learning which is deeply rooted to its working culture. Toyota
uses the Kaizen principle. The company realized that they were not being able to carry in their
work properly as they had to face many issues due to the publishing of the improper content on
the websites or the blogs that were being published by many if the reporters and the journalists.
However in the beginning the company did not really pay much attention (van Dijk, Sergaki and
Baourakis 2019). It was later that they realized about the impact that is being created by the
journalists who print many news about the incidents like recalling of the existing models or the
other products (Thams, Alvarado-Vargas and Newburry 2016).
The problem with Toyota’s problems was mainly being triggered off due to the errors or
the faults in their manufacturing. However they have to understand about the sentiments or the
emotions that are actually created by the blogs or the posts that are created by the people over the
websites and the other such social media platforms (Chikudate 2019). Thus the company has to
make a proper analysis over this news and make sure that they are being able to understand the
emotions and the sentiments of their customers from these posts.

5MARKETING
Analysis and Explanation
Porter’s generic strategy: Apple
Cost provider strategy
Apple has the low cost provider strategy. They have started providing different products
at different prices so that customers belonging from all the different economic sectors can buy
the products. The price of the IMac computer and iBook computer for basic computer buyers has
been set up by the company. The costs of this model of computers are relatively low. However it
must en noted that Apple has never been able to focus on the cost strategy as they have always
kept their product price at a very high price. Thus in the initial sages they were not receiving
much advantage. Often the launch of about 70 to 80 % of the total products launched by different
companies fails. Thus it is evident from the case study that Apple has focused on them
production of the most advanced and the newer products like I Phone. Tactical decisions are also
one of the major factors that have been useful for the purpose of attaining success in the long
run.
Differentiation Strategy
Apple has been largely following this strategy as they want to get the largest market share by
using their strategies for developing a large number of products. The customers thus get the
choice of buying a varied and wide range of products from different markets.

6MARKETING
Focus strategy
Apple has mainly rested their focus on the differentiation strategy. They have been
making different kinds of product with different technologies for suiting the needs of the
individuals. They have a wide range of products like the Imac, iTune, Apple MacBook and many
other products for suiting the varied kinds of needs off all the customers.

7MARKETING
Porter’ Generic Analysis: Toyota
Cost leadership
Toyota follows a strategy of targeting at large markets. As a result of this they try to sell their
products to the customers at the very low cost per unit. Toyota has been able to develop a mixed
strategy of cost strategy and also differentiation strategy so that they can have a good market
share. As there was a problem initially in determining the safety and security of new product,
they had to take some measures in providing a proper safety to all their products.
Differentiation
The firms following this strategy always try to produce some very unique products that will be
helping the firm to get the competitive advantage. Toyota follows this strategy and make sure
that they can appeal to their customers by bringing some very unique products to the market
Focus
It depends on the companies on whether they want to follow the cost leadership strategy or they
want to focus over the differentiation strategy. As far as the case of Toyota is concerned they
have to make sure that their customers are getting a wide range of products at an affordable price

8MARKETING
Conclusion
Thus it can be concluded that there are many approaches that can be used in order to
solve the business problems. It is the duty or the responsibility of the company to make sure that
they are taking all the possible steps in order to make the customers know that they are valued
among the company and all their needs and demands will be properly taken care off.

9MARKETING
References
Amamou, F., Nemmiche, S., kaouthar Meziane, R., Didi, A., Yazit, S.M. and Chabane-Sari, D.,
2015. Protective effect of olive oil and colocynth oil against cadmium-induced oxidative stress in
the liver of Wistar rats. Food and Chemical Toxicology, 78, pp.177-184.
Bebeteidoh, O.L. and Takim, S.A., 2016. Toyota’s Slow Response to Manufacturing Defects
Leading to Recalls: Result of Poor Communication Strategy. Journal of transportation
technologies, 6(05), p.420.
Berman, B., 2016. Planning and implementing effective mobile marketing programs. Business
Horizons, 59(4), pp.431-439.
Burke, R.J., 2016. Corporate reputations: Development, maintenance, change and repair. In
Corporate Reputation (pp. 19-59). Routledge.
Căpătînă and Drăghescu, F. 2015. Success factors of new product launch: The case of the iPhone
launch. International Journal of Economics and Finance, 7(5), 61-70.
Chikudate, N., 2019. Corporate Wrongdoing and Reputational Risk: A Genealogical Analysis of
Toyota’s Recall Crisis in 2010. In Responsible People (pp. 259-277). Palgrave Macmillan,
Cham.
Coetzee, R., Van der Merwe, K. and Van Dyk, L., 2016. Lean implementation strategies: how
are the Toyota Way principles addressed?. South African Journal of Industrial Engineering,
27(3), pp.79-91.
Fung, E., Järvelin, M.R., Doshi, R.N., Shinbane, J.S., Carlson, S.K., Grazette, L.P., Chang, P.M.,
Sangha, R.S., Huikuri, H.V. and Peters, N.S., 2015. Electrocardiographic patch devices and
contemporary wireless cardiac monitoring. Frontiers in physiology, 6, p.149.

10MARKETING
Kehr, T.W. and Proctor, M.D., 2017. People Pillars: Re‐structuring the Toyota Production
System (TPS) House Based on Inadequacies Revealed During the Automotive Recall Crisis.
Quality and Reliability Engineering International, 33(4), pp.921-930.
Liu, Y., Shankar, V. and Yun, W., 2017. Crisis management strategies and the long-term effects
of product recalls on firm value. Journal of Marketing, 81(5), pp.30-48.
Shah, R., 2015. Law enforcement and data privacy-a forward-looking approach. Yale LJ, 125,
p.543.
Thams, Y., Alvarado-Vargas, M.J. and Newburry, W., 2016. Geographical diversification as a
predictor of MNC reputations in their home nations. Journal of Business Research, 69(8),
pp.2882-2889.
van Dijk, G., Sergaki, P. and Baourakis, G., 2019. The Cooperative Enterprise. Cooperative
Management.