Marketing Fundamentals: A Report on Apple's Marketing Mix Strategies

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of Apple's marketing mix, exploring its key components. The report begins with an introduction to marketing and its significance in promoting goods and services, emphasizing the process of attracting and retaining customers. It then delves into Apple's marketing mix, dissecting each element: product (Mac, iPhone, Apple Watch, iPod), price (differentiation, premium pricing, price skimming), place (Apple stores, online stores, third-party retailers), promotion (advertising, social media, unique value promotion), process (direct and indirect selling), people (customer service, employee training), and physical evidence (product identification, branding). The report concludes by summarizing the importance of the marketing mix in Apple's success and highlights key strategies employed by the company to maintain its market position and brand loyalty. The analysis covers various aspects of Apple's approach to marketing, including innovation, pricing strategies, distribution channels, promotional techniques, customer service, and product identification, offering insights into how Apple caters to its target audience and builds a strong brand image.

MARKETING
FUNDAMENTALS
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Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
Marketing mix of Apple..............................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................8
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INTRODUCTION
Marketing refers to the combination of
all activities that is undertaken by the
companies in order to promote their goods and
services. This is can be described as the
process of getting the potential clients or
customers that are interested in the products
given by the company. This is the wide term
that includes researching, promoting, selling
and distribution of the product ad service. This
factor has the focused on the study of market
and consumer behaviour that analyse the
commercial management of the company that
support in to attract, acquire and retain the
customer for the longer period of time by
satisfying their needs and wants. Marketing not
just one strategy but this is an combination of
various strategies, techniques and tactics. This
mostly associated with the bounding marketing
that is consist of the chasing potential
customers without really knowing whether the
person is interested in purchasing. This helps
in to achieve the goals , increase their sales and
profit along with improved brand image(Baker,
M.J. and Hart, S. eds., 2016). This report is
based on the APPLE which is an American
based multinational technology company with
the headquartered in Cupertino, California. It is
specialise in selling consumer electronics,
computer software and online services. This
report is consist of the processes and stages of
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the marketing including the role of marketing
environment, marketing research , and
marketing mix.
Marketing mix of Apple
Marketing mix refers to the set of marketing
actions, tools, tactics which is uses by the firm
to accomplish its marketing objectives in the
target market or to promote its product,
services and brand. Elements of the marketing
mix are discussed below in context to the apple
company:
Product: The product can be anything
that is offered in the market and satisfy the
needs and requirements of the customers. This
could be refers to the physical product,
services and experience or anything that is sold
by the company. Apply is always stand at first
and known for its innovation in the world as it
always come up with the new products that
could be surprising for the whole
world(Grönroos, C., 2020). It deals in the
different varieties of the product such as:
 mac: this is known as macintosh and
generally branded as the mac. This is
one of the primer product of the apple.
It is still famous among the people of
united state because of it newer version.
There are some version which are
currently present in the market that are
Mac Pro, iMac, MacBook Air,
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MacBook Pro, MacBook
 Apple watch: It has the watch with the
feature where a person can keep track
of their fitness.
 Ipod: this is an unique type of portable
digital music player. In this also
company has launched various
variations in the market such as iPod
nano, iPod touch, iPod shuffle and
many more.
 Iphone: apply was the first company
that has introduced smart phones with
the multiple touch. It was basically
refers to the combination of of smart
phone and ipod.
Apply has recently launched it new phone
iphone 12 pro with the technology of GSM,
CDMA etc. it has build with the gorilla glass
and stainless steel frame a long with the 228g
weight and highest 512GB 6GB RAM internal
memory. The company product is also
designed unique then the competitors and
despites high competition with this apple
becomes succeeded in creation of demands for
its product.
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Price: price refers to the amount of money that
has to be paid to in return of the given product
or service. Apple use differentiation pricing for
its product with this apple attempts to increase
the market demand through this pricing
method, which support in to make its product
unique and attractive to the customers.
Differentiation pricing is refers to strategy or
method of charging different segments of
customers different price for the same product
and services. The company has the power over
the price as they have the lead on product
differentiation, innovation in product and
advertisement. With this Apple also use
premium pricing, price skimming and
geographical pricing strategies for its premium
products(De Mooij, M., 2019). it ensured
brand loyalty and always hype around the new
product launches over certain period of time. It
has focused on the customer willing and
confidence to pay more and tend to maintain
the premium price as per the cost of unit
volume. Along with this apple also set up
artificial entry barriers for the competitors. For
the iphone apple use the premium pricing to
maintain the standard of the product with the
high prices.
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Place: this signifies that where a company
choose to distribute or allow access to the
product or services. This could be refers to
anything from the warehouse to a street high
stores, e-commerce shops and cloud based
platform where a customer is able to get the
product. Place is to be choose which is
appropriate for the brand and also accessible to
the customers easily(McDonald, M. and
Wilson, H., 2016). It considered that where a
customers looks for the product, where they
spend more of their time along with this
company also know about that where
competitors are selling their product so that
competitive advantage can be taken. This
company use its own apple stores, it operates
with 499 retail stores in 22 countries
worldwide. These are located at the high traffic
location with the high quality shopping malls.
It has also offers through the online stores,
direct sales force, retailers and third party
cellular network carrier. These all are used by
the company as to make the easy availability
and to increase the sale volume of the products.
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Promotion: promotion refers to the type
communication that is takes place between the
buyer and seller. The seller tries to persuade
the customers through promotion to purchase
the product and services offer by them. The
company use this tool or technique to improve
the public image and also creates the interest in
the mindset of the customers in order to retain
them as an loyal customer. Promotional is
described as the fundamental component of
marketing mix that includes advertising, self
and sales promotion, direct marketing
publicity, trade shows, public speaking
etc(Hernández Molina, M., 2018). promotion
strategy used by the Apple to promote its
iphone is advertisement on TV, social medias,
and online promotion as to cover the large area
of the market and to target the higher
customers. While doing promotion Apple
always avoid the pricing wars by emphasizing
the own unique value promotion that enhance
the brand image. Along with this, it uses many
strategies while doing the promotions such as it
believes in to keep the marketing and product
both simple, know their audience and talk to
them in their language, design better customer
experience which itself serves as the promotion
of the product and services of the company.
Moreover promotion plays a vital role in
selling the product to the customer in the best
and effective way.
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Process: this aspect of marketing mix
describes the series of action or steps that is to
be taken while delivering the goods to the
customers. This involves examine of the
processes means assessing the aspects such as
sales funnel, supple chain, payment system,
distribution procedures and managing
customers relations etc. and each step that is
taken and method that is chosen by company
for the processes are must be taken in a way
that minimize the cost, provide the benefits and
add value for the customers. Assessing and
adjusting different parts of the processes will
provide support in to streamline the business
efforts with that also ensures that the method is
up-to date and in line with current
trends(Doyle, C., 2016). Apple usually use
both the direct selling through its own apply
stores and also use indirect selling in the
process of delivery of the goods and services.
People: Due to the branding value of
Apple ,they are more likely to generates the
outcome in respect of taking the attention of
more customer relates with either business
class or their potential ones so to brings the
profitability in respect of the peoples working
in this industry relates with their employees
and staffs who are continuously engage in the
activities of making the profits by producing
the product value in the market through
loyalty factor by the customers itself made this
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brand more effective through covering the
large market of customer base having the
people they are cater in is that business class
and high class groups but they are also
emphasis to the middle class as well by
introducing their phones in smaller segment by
low variants but the branding will be the
motive of the customers(Rowley, J., 2016).
Customer who buy this product are likely to be
the loyal of their brand and ist product is that
of Apple Iphone, Apple staffs are likely to
have influencing personality which will be
valued much rather than the proficiency again
Apple employees play an important role in
delivering the product in large scale by the
suitability of the business and taking care of
market scenario as well ,By this process of
Apple gives training to their employees on the
base of technical knowledge about posses the
duties and role to those employees who are
already in outgoing personalities. In order to
satisfy their customers Apple adopt the
technique of customer services on more
effective manner by their retails service centre
in cities .
Physical evidence: This process defines the
market value of the product brands in respect
to its physical appearance in the mind of the
customer which relates with outcome of the
product regarding their identity from where the
customer will find out the product easily this
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approach of marketing mix describes about the
product identification in general through its
product labelling and packaging with logo on a
product (Hunt, S.D., 2017). This aspect of
marketing mix shows the value on which the
customer is rely in case of Apple iPhone 12 pro
the branding of the product itself shows the
physical evidence in the mind of the customer
and as well as to their potential
customer ,Apple generally open their retail
outlets and service centre in the most important
area of the city to cater an d reach the
customers in large and aware them about the
new product and new segment which will be
going to start by an Apple Iphone. To develop
the iphone more identical in respect to its
product identification a special team of
technical employees are working on the
concept of providing the uniform and identical
appearance to their product by making the
extra efforts in utilizing the branding through
safety and hidden marks to know about their
product whenever customer goes to the service
centre this aspect will adopts by the Apple
iPhone to enhance their product safety and
security to avoid the duplication of the product
(Shilbury, D.,and. et. al., 2020).
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CONCLUSION
As per the above analysis it has been
concluded that marketing is refers to the
activities that is used promote product and
services at the market place. This is the process
includes the chasing potential customer to buy
the particular product or services. This is an
important aspect as this use to increase the
scale and profit of the company. Furthermore
there are various elements of the marketing
mix which is the set of action, tool and tactics
used to reach at the target market.
REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Baker, M.J. and Hart, S. eds., 2016. The
marketing book. Routledge
Grönroos, C., 2020. service marketing research
priorities. Journal of Services
Marketing, 34(3), pp.291-298.
De Mooij, M., 2019. Consumer behavior and
culture: Consequences for global
marketing and advertising. SAGE
Publications Limited.
McDonald, M. and Wilson, H.,
2016. Marketing Plans: How to
prepare them, how to profit from
them. John Wiley & Sons.
Hernández Molina, M., 2018. Digital
Marketing: fundamental concepts and
strategies. Applications in the
Tourism Industry.
Doyle, C., 2016. A dictionary of marketing.
Oxford University Press.
Rowley, J., 2016. Information marketing.
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Routledge.
Hunt, S.D., 2017. Strategic marketing,
sustainability, the triple bottom line,
and resource-advantage (RA) theory:
Securing the foundations of strategic
marketing theory and research. AMS
Review, 7(1-2), pp.52-66.
Shilbury, D.,and. et. al., 2020. Strategic sport
marketing. Routledge
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