Apple Extensive Marketing

1. Product Apple adopts a minimalism design, using basic shapes, symmetry, grouping structuring. Minimalism allows people mind to perceive in a faster way  the message that has to be delivered.

“Apple tried to design things in a minimalist way on every aspect of its product — intuitive touchpad, one-button touch mouse” (Taehoon Kim “Extreme minimalism” June 2018)

The above picture shows the lines and shapes that are used in the design of the I phone  - Taehoon Kim “Extreme minimalism” June 2016 2. Place

Steve Jobs decided to give high importance to the retail,  considering it a way to create a deeper relationship with the clients and to promote brand awareness. 

A NEW CONCEPT OF STORE

Apple renews the concept of its stores. The focus is moved from the product itself to the customer experience. The store becomes a space in which clients can actually use the products so they can experience different solutions in action.

Apple Regent Street in London, England following renovations in 2016  3. Price

Apple uses a price-skimming strategy. In fact, when a new product is released, it is charged at the highest price that a consumer will pay and the price of the older products are gradually reduced.  With this method, Apple satisfies the first customer needs.  However, lowering the price of the older products, Apple attracts as well a more price-sensitive consumer. 

Apple Watch Series Launch , September 2017  -  https://9to5mac.com/ 4. Promotion Apple develops different promotion strategies taking advantage of all the possible channels. With its commercials, Apple reaches a large variety of audience and  engages its clients combining new and traditional promotion styles. The “Carpool Karaoke” is one of the most innovating advertising technique, Apple implements a product placement strategy with celebrities that create a buzz by positive reviews in the media.

This picures is taken by https://twitter.com/GomersallRos, London tube March 2015 – Apple advertise Apple 6 by printing photos shoot with Iphone 6 5. Physical Evidence Apple website In the website, Apple promotes and launches all its products. The design of the website is very minimal and this characteristic fully represents Apple style.  The website provides several tools to the clients who can collect information, discover new products, buy online and receive customer care. 

Apple website - https://www.apple.com/

6. Process

Apple aims to create customer value and satisfaction. This goal has been achieved by giving high importance to every aspect of  the development and of the customer experience. One of the most surprising aspects of this company is the capacity to create the desire  of its products in customers’ mind. Apple provides consistency to its consumers at all times. When visiting the Apple store, people have the opportunity to try the products of their interest and ask questions to highly qualified staff. When surfing their website, is very easy to collect all the necessary information, it is possible to buy Apple products and ask for support in several ways, such as phone, email or website chat. Furthermore, if the problem has not been sorted, the customer has the opportunity to speak to an Apple expert by booking an appointment online  instead of waiting in line at the store.

This Picture display a member of the Apple staff that provide a personal customer service  - https://www.antgibbz.com/difference-branding-logo-identity/apple-in-store-support/

7. People

As Laura Kelly reported in her article, Apple has excelled at encouraging the CEO to be in the public eye.

Steve Jobs and now Tim Cook are the frontiers for the brand and hosts of WWDC 

(Apple Worldwide Developers Conference) each year.

“Apple is in the relationship business as much as the computer business. 

And the only way to really build a relationship is face-to-face. That’s human nature. That gets at the essence of what retail stores have to be about: deepening connections with people.”

“To find people for whom retail is the right match requires a very thorough interview and selection process. 

Getting a job on the sales floor at Apple today requires six to eight interviews, including with the person who runs the entire local market. One result of that intensive process is that when people are hired, they feel honoured to 

be on the team, and the team respects them from day one because they’ve made it through the gauntlet”.

(Harvard Business Review, December 2011) 

Ron Johnson and Steve Jobs at the grand opening of Apple's 5th Ave. store. Blogs elpais.com - June 2014

PEOPLE - Marketing mix

“People” is one of the last “P”s introduced to the Marketing Mix, however nowadays it is one of the most important aspects of product and service.

People are involved in all of the processes from the creation of the product, to the market research and the final sale.

Apple knows how important holistic marketing and how a single person, who is in touch with the end client, can make or break this relation.

If industries do not hire the right people and if these people are not motivated enough, the products will not be targeted, created or sold effectively, for this reason, Apple is investing so much into its staff.

During the interview with Harvard Business Review (December 2011) the former Apple Retail Chief, Ron Johnson explained that the success achieved by Apple retail stores was built on customer’s relations and the hiring process.

He explained how Apple is in the relationship business as much as the computer business and he truly believes that to build a relationship and create a connection with clients, human interaction is vital.

Because of this belief, Apple put the aspiring employees through a tough selection process made of six interviews with managers and directors. As results, if the candidates are successful in the process and people are hired they feel proud and the team respects them. As they are aware of the hard selection that the “freshman” had to face.

Therefore, once the applicants are finally hired from Apple, the company makes sure to keep them highly motivated and also ensures that the employees enjoy doing their job; of course, this will make an impact to their efficiency at work.

Apple understood that motivation is the reason for people’s actions, willingness and goals

The company provides good job conditions, incentives and rewards so that staff members can achieve the task given more enthusiastically.

As stated in the “Motivation and Rewards of Apple Inc. Business Essay”, published in December 2016, Apple satisfies its employees’ safety needs by providing them job security, retirement benefits and medical insurance.

The company also satisfies social needs by making them feel part of a big project.

For Apple it is very important to celebrate achievements; however, the company also recognizes a bonus of 3 per cent for the salary of their executives despite not achieving their target on a project. Apple does this because they assert their team efforts.

Besides, managers tend to give their workers complicated tasks, to challenge them and push them to the maximum potential, so that they can always improve their performances.

This behaviour will also make the employees feel trusted and respected, this is because of the trust placed in them and here is when Apple accomplished to satisfy employees esteem needs.

In conclusion, trough the different incentives and rewards, Apple is able to attract and gain loyalty from their employees.

Another important aspect for motivation is the CEO of the company, first Steve Job and later Tom Cook, built a company based on customer’s needs, and in order to do this, they gave great importance to keep motivated the members of the company.

Staff members’ satisfaction reflects directly in the employees work daily, in fact, a happy team will be able to transmit this feeling to the clients; this will create a relaxed atmosphere that will lead to a connection that will make the client at ease and will be more inclined to listen, try and to buy.

Reference List Apple watch launch, Zach Hall, August 2017 https://9to5mac.com/?s=apple+watch+launch “Extreme minimalism” - iPhone Design Philosophy in a word, Taehoon Kim, June 2016 https://medium.com/@taehoonkim_22222/extreme-minimalism-iphone-design-philosophy-in-a-word-63c7b29ae497 How Apple sets its prices, Marco Tabini, January 2013 https://www.macworld.com/article/2024257/how-apple-sets-its-prices.html Apple's premium pricing strategy and product differentiation, Samantha Nielson, February 2014 https://marketrealist.com/2014/02/apples-premium-pricing-strategy-product-differentiation How Apple’s unconventional iPhone X marketing strategy will make you want one at any cost, Michael Simeon, November 2017 https://www.macworld.com/article/3235955/iphone-ipad/apple-iphone-x-strategy.html 7 Key Strategies That You Must Learn from Apple’s Marketing, Neil Patel https://neilpatel.com/blog/7-key-strategies-that-you-must-learn-from-apples-marketing/ Apple Stores, Keep track of Apple's retail stores worldwide, September 2018 https://www.macrumors.com/roundup/apple-retail-stores/ Marketing Strategy of Apple Inc – Apple Marketing Strategy, Hitesh Bhasin, February 2018 https://www.marketing91.com/marketing-strategy-apple/ How Apple Has Influenced Web Design Over the Years, Connor Turn Bull, March 2011 https://webdesign.tutsplus.com/articles/how-apple-has-influenced-web-design-over-the-years--webdesign-2553 Tim Cook: The Complete Interview, By Sam Grobart, September 2013 https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2013-09-20/apple-ceo-tim-cooks-complete-interview-with-bloomberg-businessweek Apple changes tack by using a review roundup as iPhone X advert, Matthew Hughes, November 2017 https://thenextweb.com/apple/2017/11/01/apple-publishes-review-roundup-of-iphone-x/ The Apple Guide To Providing Exceptional Customer Service, Tim Keefe, October 2017 https://www.tgkandassoc.com/the-apple-guide-to-providing-exceptional-customer-service/ How Apple’s Packaging gives buyers a sensory experience that strengthens the brand, Alessandra Ruggeri, August 2017 http://www.swedbrand-group.com/blog/how-apples-packaging-gives-buyers-a-sensory-experience-that-strengthens-the-brand Retail Isn’t Broken. Stores Are, December 2011 https://hbr.org/2011/12/retail-isnt-broken-stores-are Apple`s Extended Marketing Mix Physical Evidence, Yellocart, June 2018 https://yellowcatdotblog.wordpress.com/2018/06/03/apples-extended-marketing-mix-physical-evidence/ The Apple Marketing Mix https://www.cultofmac.com/217735/ex-apple-ad-man-ron-johnson-is-transforming-jc-penney-just-like-steve-jobs-transformed-apple/ Steve Jobs and Ron Johnson On Apple’s Retail Success [Quotes], June 2011 https://www.cultofmac.com/100807/steve-jobs-and-ron-johnson-on-apples-retail-success-quotes/ The Evolution of Apple Events, By Eventmb Team, September, 2016 https://www.eventmanagerblog.com/evolution-of-apple-events

Hitesh Bhasin, 2017. People in the marketing mix – The 5th P of marketing mix https://www.marketing91.com/people-marketing-mix/ Hitesh Bhasin, 2018. Holistic marketing concept https://www.marketing91.com/holistic-marketing-concept/ Mark Actutt, 2018. The Importance of People within the Marketing Mix http://marketingmix.co.uk/people/ Anonymous student Essay, 2016. Motivation and Rewards Of Apple Inc Business Essay https://www.ukessays.com/essays/business/motivation-and-rewards-of-apple-inc-business-essay.php Kelly Koty, Shirly Yustana, Vinay Paryani, Christasya Austin Sentana 2014. Motivation https://applecorporate.weebly.com/motivation.html