StrategicMarketing

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I.Strategic Product and Brand Definition

Coreproducts refer to the organization’s goods or services which aremanufactured from the organization’s core competencies. Theseproducts are then incorporated into other products to generate thefinal product which is marketed to the final consumers. In the caseof the enhanced products, there are times a product or a serviceneeds to be improved by integrating unique features for it to remaincompetitive. Enhanced goods or services are great ways to augmentrevenues as well as revitalize the company.

Brandstrategy refers to a long-term approach destined to develop aparticular brand of the company to attain specific objectives. Appleis a multinational company which has its origins in the UnitedStates. The company‘s competencies comprise of advancement inmobile gadget technology, great customer service, skilled marketingpersonnel as well as incredible financial performance. It is knownfor its strong brand standing in products such as iPad, iPod, AppleT.V, Mac computer hardware, and software. Apple’s products haveunique features hence guarantee consumers a unique user experience.For instance, Apple iPhone are unique in design which makes them verycompetitive in the market. To distinguish its products fromcompetitors, Apple Company utilizes unique software such as Ioswhich is an inbuilt operating system used in the manufacturing ofSmartphone and Mac software in the manufacturing of personalcomputers (Apple Inc., 2014). Consequently, this software enhancesthe quality of its products which enables the company to establishitself globally.

Inspite of the high competition experienced in the industry, AppleCompany has succeeded in communicating its brand to its potentialconsumers which guarantee it power over prices through inventivemarketing, product differentiation, and brand loyalty. The intangibleaspects of Apple’s products brand include unique software such asMac, innovative brands such as iPod and iPad. On the other hand,intangible aspects include the attractiveness, well packaging anduser-friendly products.

II.Segmentation, Target Marketing and Positioning

Atarget market is a group of individuals who are considered topurchase what the company sells. Targeting marketing helps theorganizations to optimize their marketing sources. On the other hand,marketing segmentation refers to the process of dividing the marketinto distinct consumer segments. Apple company has integrated thefollowing market segmentation for its products: Behavioralsegmentation, it divides the market by their usage, decision-makingapproaches as well as habit. Secondly, the psychographic segmentationwhich uses individuals styles, activities, opinions as well as theirinterests to define a consumer segment. It takes into considerationconsumer purchasing behaviors. The psychological features includepeoples’ lifestyles as well as social standings. For instance,Apple’s iPhone, and iPod are segmented into those individuals wholikes to use the smart phones for self-representation, conveniencesas well as to those clients who are geared towards the technicalability of an iPhone (Formica, 2015). Geographic segmentation dividesconsumers in term of their geographical location. For instance, AppleCompany’s products are targeted in almost every region all over theworld. The company has established outlets in all vastly inhabitedareas all over the globe and over 80 approved nations’ websiteshence allowing its global presence. Its capability to customize theapps to suit the consumer’s desires and interests makes itsproducts to be desirable to all ages, genders, occupations,ethnicities as well as financial status (Formica, 2015). The iPhone 6and iPhone 6+ are among the first to be marketed regarding theconsumer`s social and professional working needs.

References

AppleInc. (2014).Apple Inc. Annual report. Retrieved from

http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/320193/000119312514383437?/d783162d10k.htm

Formica,M. (2015). Segmentation,Targeting and Positioning Analysis – On Apple iPhone 6.

Mformica.blogspot.co.ke.Retrieved11November2016,fromhttps://mformica.blogspot.com/2015/07/segmentation-targeting-and-positioning.html

StrategicMarketing

Attractivenessof the industry

Themanufacture of the electronics, especially, the personal computers isdependent on some factors that should be examined. Thesecharacteristics include the macroeconomic conditions and those thatdirectly affect the industry, like economic features, the forces ofcompetition and change, as well as the position of the market amongothers. The level of technology keeps on advancing, and it has actedas a barrier for the other companies who want to join this sector.Though the attractiveness may look favorable to many individuals, itis extremely hard for a new firm to succeed since existing companieshave already established their loyalty with the customers. Theconsumers are ever in need of new advanced products making thebusinesses to innovate extra items with detailed features that suitthe users. Similarly, the economic conditions of most nations haveimproved, and the PCs are gaining fame in various homes especially,for private use. The competitors are few, but not all of them aregrowing because of the stiff rivalry. Itis important to highlight the attractiveness of an industry, thebarriers to entry and exit, the trends and sub-markets, thepercentage growth or shrinkage, factors enhancing profitability, thestrategic uncertainties, and ethical issues during market andcompetitive analysis of any firm, like Apple Inc.

Barriersto entry and exit

AlthoughApple is facing a threat of new entrants, it has a moderate forcebecause of the high capital requirements needed, the expenses thatare required in the course of brand development, and the capacity ofthe emerging potential firms. It is challenging to come up with asimilar business to Apple that can actively compete with it becausemassive finance investments will have to be employed. However, notall organizations globally have money constraints as there are thosethat can enter the market and affect Apple negatively. For instance,Google and Samsung are some of the companies whose impact can be feltin this industry because of their competitiveness. This implies thatthere are financially stable firms whose entrance to the market maypose challenges to those that have dominated over time. In general,the entry of new corporations is moderate though the exit may befast, especially if they are unable to compete with the existing ones(Ferguson, 2015).

Industrytrends and emerging submarkets

Theelectronics industry is rapidly growing following the continuedinnovation where new substances are manufactured with extensivefeatures compared to the current ones. In that light, Apple Inc. ismoving the same pace with other leaders in the market in an attemptto make its loyal customers updated on the recently produced items.In the course of employing the marketing strategies to sell itselectronic gadgets globally, other sub-markets can as well beutilized to gain a larger share and dominate it despite the economicchallenges. The grand openings can be employed to draw the attentionof new clients, and it should provide the software that can be usedwith other commodities to give specialized services like the videorecording. The last one is joint product promotions that are heldtogether with other complementary goods to win more purchaserstowards consuming what Apple has produced. For instance, its TVs canbe sold both physically and online to the retailers as a way ofnurturing it.

Howthe market is growing/ shrinking

Theelectronic market has been flourishing, and it continues to thrivegiven the attraction other new companies develop to get into theindustry. In 2015, the growth rates were averaged to range between 2and 4%, and this is expected increase in the current year followingthe stiff competition of the leading players in the market and theproducts they are producing. Since Apple Company indulged itself intothe mobile phone markets, its iPhone has attracted most users becauseof its brand strength. Compared to the previous years, theycontributed to about 52% of the total sales revenue, and there is alikelihood that this will increase because the smartphones industryis gaining fame among the users worldwide. Similarly, the range ofother products and services has contributed to the expansion of Applein different ways. They include the tablets, smart watches, the Macunit sales and the music streamlining among others that indicate howthe company continues to prosper. Globally, Apple snatched 94% of theprofits that were made from the sale of smartphones alone(Jurevicious, 2016).

Factorsthat will enhance or reduce profitability

Thebrand of the corporation is known to be adamant among the clients,and this has maintained the loyalty they have towards it. Appleshould ensure that it retains its trademark and take the necessarysteps to develop it further so that the current consumers aresustained as efforts are made to attract more. This will escalate thesales of the firm thereby increasing the profits earned. Likewise, itshould be actively involved in the Corporate Social Responsibilities(CSR) which will positively build its image before the public(Dudovskiy, 2016). This is because the CSR activities are one of thestrategies that the businesses are using to promote their productsand they influence the buying decisions of the users. Therefore,involvement in the CSR practices will market Apple’s productsleading to increased revenues earned in a particular financial year.

Strategicuncertainties

AlthoughApple Inc. seems to expand, some difficulties remain a challenge toits management because they have little or no control over them.There is competitiveness from the rival companies who as well aretrying to fit the market, and it is not clear what they may come upwith that will ultimately capture the attention of Apple’scustomers who may shift to them. In some areas, the economicconditions are not stable and keep on fluctuating from time to timewhich will impact the profits earned as they will never be stable. Ifthe economy changes for the worse, Apple will be adversely affectedand may make continued losses. In some cases, the quality problemswill harm its image as the users will develop a negative perceptiontowards it and making them seek other alternatives where they believethere is better equipment to fit their demands.

Ethicalissues to be considered

Therewere instances when Apple Inc. was accused of mistreating its workersin an inhuman way that negatively affected its image. It is said tohave lowly paid them though they were making massive profits from thesale of its products. Those who were ill-treated are the ones whomade the company earn the revenues. Apple should understand thereasons to treat its employees in the most respectful way possiblebecause they are directly responsible for its success. Similarly, themanagement was never honest with the consumers and shareholders asthey did not disclose the unethical practices taking place raisingissues over its transparency (Wopschall, 2013).

Competitiveanalysis

Samsungis one of the main competitors especially in the production ofsmartphones.

Name of competitor	Present market share	Competitive strategy
Samsung	23.2%	Strong

Conclusion

AppleInc. has come a long way and it ought to maintain its brand qualityfor it to be competitive in the market. This will help it remainprominent in the industry with unique items. Despite this, theyshould observe all the ethical considerations especially thoseportraying it negatively and take part in the activities that helpthe society. Its involvement in the CSR will help attract theconsumers, whose purchase decisions are influenced by such practices.

References

Dudovskiy,J. (2016). AppleCorporate Social Responsibility(CSR), Retrieved fromhttp://research-methodology.net/apple-corporate-social-responsibility-csr/on November 8, 2016.

Ferguson,E. (2015). AppleInc. Five Forces Analysis (Porter’s Model),Retrieved fromhttp://panmore.com/apple-inc-five-forces-analysis-porters-model-case-studyon November 8, 2011.

Jurevicious,O. (2016). AppleSWOT Analysis,Retrieved fromhttps://www.strategicmanagementinsight.com/swot-analyses/apple-swot-analysis.htmlon November 8, 2016.

Wopschall,C. (2013). AppleInc. Severe Employee Abuse(2011), Retrieved fromhttp://businessethicscases.blogspot.co.ke/2013/04/apple-inc-severe-employee-abuse-2011.htmlon November 8, 2016.

STRATEGIC MARKETING 1

StrategicMarketing

InstitutionAffiliation

Articleoverview

Thearticle summarizes the revolution of customer relationshipsmanagement in marketing first, the need of world informationtechnology revolution as an opportunity granted to companies andorganizations to decide how they relate to their customers isdiscussed. In this case, the world web has been specified to providea path for enterprises to develop a better relationship withcustomers as opposed to the past offline world. It is noted thatcustomers can gain a great interactive, direct approach andcustomizes experiences which create a long-lasting relationships withthe advancement in information technology today (Winer et al, 2001).

Secondly,the companies can reduce their operational costs as electroniccontact is used with the flexibility that enables them to decide whomto offer services and at what quality hence this revolution has beenseen to be a new and efficient customer relationship managementstrategy in marketing. Great companies such as Oracle, Broad vision,Net Perceptions and many others has attained this approach that hasdone much to build the customer relationship and improved marketrange for their products.

Thirdly,the development of world web information in customer relationshipmanagement has promoted innovation of products that has fasteneddelivery and increased profitability from low customer agitation. Onthe other hand, many managers have developed a better understandingof customer behavior. Therefore, they can predict long-term profitsas marketers have changed their views towards the world. How changesin customer retention and acquisition are perceived by companiesthrough conversations and mass advertisements is also addressed inthis article

Fourth,customer metrics on the market value of the internet is also a majorfocus. This is grouped into three, and they include customerattraction, retention and conversion where the highest revenues fromretained customer’s purchases have shown an improvement of about 10percent with increased company value progressively (Winer et al,2001). Similarly, the customer relationship management has showndifferent perspectives to different firms as some recognize it asdirect e-mails as others identify it as mass customization ofproducts that meet individual customer expectations and finallyinformation technologists term it as customer interaction centers andline analytical processes.

Aguideline on what managers are required to know about their customersand how the way information is important in developing a completecustomer relationship perspective is pointed out, in that anunderlying model with a set of 7 main components is shown, they include creation of customer database activity from internal sourcessuch as transactions, analysis of the database by statistical methodsby cluster and discriminant analysis are employed.

Decisionmaking on which customer to target depending on the analysispresented according to purchases and various related consumerbehavior factors, for instance, promotions desired segments. Also,materials for targeting the customers, that entail developing arelationship with the targeted customer by marketing approaches suchas radio print advertisement and many others.

Theintroduction of relationship programs is also useful, and thisencompasses techniques for implementing and building sustained directe-mails through delivery mechanisms. The aim of this is to deliver ahigher quality level of customer satisfaction rather than competingwith other delivery companies, and this has become a greatachievement for manager researches on customer relationshipsmanagement today.

Finally,the future of customer relationships management in organizations andcompanies is rising as a definite improvement on how firms work toestablish long-term relationships with their customers however, ithas been noted that everyone has his or her theory about customerservices and implementation of CRM practices (Winer et al, 2001).

Howmy company uses Consumer Relationship Management to attract andretain customers

Consumerrelationship management enables the company to be able to responddirectly to customer queries and request on various matters. It provides the customer with a great interactive experience thatestablishes, develop and foster a long-lasting relationship in thiscase, an online personal contact provided by the client servicerepresentatives and call points that offer flexible permissions forthe firms to choose who to provide services and at what level issignificant in attracting and retaining customers (Gutjahr et al,2015)

Useof Consumer Relationship Marketing to decide on final marketing planfor the company product

Thecompany marketing departments can identify and target their bestcustomers through managing marketing campaigns with clear and precisepurpose and objective that allows for the generation of marketingplans and procedures for the final products. This also provides leadsto marketer team to optimize information shared by multiplestreamlined online consultation processes such as taking orders usingmobile and computer designed devices.

Italso allows for the formation and development of individualizedrelationships with customers satisfaction, by creating the highestlevel of marketing strategic plans that aim at improving customerservices (Wilsons et al, 2012). On the other hand, it provides thecompany with data and processes that are required to know customerdesires and expectations on the product offered to them. Finally, theCMR data on customer information and analysis that is sufficient fortargeting market communications of product interaction activitiesthat assist in choosing procedures for customized products andservices.

References

Winer,R. S. (2001). A framework for customer relationship management.California management review, 43(4), 89-105.

Gutjahr,G. (2015). Consumer Relationship Management. In Marketpsychology.Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden.

Wilson,R. M., &amp Gilligan, C. (2012). Strategic marketing management.Routledge.

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STRATEGIC MARKETING 1

Institution Affiliation

Apple Inc. is an American company deals withconsumer electronics. The multinational enterprise is headquarteredin California. Over the years, the company has increased its marketshare through aggressive marketing techniques and innovation. Thelatter has enabled it to appeal to the younger generations due to theuse of advanced technology. Due to the competitiveness of theelectronics industry, firms develop specific marketing strategies notonly to improve revenue collection but also to ensure that they arenot driven out of the competition by other rival businessorganizations within the same industry (Luther, 2011). In thisarticle, we analyze various marketing metrics that ought to beincluded in Apple Inc.’s marketing plan.

Brand Awareness

This is one of the essential determinants of acompany’s success (McDonald &amp Morris, 2012). Due to thecompetitive nature of the electronics industry, Apple Inc needs tocreate a unique brand that all its customers can identify with. As aresult, this metric should be included in the marketing plan.

Lead Generation

Lead generation refers to the process ofinitiating an inquiry into the commodities provided by a businessorganization (McDonald &amp Morris, 2012). Consumer feedbackprovides an organization with an opportunity to improve its servicedelivery framework. It is, therefore, necessary to include thismetric to facilitate the identification of problems associated withthe company’s products.

Customer Acquisition

In marketing, customer acquisition can bedescribed as the process of convincing a consumer to buy a business’sproducts (McDonald &amp Morris, 2012). Apple Inc. should develop anefficient set of methodologies and systems that will be utilized inthe management of queries that arise from an intricate design ofmarketing strategies.

Thought Leadership

In an industry that is crowded with variouscompanies that provide similar products, the opinions of the expertsshould be given utmost importance (McDonald &amp Morris, 2012).Thought leadership refers to the process of identifying informedopinion leaders within the required field of expertise. This is animportant metrics and as should be included in the company’smarketing plan.

Engagement

This is a form of marketing technique thatrequires business organizations to directly engage their customerswith the primary purpose of encouraging them to be part of acompany’s brand. The process, also known as, experimental marketingor live marketing improves the relationship between a firm and itsclientele.

Customer Retention/Loyalty

Customer loyalty ensures that the target marketonly purchases commodities from a single company or its affiliates.Customer loyalty ensures that there is a ready market for products.It also ensures that competition is extensively limited in any givenscenario since the customers prefer products of a specific firm. Thismetrics should be included in the company’s marketing plan.

Website Traffic

Over the years, there has been a substantialincrease in online purchases in comparison to the cash transactions(Luther, 2011). The globalization of the business environment makesit possible for customers in far-flung parts of the globe to sendorders for their products. The company needs to identify the specificaspects of its website that are appealing to the clientele andincrease website traffic.

Lead Management/Nurturing

This is a form of marketing strategy in which abusiness organization develops a set of methodologies to be utilizedin the generation of new potential clients (Luther, 2011). The leadmarketing process involves a series of marketing campaign programs.

Sales

Sales and profits determine the success of all themarketing plans. As such, it is an essential component ofcommercialization (Luther, 2011).

Repeat Clients and Website Visitors

The repeat customers increase the revenuescollected by business organizations within a given period. It alsoreduces competition that is likely to be faced by a company.

SWOT Analysis

This is an evaluation technique that identifiesthe strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to a businessorganization. Apple Inc. derives a competitive advantage over otherfirms in the industry due to various reasons. A major strength of thecompany is its brand image. Additionally, it provides a satisfactorycustomer experience to its clientele. The business organizationengages in extensive advertising as well as a robust financialperformance. Finally, the focus on research and development makes itone of the leading innovators in the electronic industry.

The death of its founder Steve Jobs was regardedas one of the sources of weakness of the company’s operationsystem. In addition to this, faults in the products have resulted innumerous recalls. Despite being innovative, the Apple Inc. hascontinuously been victims of patent infringements. Other challengeshave arisen in the form of Eastman and Kodak in 2012.

Opportunities and threats are caused by externalfactors, most of which are beyond the control of the businessorganization. Developing nations such as China and India haveprovided Apple Inc. with a cheap labor market for the manufacturingprocess. The launch of ipad in 2012 gave the company a head startover other competitors. The company has also been opening new retailstores to meet the high demand for its products. The threats areexperienced in the form of intense competition arising from greattech war and declining sale of PCs. Other threats include the dynamicglobal economic conditions and high dependence on specific suppliers.

References

Apple Company. Retrieved from www.apple.com/

Luther, W. M. (2011).&nbspThe marketing plan: How to prepare andimplement it. New York: AMACOM.

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McDonald, M., &amp Morris, P. (2012).&nbspMarketing plans: Acomplete guide in pictures. Chichester, U.K: Wiley.

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