Apples Target Market Apple Inc. Case Study

That meant market segmentation is no longer a priority, because Apple’s target market is now the global market. Apple markets its products to cater to anyone and everyone who is looking for great value and high quality – all over the world. You will find Apple stores and outlets in major areas of the world, a sure sign that Apple is. Huberty also sees the potential of accelerated sales growth through Apple Music, iCloud subscribers, and Apple Pay. Apple's stock was trading at $174.32 per share, and was up 1.26% for the year. China is Apple's fastest-growing market China is behind Europe and the Americas, but is growing at a much more rapid pace. In 2014, China generated $29.846 billion in net sales for Apple - about.

Positioning is a strategic process that marketers use to determine the place or “niche” an offering should occupy in a given market, relative to other customer alternatives. Differentiation is the process companies use to make a product or service stand out from its competitors in ways that provide unique value to the customer.

When you position a product or service, you answer these questions:

Place: What place does the offering occupy in its market?
Rank: How does the product or service fare against its competitors in the areas evaluated by customers deciding what to buy?
Attitude: How do we want customers to think about this offering and the benefits it offers them?
Outcomes: What must we do to ensure the product or service delivers on the positioning we select?

Differentiation identifies a set of characteristics and benefits that make a product different and better for a target audience. Ideally these qualities are things that

Customers value when they are evaluating choices in a purchasing decision, and
Competitors cannot easily copy.

Brand Positioning and Differentiation breaks through the clutter of noise in the market place. This enables brands to efficiently and effectively communicate and reach target audience.

Apple Inc. have been using the Apple brand to compete across many smart technological in several highly competitive markets.

Apple’s brand has evolved over the past years and consistently as it has expanded its range of products and services. They have been thinking different as narrated by their short catchy tag line “Think Different”. Originally the apple brand started in the late 1970s with desktop computers and then laptops in the 1990s, and it took over 20 years before the company expanded into other areas in the market, areas such as iPod in 2001, followed by iPhone in 2007, iPad in 2010, and now Apple Pay and Apple Watch in 2014.

Their brand philosophy has always been ‘Think Different’. And the act of thinking differently represents; smart, innovative, clever, and creative. Then they have lived up to the claim of ‘thinking differently’ by actually ‘acting differently’ by going against the norm – always asking the question; “what’s different about this?”. One example is when all personal computers were gray and dull, they came out with the fun and colorful iMac.

It has been decades of thinking different for the Apple brand……

Steve Jobs, Apple’s co-Founder, described Apple as a “mobile devices company” – the largest one in the world. The company renamed itself Apple Inc. rather than Apple Computer. At the time, this was a significant move signifying Apple’s move beyond being more than a computer company.

Positioning and Differentiation of the Apple brand

How Apple Inc. positions from the competitors like Samsung, Nokia and Huawei comes through their ability to deliver exceptional experience through superb user interfaces. Starting with a major re-vitalization of the Apple brand when the iPod was launched in 2001, Apple has worked hard to migrate its brand and its product strategy in close harmony towards today’s position.

Apples Target Market Apple Inc. Case Study Group

Apple is all about the experience. Apple goes after the emotional branding something which is felt in the heart and the mind of the consumers and that positions Apple as a brand in the mind of the consumers, the brands interface is exceptional and user friendly.

Apple’s brand identity, its elements, its product and its communication, all play an important role in positioning the brand in the market and all efforts have resulted in consumers satisfaction, emotional connections as well as loyalty. Loyal Apple customers will wait in line to purchase the latest iPhone, download music through iTunes, watch their favourite television shows on Apple TV and play games on their iPads. The company’s efforts toward building brand loyalty has allowed Apple to position and stand out from the crowd in the market place.

How Apple Inc. differentiates from the market; Apple’s differentiation to separate its products from those of other electronics manufacturers. From its MacIntosh home computers to the iPod music players and iPhone and iPad mobile devices, Apple has employed a differentiation strategy that targets a section of the consumer market and send a powerful message that its products stand out from the crowd.

The differentiation of Apple products comes from product design, display a different visual style, include different features or handle different tasks stand out from those offered by the competition.

Introducing iPhone XS and iPhone XR — Apple Advert

Since its inception, Apple has been rolling out products which have been an epitome of design and quality. Apple Macintosh was the first personal computer to have a mouse and graphical interface for a user remaining true to their mantra “Think Different” to this date. Apple does a phenomenal job creating products and services that are unique and special.

Apart from the products, another factor in differentiation plans stems from the company’s pricing strategies.

Apple’s pricing strategy extends to its differentiation in the retail electronics marketplace. While users can purchase computers, tablets and mobile phones from nearly any electronics outlet, Apple differentiates itself by providing limited quantities to big box retailers and focusing its retail efforts on its Apple Stores.

Apple Inc. sought to create a top-notch product with a price proportionate to its level of quality while maintaining high profit margins.

In conclusion, brands need to have a unique and meaningful set of attributes that make them different from the competition. This differentiation will result in the target consumer remembering the brand due to its competitive and unique nature. When a consumer makes a decision to buy a product or service, they want to make the decision as quickly and simply as possible.

In order to be part of the “selection set” when consumers are making decisions, strong brands have to be present in the minds of consumers and stand out so that they are the preferred choice. This is done through differentiation and positioning. Apple did a great job and continues to benefit from its range of loyal consumers.

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