Business Marketing

Business marketing is the marketing of goods and services to individuals and organizations for purposes other than personal consumption.

Most Apple products are versatile, therefore they can used for personal or business purposes. Products like the iPhone, iPad, and Mac are all examples of consumer and business products. With Apple's up-to-date technology and innovative apps, it is able to handle whatever business you are running.

The iOS, which is the core for every iPhone and iPad product (shown above), is designed to deliver everything business users need to do their best wherever they are. Also the apps that are available in the iOS's app store, giver users to create, communicate and collaborate from anywhere.

Although Apple does not entirely target those who purchase there products only for business purposes, they do have a section in there Apple website that displays information on products based on business use. Also, Apple does not exclude these people from there T.V. ads, instead they portray as an every-day user as seen in the video below.

Segmenting and Targeting Markets

Apple is a company who doesn't target a specific market, instead it tries to target as much people as they can regardless of there differences through market segmentation using segmentation bases also known as variables. Apple uses a couple variables which is referred to as multiple-variable segmentation. Three of there main segmentations include Geographic, Demographic and Physchographic segmentation.

Because Apple is a global company, it uses Geographic segmentation to reach out to people from not only the U.S. but to other countries as well and the regions located within these countries. Also, people from other countries may speak different languages, so to appeal to these people Apple supports 32 different languages in most of there products such as the Mac. A prime example of how Apple appeals to people who speak different languages is Siri, which is an intelligent personal assistant that is capable of interacting with the user in 8 different languages.

The U.S. is full of diversity and through Demographic Segmentation, Apple is able to appeal to people based on there age, gender, income, enthic background and family life cycle. For most of there marketing, Apple tries to include as many factors as possible instead of choosing one specific factor such as ethnic background. They choose to do this because they want there products to be available to everyone.

Also, with diversity comes different personalities, motives, and lifestyles, in which Psychographic segmentation comes into play. Because most Apple products are versatile, they are able to conform to people based on there interests.

A perfect example of what I just talked about that includes all three Geographic, Demographic, and Physchographic segmentation which is referred to as Geodemographics according to book, is the video below.

Developing and Managing Products

For Apple, design is the starting point for every product and it is the most important aspect of a product. When it comes to the New-Product Development Process found in Exhibit 11.1, designers have close to no limitations for generating ideas in terms of costs or manufacturing needs. Also, as mentioned in my previous blog (Products Concepts) simplicity is the main focus of a product's design, in which designers make it their main priority for every product. An example of how an Apple product (iPhone 5c) is being developed once its has fulfilled the the first four required steps within the New-Product Development Process, is shown in the video to the left, starting at 1:35.

According to the book, new products are important to sustain growth, increase revenues, and profits, and replace obsolete items. An example of recent new apple products that did exactly that are the iPhone 5s and 5c. But in order for new products to accomplish all that, product managers have to strategically plan out the product based on what consumers want and what their willing to pay, in which innovation is they key. Innovation, which is major factor in each Apple product, is something that product managers must include when planning for a new product, without it Apple wouldn't be known as the company it is known today. An example of Innovation from a recent new Apple product is the iPhone 5s fingerprint scan, which may be a small innovation, but it is something that has never been seen or done in other phones. With consistent innovation, Apple has no problem sustaining growth, increasing revenues, and being superior.

Social Media and Marketing

Most companies today use social media which, is any tool or service that uses the Internet to facilitate conversations, to market their products or services.

Surprisingly, Apple, the world's biggest tech company, is not a fan of social media. But, it has integrated social apps such as Facebook and Twitter into it's mobile and Mac Operating systems. Also, Apple has no official accounts, instead it has active accounts on Twitter and Facebook for it's sub-brands like the App Store, iTunes, and iBooks.

With Apple, not being involved in social media, the company still manages to market there products, not by the company itself but by its fans or loyal customers, who discuss about Apple's new products through blogs and Twitter.

Also, because Apple believes it should remain isolated from social media, it forbids its own employees to discuss about the company or post comments/tweets that is company-related.

Even without social media, Apple is still ranked as the #1 Best Global Brand in the World as of 2013.

Product Concepts

Apple inc. is a global brand that is known for there innovative products. It's products and logo can be easily recognized and identified by its customers and consumers who have shopped within the markets, that apple has marketed in

From when Apple first started out, its products where considered as specialty products, but today there considered more as shopping products because they can be compared to other brands who offer similar products, such as Samsung and Google, and so the consumer would have to decide upon himself , on which brand he will choose for that product.

Today, Apple has a variety of products and products lines that have been modified throughout its years of existence. There concept for each individual product they have ever created is simplicity, in which the hardware and operational system of the product are two important factors.

For instance, from its earliest years, Apple has always made it products to look simple, with similar color schemes as shown in the photo below. 

Even though Apple re-modifies and improves each of there older products for there newer products, they still manage to maintain the product's simplistic look and use.

Personal Selling and Sales Managment

For most companies, personal selling may be one of there most effective ways of selling goods and services. Unlike advertising and sales promotions, which sells indirectly, in personal selling, a sales person is always there to satisfy you as the customer and provide explanations and answer your questions.

As mentioned in my previous blog post (Marketing channel and Retailing), Apple teaches its employees not to sell but rather to help solve customer's problems, therefore they work on building relationships between there customers instead of following up on a sale, which from my experience I can say that is true. Not only does it increases there chances of selling a product but it also increases there chances of gaining a customers loyalty. Also, in every Apple store, you have sections of products neatly scattered all the over the store. This allows customers to try out the the different types of products and learn more about a product they are unfamiliar with, and because employees are always around helping out, they are your main source for information on the product you are looking for

For example, lets say theirs a customer who's interested in buying a Mac computer but is undecided  between the different types of Mac, such as the Macbook Pro, Macbook Air, and the iMac, the employee assisting that customer would have to gather information from them, such as there interests, hobbies, and daily life which is done through a comforting conversation. Once that is done, the employee therefore leans the customer to a Mac that would work for them based on the information that was gathered.

Advertising, Public Relations and Sales Promotion

From its earliest years, Apple has become one of the most well-known companies for its advertising, and although their sales techniques are not as aggressive as from there competitors, they still manage to be a popular and successful company, till this day.

Apple's most significant ad commercial and campaigns, that put them in the position they are in today, include the "1984" Super Bowl commercial, which mimicked imagery from Gorge Orwell's 1984, and the "Think Different" campaign during the 1990's, which linked apple to famous social figures, such as the artist John Lennon and freedom fighter Mahatma Gandhi. Another famous ad campaign was the "iPod people" during the early 2000's.

The campaign ad that I remember and enjoyed watching was the "Get a Mac" commercials, which basically showed viewers that a Macintosh computer was better than the PC by comparing both on there capabilities and specifications

Today Apple ads are focused less on technical details and specifications, but more on the impact they have in the lives of millions of users, such as the TV ad on the right

Not only does Apple use advertisement to catch the public's attention, but it also uses its public relations to reach out to the public or to consumers/customers. For example, when Apple announces the launch of new product, it builds some sort of an excitement and eagerness among the public especially among loyal customers, and leaves them waiting until they actually reveal the product through a live video that can be viewed from anyone and anywhere through a personal computer.

Apple also uses Sales promotion as way to target the different kinds of consumers, for example Apple offers discounted products to only those who qualify as a college student. Another thing is with the iPhone 5 and 5s, Apple has discounted the prices of previous models, such as the 4 and 4s which the main target for that may be lower income consumers.