Strategic Brand Management of Apple - Essay Example

Apple This paper discusses the Apple Company from its inception in 1980 into the market of software and computers. Additionally, the paper analyses the company, its mobile products that have dominated the market for a considerable amount of time. Consequently, Apple is now introducing a TV in the list of its products, in the market. The History of Apple Apple Inc, a multimedia computer tablet was the third major innovation released in the last decade. It began as an Apple Computer widely known as Macintosh personal computers, which was founded by Steve Jobs and Steve Wonzak, and more that twenty college dropouts on April Fool’s Day, 1976 (D OGrady, 2009). At a garage in Los Altos, California, this team came up with a computer circuit board which they named Apple. Several months later they had come up with around 200 units, over and above bringing on board another partner A.C Markkula Jr. who played a big role towards creating a center of attention in the market as the experienced businessman in the team. Job succeeded in bringing user friendly computer into the market, and Apple II was released in April 1978. It made Apple an industry leader with sales shooting up to 100,000 by the end of 1980. In December the same year, it was launched as a successful IPO. Historical Competitive Advantages of Apple D OGrady, 2009 argues that, Apple has a long history of competitive advantages, since its launch in 1980. Its desktop market was driven due to its superior software like Adobe PageMaker and peripherals like laser printers. Moreover, it has thrived in the education sector by seizing more than half the market, over and above, being one of the most profitable PC company globally. It was in a position to give its customers a complete desktop solution that included hardware, soft ware and peripherals that allowed them to work with the computer in an easier way as plugging and playing. It stood up in the market for having designed products from scratch and the use of unique chips, disk drives and monitors. Additionally, loyal customers for the Macintosh gave permission to the Apple company to sell its products at a best price. Consequently, it paid up for more research to be done, where more invention emerged in respect to the market demand. The Personal Computer Industry and the Dynamics in Reference to Apple It is evident that Apple had the first usable personal computing devices. It was brought in by IBM in 1980, and by early 1990 a new standard by the name Wintel dominated the industry. Several manufactures such as Dell Computers built PCs around standard building block from Microsoft and Intel. Growth was driven by lower prices and expanding potentials, as the overall industry continued to shot into the early 2000’s due to internet demand and emerging markets. In the year 2010 over billion PCs were being used around the world (D OGrady, 2009). Since then, the PCs have continuously advanced with regard to the manufacturers, suppliers, Complements, and substitutes. In essence, the micro processors and the operating system have advanced to the advantage of the Apple Inc, with more benefits coming from the acquisitions of high profile PC brands. Besides, application of software, content and complementary products correspond directly to the value of the computer. Hence, Apple benefited from the software productivity while the PCs benefited from a wide selection of content and a huge assortment of complementary hardware that ranged from printers to multimedia devices (D OGrady, 2009). The Sustainability of Apple’s competitive position in PCs There are various ways in which Apple could sustain its competitive position in PCs. For any product to have a strong brand, it must be a market leader in its category for decades although it is vulnerable and susceptible to poor brand management. Brand positioning entails the basic concepts, target market, nature of competition, over and above, the points of similarity and those of differences. In terms of the basic concept, the Apple’s TV has integration of an advanced technology especially with the shift towards a digital hub strategy with a continuous line of products. Its target market has always been global, a situation that has enabled it to thrive in the fastest way possible, thus enabling the new products to have the best reception in the market. Additionally, there are only few competitors in the market raising the potential of the company. According to D OGrady, 2009, there are similarities with other companies like Acer, but its’ different aspects allows it to have an upper hand in the market. Accessing the Competitive Position of Apple In Smartphone Apple has the highest competitive position in the smart phone because software applications for the smart phones were first found with the Apple store, and have been around for years now. The applications were easy to distribute, access, and download onto the mobile phones. Through the help of Apple, it was easier to reach potential customers. In duration of 18 months, a total of four billion applications had been downloaded by iPhone and iPod Touch users worldwide. It was a good business for the Apple company as it held the best position in terms of profit for thesmart phone companies in the world (D OGrady, 2009). Prospects of Apple’s TV, Action towards Increasing Brand Awareness and Image There is a tendency of people sticking to one brand especially when it has products that are good in the market. Apple had already established itself in the market globally since 1980, hence it is well known a brand especially on software and mobile phones. In light of this, the Apple‘s TV will not have difficulties in joining the market as it would be for any other TV product that does not have an existing brand. Needless to say, most of the prospects of the Apple TV are of customers who have previously used products from the Apple Brand. Never the less, there might be new prospects who need to be won over through brand awareness, and image. Therefore, it is important that Apple company improves it brand image by ensuring that its products sale sold in the most professional way with the best segment combination. Apple should be able to communicate the uniqueness of the TV in a manner that is simple, crisp and vibrant. Of important to note is that, marketing is crucial to the sale of such products and should be done in a professional way. Marketing strategies such as the use of social media should be incorporated to persuade and gain more prospects (D OGrady, 2009). References: D OGrady, J. (2009).Apple Inc.Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press. Read More