Apple and Marketing Positioning Essay Example

style="text-align: justify">Jackson (2007) argues that in many cases organisations forget the market positioning stage of the marketing plan process and confuse market segmentation with market positioning. Apple has not done this. Apple very effectively position its laptop computers within the market. Apple actually attacks the category they are in- in this case the laptop computer market. Apple has positioned themselves as being so different than other PCs that they should be in their own separate category. When Apple attacks their competition, they attack the whole category which is quite rare in marketing. Usually smaller brands single out the leader and attack them, not one brand positioning themselves against the whole category.

For Apple to effectively position its laptop computers in the market it must formulate an effective marketing mix. The marketing mix is defined by Kotler et al (2008, p.106) as “the set of controllable marketing variables that the company blends to produce the response it wants in the target market.” The marketing mix comprises of the “four P’s”- product, price, promotion and place.

Kotler et al (2008, p.57) define product as a “goods-and-service combination the company offers to a target market”. The satisfaction and value perceieved by the consumer is dependant on whether these attributes are satisfied, or exceeded. To achieve optimal market positioning, all product attributes for Apple’s target market, tangible and intangible, must be recognised in conjunction with their weighted importance. Product attributes considered important by Apple’s target market are seen to be: competitive pricing, range, functionality, information provided, friendly service, quality assurance and added value.

The time necessary to learn about a product or service and to travel

to purchase it, as well as time spent in a store, can be important costs to the consumer. From a consumer’s point of view, price is usually defined as what the consumer must give up to purchase a product or service (Peter & Olson, 1999). In the mean time, price is set to appeal that the quality that the customer will get from the product is worth the money they spend. Apple have a very simple pricing strategy, most laptops in Apple’s product range have only one per category, therefore pricing seems reasonable and is easily identifiable to consumers. The “bigger and better” the laptop the higher the price is.

“Promotions are developed by marketers to communicate information about their products in order to persuade consumers to buy them” (Peter & Olson, 1999). Apple has a simple and consistent promotional message. During 2008, Apple ran a series of TV advertisements whereby Apple attacks the PC in a humorous way, often making fun of the PC's vulnerabilities to viruses, the difficulty of use, and so on. When Microsoft tried to counter the attacks by showing various people saying they are a PC, Apple responded by directly attacking Microsoft's disappointing Vista.

Each and every Apple store no matter where in the world has the same look and feel, consistent with its branding. Apple also distributes its laptop computers through carefully selected third party suppliers, who have strict guidelines on branding and location of their stores. Store atmosphere primarily involves affect in the form of in- store emotional states that consumers may not be fully conscious of when shopping (Peter & Olson, 1999).

It can

be concluded from this essay that Apple’s success in the laptop computer market has been no accident. Through careful marekting planning, creating the right marketing mix and positioning, Apple has become a leading and preferred brand in the laptop computer industry.