Digital Marketing Strategy and Planning

SUMMARY:

Among Apple Inc.’s many offerings are smartphones, laptops, tablets, televisions, and even wearable technologies such as smartwatches. Customers of Apple are looking for high-performance items that are both attractive and reliable. Apple Inc. was founded in 1976 as a maker of computer hardware and software. Since then, Apple has expanded its product line to include a variety of electronic products and has built a nationwide network of retail locations to serve its consumers better. Consumers have strong purchasing power in the high-competitive field in which Apple operates. When it comes to creating new goods and setting their prices, Apple bears these considerations in mind. They must constantly innovate and keep up with their rivals in terms of price. With all of their gadgets, Apple provides both the hardware and the software. Their designs are basic, intuitive, integrated, and attractive to the eye [1]. In addition to making and selling fantastic goods, Apple has also been an industry leader in software development and design.

INTRODUCTION:

Several millennia of events and forces have had a significant impact on the global economy. Most of the modern period’s economic revolutions occurred during the 17th and 19th centuries, when the agricultural revolution, industrial revolution and technological revolution were all taking place at the same time. Those firms founded at the beginning of the digital revolution developed swiftly, as did those that were able to keep up with the rapid speed of change in the electronics sector and, therefore, became worldwide economic powerhouses. Apple, the second-largest smartphone manufacturer in the world and the most valuable publicly listed company in the world is now valued at US$530 billion (Booton, 2016). California-based Apple Inc. is a worldwide business specialising in consumer products and software, as well as the Internet (Apple Reports, 2005). Some of the various products it creates include smartphones, media players, tablets, computers, software, and operating systems. Apple I was Wozniak’s first hand-made product when the company was created by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne (Apple History, 2015). An investor, Mike Markkula, joined Apple and contributed US$250,000 to the company’s growth efforts after Wayne sold his portion in the corporation for US$800 (Apple History, 2015). The company’s revenue grew at an exponential rate every four months for the first five years (Apple History, 2015). In 1977 and 1980, Apple improved their computers to compete in the corporate computer market. By year’s end in 1980, Apple’s stock had reached a market value of $22 per share in the United States. A look back at Apple’s history

Our digital marketing and communication aims are as follows:

Marketing’s Purpose:

1. Product:

Stay on top of the latest and greatest products to sell. There is something new and exciting about every Apple gadget, from iPods to iPhones and now iPads.

• Place:

Increase the number of Apple retail locations across the globe. Apple’s online store accounts for the lion’s share of its revenue. Thus, expanding the number of sites is necessary in order to achieve a significant increase in sales.

• Price:

Start and sustain a premium pricing approach while trying to gain market share. Many buyers are willing to pay a premium for things that are at the forefront of technology. To sustain the high pricing, this trade-off must persist.

• Promotion:

The best way to get people excited about new things is to build anticipation and buzz. There’s no better way to increase sales than by making customers eagerly await your next release. The following edition of any outstanding product will always perform well because of the anticipation generated by the prior version’s capability. For example, if you were a fan of the iPhone 11, why wouldn’t you enjoy the iPhone 11-pro max?

Goals in Communication:

1. Skilled salespeople may be expected to provide high-quality goods and services.

2. Using cutting-edge goods and technology, the company strives to provide its clients with the greatest possible experiences.

3. Software development for the company’s internal use as well as for other parties

4. Increase sales through opening new locations, introducing new products, streamlining the production process, and using creative marketing techniques [3].

Marketing strategy for Apple’s digital media

Apple is the gold standard in marketing. Top-tier content marketing agencies, service software and products all stand to gain from Apple’s most effective marketing techniques and tactics.

Below, you’ll find a list of the top seven ways to contact the business:

1. Simplicity:

Only in the context of Apple marketing can you find out where and how to buy their products. As a rule, advertisements are more focused on the product itself than promoting it in any other manner. With only a few simple pictures to express your message, you’ll be well on your way to making your point.

• Promoting a brand’s products:

Apple can afford to have its products appear on television and in films, but it’s okay to start small. Any marketer may use an influencer to promote a product on social media platforms like Instagram or Snapchat. Your product’s seed is sowed when an influencer demonstrates the product’s value to their followers.

• Visual imagery is a kind of creative expression.

People are constantly inundated with text in today’s content-rich environment. As a result, video has grown in popularity. Fewer words and more graphics may have a stronger influence on the customer’s perception of the product or service. “Special Event,” as usual, and to mark the occasion, the brand unleashed a logo extravaganza. Bezel-less iPad Pro and upgraded MacBooks are scheduled to be unveiled on October 30th during Apple’s presentation in Cupertino, California.

In fact, Apple aired advertisements with just 10 words since they know that consumers and prospects don’t care about the words, especially if they’re too many. Using images that create a strong emotional reaction from the audience improves the effectiveness of marketing initiatives.

• Unmatched value offer.

One of Apple’s main marketing strategies is to avoid getting engaged in competitive pricing. Even if their prices are far higher than those of their competitors, they keep to them. They’re able to achieve this because they’re emphasising their only value proposition – gorgeous items that are ready to use right out of the box [4].

Some amazing features and applications place Apple’s products in a whole new product category. The greater the price, the more likely the client is to believe it’s worth it. Any product or service may be marketed using this technique of reasoning. In order to stand out from your competitors, you need to concentrate on what makes you distinct.

• Making a statement.

Customers need to see your core values in action before they can feel comfortable acquiring and using your products. Displaying the merchandise isn’t the only purpose of this space. Additionally to its packaging, presentation in the shop, and marketing materials, the product has to stand out. These ideas must be repeated throughout all media. When your audience knows they can rely on your brand to deliver on its promises because of consistent messaging, they are more likely to trust your brand. All of your marketing activities must be scrutinised if you want a uniform look and feel.

• Develop a marketing strategy that incorporates experiential elements.

Anybody may make a product, but only a select few can provide a memorable and enticing consumer experience that keeps them coming back for more. Apple pioneered the concept of consumer experiences, from product introductions that feel like attending a rock concert to movie-style commercials to storefronts and online shops that alter the shopping experience.

• Keep your eye on the prize.

Because Apple has spent so much time getting to know its consumers, they are able to communicate with them on a personal level, which leads to increased sales [5]. Apple has discovered a method to contact people on a new level by eliminating phrases and explanations that only serve to confound and overwhelm them. Use the words and phrases your customers use to describe your product or service in a way that resonates with them based on what you’ve learned about them and how they use social media.

Tactical blend of digital marketing

Marketing communication mix highlights Apple’s approach to various aspects of the mix, such as print and media advertising, sales promotions, events and experiences, public relations, direct marketing and personal selling[7].[8] [9] The primary goal of Apple’s marketing communications mix is to transmit the brand’s message to the target audience using the aspects described above. [8][6] Apple is adept at integrating many aspects of the marketing communication mix in order to guarantee that the marketing message is consistent.                                                                               

  The IT giant employs product placement marketing on a daily basis, and it works really well for them. Gossip Girls, Mission: Impossible, 24, The Social Network, Toy Story 3, Tron, Legacy, and others have all included Apple product placement. In movies and TV programmes, only good people may use Apple’s iPhones, according to a report from the iPhone manufacturer. [1] One of the most essential aspects of Apple’s media advertising is the good press coverage that the company receives as a result of its products. As a result of the little or no cost to the organisation, this method is very effective.

• To avoid price wars, follow these simple guidelines:

Many entrepreneurs believe that they must compete on price. This is a misconception. There is nothing more incorrect than this statement. Competing just on pricing might really harm your company’s performance. In light of this, Apple’s price policy has never changed. A “race to the bottom” occurs when prices are slashed, and businesses compete on pricing. Job boards for freelancers might be weird places to get work. For certain websites, a blog post might cost as little as $10. With ever-smaller packaging, Apple concentrates on its UVP (unique value proposition), which is a stunning design that functions straight out of the box. A marketing technique that attracts a lot of attention on social media and is a huge benefit for Apple in terms of market share is what this is all about. As far as Apple is concerned, PCs aren’t a threat. Rather than focusing on a single feature, Apple concentrates on the product as a whole, and it’s evident. For the most part, Apple’s higher-priced products are based on top-notch features and specs.

 For example, take a page out of Apple’s book and provide a range of goods and services at various pricing ranges. Larger displays and other upgraded capabilities are available on Apple’s MacBook laptop range, but they come at a greater cost.

 Apple has a retail shop design that resembles a showroom, making it the Rolls Royce of technological items. Because they know they’ll receive their money’s worth, their consumers are more than eager to pay the premium.

• Keeping Your Products and Your Marketing on the Same Page Simple:

In the electronics market, Apple is aware of the fact that certain consumers may feel overwhelmed from time to time. The same is true for a slew of other fields and professions. Marketing mix overload may lead to misunderstanding.

Apple simplifies their website and sales material so that buyers may better comprehend their goods. In order to avoid industry-specific jargon, they do not use it. In order to keep customers happy, you need to employ these simple yet effective words often. One of their many content marketing capabilities is the use of high-tech without the use of high-tech terms. For the sake of simplicity, Apple’s customers have embraced it, giving them an unrivalled degree of devotion and domination in the marketplace. The objects themselves are designed with simple colour schemes and clean, minimalistic designs. In addition, the “app store,” which has been a major success for third-party partners, is included.

1. Addressing their audience with an awareness of their needs:

It’s not as if Apple withholds any information about a product’s specifications or technological specifications. These references appear on every single product page on Apple’s website.

Nevertheless, it was buried below the fold. To get to the features and advantages of a product, visitors to Apple’s website must first scroll through eye-catching product photos and large-font plain language.

Words like megabytes and gigahertz will be unfamiliar to Apple buyers in the beginning. They use language they are familiar with:

•  From one end of the glass to the other
•  Display in the retina
•  Backlighting using LEDs

Because Apple knows its customers so well, it has amassed a substantial market share. As a result, they know how to connect with them in a manner that does not overwhelm or confuse them.

The items themselves are part of a marketing strategy that displays their connection to Apple’s consumers’ real-world lives. They’re a big deal. As an illustration:

• In addition to being a music player and storage device, the iPod allowed users to carry hours of music in their pockets at any one time.
• A computer isn’t enough; it should improve the experience of using one.
• An Apple computer’s power was packed into a phone form factor with the introduction of the iPhone.
• Improved Interaction with the Client:

Rather than just selling a product, Apple has built a consumer experience that extends well beyond the actual transaction. A significant portion of their content marketing is now being handled by their target audience instead of them. Everything from the comparison of multiple product versions to testing out things in the store to purchasing the item, getting it, unwrapping (sorry, unpacking) and putting it up is part of the “Apple experience.” It’s not merely a matter of luck that each of these factors is present. Everything was designed to be as pleasing to the eye, ear, touch, taste, smell, and taste buds as possible for the end user. Consider the process of installation. The simplicity with which Apple’s computers may be set up is one of the things that Apple aficionados genuinely admire. To use it, all you have to do is open the box, put in the power cord, and turn the power on. Testing, creating, and improving such designs takes millions of hours at Apple. They do this to ensure that the contents of the box match the appearance of the box itself. For the vast majority of individuals, a visit to an Apple retail shop isn’t a one-time event. The vast majority of consumers who come into an Apple shop end up spending a lot of time there testing out the items and asking questions of the “geniuses” who work there. Buying anything from an Apple retail shop is an enjoyable experience.

Creating the correct “feeling” when you enter the retail shop has been meticulously recreated. It is possible to create a welcoming environment for customers by using natural lighting, monochromatic colour schemes, and thoughtful retail layouts. Even the wide front windows that allow passersby to view everyone inside having a good time are deliberate.

Take a step back and think about your customers’ relationship with your brand from their perspective. Please keep track of the important steps and the locations where they occur [10].

1. Prospects’ Emotions’ Purpose:

In well-known research, Dr. Jonah Berger demonstrated the greater viral potential of information that elicits strong emotional responses in viewers. Happiness, wonder, amusement, and worry are examples of high-arousal emotions.

More people will see and share good material than negative content; therefore, it has a higher viral potential. Negative emotions, on the other hand, elicit a more negative response from users’ brains. These are straightforward approaches to marketing.

Use emotive language in your content wherever it makes sense to do so, much as Apple does. A natural flow is what you’re going for. The use of phrases that elicit strong emotions in the reader is one technique to do this.

1. Assemble a Group of Individuals:

As Apple’s fan following grows, it becomes one of the most ardent in the world. Even if Apple’s ardent devotees may make up a tiny minority of the company’s total customer base, such enthusiasm and passion aren’t common. In contrast to some of its rivals, Apple has developed a brand personality and culture that is cool, entertaining, and welcoming. Creating a sense of belonging is an important part of Apple’s marketing strategy [9]. Their portion of the market demonstrates their success.

Customers feel that Apple knows them and is like them because of the brand’s global self-perception. There is no limit to the number of loyal users and consumers that a brand may attract, no matter how tiny. Creating a community may begin before you even put your first product on the market. In order to develop a robust, dynamic, and engaged community of users, the first and most crucial step is to define your brand values and personality clearly. One of the quickest ways to reach a goal is to follow in the footsteps of people who have already accomplished it. Suppose you want to build a raving fan following and dedicated consumers who will spread the word about your company, go no further than Apple, the App Store, and their retail locations. The goal isn’t to copy Apple’s designs. Instead, learn from what Apple – or any other successful company – does well, and then come up with innovative methods to apply what you’ve learned to your own business [11].

Budget and action plan:

Even if they don’t make money right now, Apple is investing heavily in R&D in hopes of creating items that will. At $2.8 billion in R&D spending in the fourth quarter of 2016, the firm spent approximately $10.5 billion in R&D in 2016. Apple’s yearly R&D spending has increased by $4 billion since 2014, which is a huge rise in comparison to other companies. In light of Apple’s dependence on iPhone income, product innovation and improvement are of the utmost importance. The iPhone is the primary source of revenue for the corporation. For the firm to continue to expand, it has to persuade customers of other platforms to move to iOS, which is becoming more difficult as the number of first-time smartphone buyers falls. One way to achieve this is to be innovative. The company’s R&D expenditures are anticipated to continue to rise as Apple develops new technologies like augmented reality, virtual reality, and self-driving cars.

Metrics and Controls:

When it comes to production and incentive controls, managers have the challenge of determining which metrics to utilise for a company’s control systems. Companies have traditionally used financial indicators like profitability and cash flow to measure their success. Several observers have stated that relying too heavily on a restricted set of financial indicators to manage a company might have unintended effects despite the importance of such data. It’s not uncommon for managers to take short-term steps in an effort to enhance present financial performance at the price of long-term profitability and profitability. For example, a lack of investment in equipment and goods may have a considerable negative impact on the company in the long run [11]. The balanced scorecard may be used as a solution to this issue. Using a variety of financial and operational data, the balanced scorecard was designed by Robert Kaplan and David Norton to help managers keep tabs on their organization’s progress and make better decisions from now on. Management should use metrics from the customer perspective, the operational perspective and the innovation perspective, as well as traditional financial measures, in order to get a complete picture of an organisation. If a company’s strategy, the nature of its production process, and the industry it is operating in are all taken into consideration, the metrics used to measure each of these viewpoints will be different. Wal-Mart, Costco, and other retail chains utilise operational measurements that are distinct from those used by Microsoft or General Motors.

The figure, which highlights some of the measurements for a balanced scorecard used by a high-tech medical equipment firm that the author advised, provides examples of metrics managers may utilise. After-sale service and support were two ways in which this firm sought an advantage over its rivals since many of them operated with huge backlogs and were unable to meet demand promptly. The time it takes to get an order from start to finish, as well as the time it takes to resolve customer care issues, are what matter most to customers. The company’s operational goal was to be a high-quality medical equipment maker while also being cost-effective, therefore management used a variety of operational measures, such as unit costs, inventory turnover, and production fault rates, to measure progress. A key factor in the company’s long-term success, from an innovation standpoint, was its location in a continuously evolving sector [11].

 If you’re interested in Apple, here is where you’ll find all the information you need about the company.

1. An increase in income of 16 percent:

Apple’s services division generated $11.5 billion in revenue in fiscal Q2, a year-over-year rise of 16 percent. Apple’s second-biggest division, services, had a 17 percent drop in revenue over the same period, but this was still a significant boost for the company. As a consequence, double-digit growth in the segment has a significant influence on the company’s financial performance.

• A total of 390 million paying customers:

App Store subscriptions to Apple’s services and third-party subscriptions to services offered in the App Store continue to fuel the company’s services business. Too far, there have been more than three hundred and ninety million paid subscribers [13] during the second quarter of fiscal 2019.

• Gross profit margin: 63.8 percent.

As a result of the greater gross profit margins than the products division, Apple’s services division has the greatest gross profit margins of any component of the corporation. In the fiscal year, the company’s services segment had a gross profit margin of 63.8 percent.

CONCLUSION:

The most intriguing thing about Apple, in our opinion, is how forward-thinking and inventive they are. A new product line is almost always the first to be released by Apple. This is a hazardous move but one that seems to be paying off for Apple. This illustrates that risk-taking can pay off, and Apple has a lot of room for improvement. Because of its treatment of employees as a resource, Apple is serving as a cautionary tale for other multinational corporations (TNCs).

A lengthy history of innovation may be traced back to the founding of Apple Inc. It has also made significant progress in the long run, as seen by its steady expansion. The quick and successful growth may be attributed to a variety of approaches. As a result, the corporation cannot ignore the cultural influences on the organization’s strategy. In order to keep its top spot in the computer sector, however, it will need to use the most effective techniques possible. As a result, Apple Inc. will be able to stay up with the market and achieve long-term growth.

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