How Apple is using the impact People to achieve marketing success.
Best images that demonstrate Apple’s effective use of the extended marketing mix.
Apple marketing mix involves the strategies and tactics pertaining to the implementation of a marketing plan. Also, the extended marketing mix indicates how the company matches its business activities to the conditions of the global market for information technology, consumer electronics, and online services. Here is presented a series of images that demonstrate how the company use effectively the extended marketing mix
1. Products
.
Image 1. This picture shows how Apple has been launching from 2007 to 2019 a wide range of mobiles phones. From the iPhone first generation to the iPhone X, the company have been developing it using new and disruptive technology. Bankmycell (2019)
2. Place
Image 2. This picture shows one of the Apple stores in Garden Plaza, New Jersey. Delivery Strategy and Customer-Focussed thinking are the pillars of their architecture designs. Apple (USA), 2019
3. Promotion
Image 3. This Polish’s billboard shows the advertisement for the first iPhone 3G. Apple store chooses different channels to promote their products around the world. Artistudentblog (2014)
4. Price
Image 4. Many people think that iPhone X is slightly better than the previous version, but there is a huge difference in their prices. Gilbert (2019)
5. People
Image 5. Apple’s employees or the staff are a key factor to achieve the aim of the company, which is to create value for the customers. On the other hand, to increase employee job satisfaction is critical for the business. Hauk, (2019)
6. Physical evidence
Image 6. The Apple products are beautifully photographed on their package and also in use. Keena (2017)
7. Process
Image 7. Each customer can choose the best way to get supported. That support can be in person at an Apple retail store or through online services.
An overview of one element of Apple's extended marketing mix.
How Apple is using the impact People to achieve marketing success.
Attracting and retaining customers can be a difficult task for every company. Frequently customers do not judge values or costs accurately. They buy from the firm that offers them the highest customer-perceived-value. Apple knows this very well. From the very beginning, the tale of Apple is a tale of dazzling creativity and customer-driven innovation. As a consequence, the company focused heavily on bringing value and satisfaction to customers and building lasting customer relationships to retain their loyalty. Apple achieve these goals by focusing on developing continually new products quality and services that bring a high customer satisfaction rate for its products. (Kotler, 2009) Clay Christensen addresses: “My simple proposal is to think of Apple (and actually any company) as a customer creator. It creates and maintains customers. The more it creates, the more it prospers. The more customers it preserves the more it’s likely to persevere. This measure of performance for a company is not easy to obtain. It’s not a line item in any financial report.” (Dediu, 2016)
On the other hand, Apple has owned retail stores. By doing that the company owns its own retail experiences. Apple’s staff get the chance to create direct conversations with their potential customers making sure that every client has a magical and memorable experience, whether or not they make a purchase.This helps the company’s staff to find out more accurately the current needs of their customers and forecast future need and how their products can help them to solve current and future problems. (Anh, L. Quang, T. and Thang N., n.d.)
Likewise, the brand adapts its marketing strategy over time to show its evolution to meet market forces. The company established centres of leadership and educational excellence called Apple Distinguished Schools that demonstrate Apple's vision for learning with technology usingiPad, Mac, apps, Multi-Touch books and other digital materials to create powerful learning experiences. (Apple, 2019) The company offers a series of training delivery programs of certification for professional creators and IT experts from business, educational and other fields as well as courses in multimedia, which are based on the use of Apple tools and encompass a broader spectrum of knowledge in this field. (Apple, 2019)
Regarding their employees, Deirdre O’Brienaddresses that: ‘It takes a diverse team of talented individuals to do extraordinary work. That’s why Apple welcomes everyone for who you are and who you wants to become’ (Apple, 2019).The company’s ability to continue creating the world’s innovative products will depend on people who represent the variety of the human experience and who inspire the company with great thinking. (Apple, 2019) To achieve this purpose, the company uses some core elements to train its retail staff. They use the Genius Training Workbookto understand customers and making them happy. The entire volume is dedicated to emphasizing, consoling, cheering up, and correcting various Genius Bar confrontations. Their staff are trained in which words they are allowed to use or not when delivering customer services, as also, lessons on how to identify and capitalize on human emotions. (Biddle, 2012)
When it comes to training staff how to sell, before Apple’s staff make it out onto the sales floor to interact with customers, they are all screened and trained with a great deal of scrutiny. ‘The biggest determining factor for being hired though is how much of an Apple evangelist they are and how well they fit into the team.’ (Humayun, 2016) Further, the companyfollows the A.P.P.L.E. acronym letter-for-letter which describe their sales approach.
· A - Approach customers with a personalized, warm welcome.
· P - Probe politely to understand all the customer's needs.
· P - Present a solution for the customer to take home today.
· L - Listen for and resolve any issues or concerns.
· E - End with a fond farewell and an invitation to return.
Apple instructs its staff to handle "difficult" customers by encouraging their staff to put themselves in the customer's shoes and be empathetic towards them. Apple staff are taught to employ the "Three F's," which are: Feel-Felt-Found. (Humayun, 2016)
Conclusion
Building lasting customer relationships to create superior customer value and satisfaction is one of the main features thatmakes Apple stand out from the crowd.Apple’s employees have one job: to help customers to find the product that is right for them, even if it’s not an Apple product. All those things create value beyond the transaction and make Satisfied customers that more likely will be loyal customers and give the company a larger share of their business.
Reference list -Images
Image 1
Gadgets 360. (2019) ‘Apple iPhone Summary’ in Gadgets 360[online] Available at:
[Accessed 20 September 2019]
Image 2
Apple store. (n.d) ‘Apple Garden State Plaza’ in Apple.com[online] Available at:
[Accessed 18 September 2019]
Image 3
Artistudentblog. (2014) ‘Creating ideas for a poster/billboard advertisement’ in Artistudentblog[online] Available at:
https://hlevablog.wordpress.com/tag/iphone/
[Accessed 28 September 2019]
Image 4
Gilbert, B. (2019) ‘Apple just tricked everyone into thinking the new iPhone costs $300 less than last year iPhone – it doesn’t’ in Business Insider [Online] Available at:
https://www.businessinsider.com/iphone-11-replaces-iphone-xr-not-iphone-xs-2019-9?r=US&IR=T[Accessed 20 September 2019]
Image 5
Hauk, C. (2012) ‘Apple Retail Store Staff Set to Gain Raises of Up to 25%’ in Mactrast [Online] Available at:
https://www.mactrast.com/2012/06/apple-retail-store-staff-set-gain-raises-up-25/
[Accessed 20 September 2019]
Image 6
Keena, C. (2017) ‘Apple records global sales of €119bn in Ireland’ in The Irish Time[Online] Available at:
https://www.irishtimes.com/business/technology/apple-records-global-sales-of-119bn-in-ireland-1.3283066[Accessed 01 October 2019]
Image 7
Truta, F. (2014) ‘Apple customer can pay to chat with support for out of warranty’ in Mac Soft Pedia [Online] Available at:
[Accessed 24 September 2019]
Bibliography
Apple, (2019) ‘Apple Distinguished Schools’ Apple Education [online]. Available at:
https://www.apple.com/uk/education/apple-distinguished-schools/[Accessed 04 October 2019]
Apple (2019) ‘A master class in the art of training others.’ Apple Training [online] Available at:https://training.apple.com/us/en/programs[Accessed 04 October 2019]
Apple (2019) ‘Join a worldwide company that reflects the whole wide world’ Jobs at Apple [online] Available at: https://www.apple.com/jobs/us/about.html[Accessed 04 October 2019]
Armstrong, G. and Kotler, F. (2009) ‘Marketing an Introduction.’New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Anh, L. Quang, T. and Thang N. (n.d.) ‘Customer Relationship Marketing: Apple vs Samsung’ [online]. Available at: https://htqvn.wordpress.com[Accessed 25 September 2019]
Biddle, S. (2012) ‘How To Be a Genius: This Is Apple's Secret Employee Training Manual’ Gizmodo [online]Available at:https://www.gizmodo.co.uk/2012/08/how-to-be-a-genius-this-is-apples-secret-employee-training-manual/[Accessed 04 October 2019]
Dediu, H. (2016) ‘The Next 40’ Asymco[online]. Available at: http://www.asymco.com/2016/03/28/the-next-40/[Accessed 04 October 2019]
Humayun, K (2010) ‘The Apple Store Guide to Insanely Great Customer Service’ Shopy Blogs [online]. Available at: https://www.shopify.co.uk/retail/119535811-the-apple-store-guide-to-insanely-great-customer-service[Accessed 04 October 2019]
Harvard Business Review (2011) ‘Retail isn’t Broken. Stores are. ’Harvard Business Review’ [online]. Available at: https://hbr.org/2011/12/retail-isnt-broken-stores-are[Accessed 04 October 2019]
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