Thoughts on Apple's Marketing Strategy
Thoughts on
Apple’s Marketing Strategy
Shady Azzam
January 12, 2013
Marketing has long been the subject of exhaustive research in the business world. Over the years valuable insights have contributed to and helped shape its definition. Many have proposed the constituents of marketing, leading to the development of the marketing mix (Kotler et al., 2012). Although the ingredients have been well explained and widely agreed upon, a key element of its definition remains elusive to even the most thorough textbook definitions. It is plain to see that knowing what constitutes marketing is very different than knowing how to create and execute an effective marketing plan, and the latter is a skill that is difficult to articulate and an inherent instinct possessed by few. Everyone can identify effective marketing by its fruits, however few can duplicate it. Such tends to be the case with art, in contrast to science.
It is important to note that the success of a product or service in the market cannot exclusively be attributed to a marketing strategy, as there are several external factors that are beyond the control of a company that can play a deciding role in how its products fair in the marketplace. Such factors include, but are not limited to, the economy, legislation, natural disasters and suppliers. However, fortunately, failure in the marketplace as a result of uncontrollable factors tends to be the exception and not the norm, and in fact a carefully crafted marketing strategy, more often than not, proves instrumental to achieving success, in spite of uncontrollable factors. On that note, a strategy that achieves enormous success, especially in a time of unfavorable external factors, is one that warrants careful study. The focus of this paper is on one of the best examples of a direct correlation between a marketing strategy and enormous success in the marketplace, beating the odds of the Great Recession. The company to have achieved this unparalleled success
Apple’s Marketing Strategy
Shady Azzam
January 12, 2013
Marketing has long been the subject of exhaustive research in the business world. Over the years valuable insights have contributed to and helped shape its definition. Many have proposed the constituents of marketing, leading to the development of the marketing mix (Kotler et al., 2012). Although the ingredients have been well explained and widely agreed upon, a key element of its definition remains elusive to even the most thorough textbook definitions. It is plain to see that knowing what constitutes marketing is very different than knowing how to create and execute an effective marketing plan, and the latter is a skill that is difficult to articulate and an inherent instinct possessed by few. Everyone can identify effective marketing by its fruits, however few can duplicate it. Such tends to be the case with art, in contrast to science.
It is important to note that the success of a product or service in the market cannot exclusively be attributed to a marketing strategy, as there are several external factors that are beyond the control of a company that can play a deciding role in how its products fair in the marketplace. Such factors include, but are not limited to, the economy, legislation, natural disasters and suppliers. However, fortunately, failure in the marketplace as a result of uncontrollable factors tends to be the exception and not the norm, and in fact a carefully crafted marketing strategy, more often than not, proves instrumental to achieving success, in spite of uncontrollable factors. On that note, a strategy that achieves enormous success, especially in a time of unfavorable external factors, is one that warrants careful study. The focus of this paper is on one of the best examples of a direct correlation between a marketing strategy and enormous success in the marketplace, beating the odds of the Great Recession. The company to have achieved this unparalleled success
References: Kotler, Philip and Kevin Lane Keller (2012). A Framework for Marketing Management, 5th ed., Boston: Prentice Hall, ISBN 9780132539302. Sinek, Simon, 2009. The Golden Circle. Start with Why. [Accessed Jan 10 2013]. http://www.startwithwhy.com/About.aspx?n=1