I believe Apple Inc. is more marketing oriented company than product oriented or sales oriented company

by sarunas (student)

Unit 4: Marketing Principles

Sarunas Greinis(30165849)

Apple Inc.

Apple first appeared in 1976 after they released their first product Apple I. Company was found by Steve Jobs and Stephen Wozniak. Apple is a company that designs computer software, mobile phones, and personal computers for educators, professionals and customers around the world. In 1996 Apple failed to keep company profitable and was 90 days from bankruptcy before Steve Jobs returned in the business and took position as CEO, and brought the company back to profitability. Today Apple Inc. is the largest company in the world with its stock value reaching $500 billion.

Apple is known as company which have a huge reputation among the consumers. This is because of their high quality products produced in recent years. In 2011`Apple announced pre-orders of its iPhone 4S have topped one million in a single day` (Apple, 2012), that shows that company has a superior product which meets customer needs, satisfactions and the price of the market. What makes Apple so good? In 2007 Apple introduced their first revolutionary phone called iPhone. It was not just a phone, Apple have done brilliant research and developed a device that makes people`s life easier. `By spotting an opportunity and getting into the market first, Apple gained and early and significant lead` (Business study Guide, 2011).

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One of the benefits is their loyal customers. Apple is one of the companies that want to build long-term customer relationship by keeping their eyes on their consumers at all times. In Tokyo 2012 `a crowd of over seven hundred people gathered outside the store from early morning on the first day of sales in Japan for Apple's iPhone 5`, which shows customers loyalty to the company (Daily News, 2012). However there are many other ways Apple`s tries to build up their customer loyalty. `By selling its products to schools and universities, Apple turns classrooms into showrooms. If students go through school using Apple products, they become comfortable with the interface and familiar with the superior performance the brand offers. By creating this early exposure, Apple captures customers before they even know that they are customers` (Insidecrm, 2008).

Recently Apple spent $500 million on Israeli flash-chip outfit Anobit. Company thinks flash chips should be helpful to improve IPad, IPod, IPhone and Apple’s MacBook Air lines. However despite their successful growth in recent years, market is getting tough for Apple because of the rising competitors like Nokia, Samsung who have introduced their new products. Company sales have fallen down in recent months. Although the stock value has fallen down in recent months, Apple still has reserves of around 100 billion cash with no debt.

I believe Apple Inc. is more marketing oriented company than product oriented or sales oriented company. Apple statement is to bring out the best quality personal computing system with its innovative hardware, software to ensure their customers always have today’s technology products available. Their market strategies allow them to respond rapidly to market and customer wants. Apple spends a lot of time by monitoring their markets, so they could figure out what customer wants and adjust their marketing mix.

References

Apple Inc. (2012). 4S Pre-Orders Top One Million in First 24 Hours. Available: http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2011/10/10iPhone-4S-Pre-Orders-Top-One-Million-in-First-24-Hours.html. Last accessed 20th Oct 2012.
Business study Guide. (2011). Marketing Principles. In: Business study Guide. Great Britain: Henry Ling Limited. p498.
By Inside CRM Editors. (2008). 11 Effective Strategies Apple Uses to Create Loyal Customers. Available: http://www.insidecrm.com/features/strategies-apple-loyal-customers/. Last accessed 20th Oct 2012.
Yuriko Nakao. (2012). iPhone 5 launch draws Apple fans worldwide. Available: http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/Default.aspx?pageID=429&GalleryID=893. Last accessed 20th Oct 2012.