Blog 11: Services and Nonprofit Organization Marketing

Apple Inc. offer a wide variety of services. Each differs and caters to every consumer's specific needs.
Apple's Genius bar a tech station where a special trained support team help the customers with hardware or software problems.

In every Apple store their products are set in a way that as you enter you can find what you want quickly without going through a hassle searching for it

Apple is apart of a large organization name Product Red where they raise money by creating products that feature the Product (RED) brand on it.

Apple's (RED) products

Blog 10: Product Concepts

As it relates to product concepts and apple, the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus may be classified as a specialized product due to the fact that consumer will have a to relatively spend a bit more to get it. Also to go out of their way to get it and will accept no substitute. The factor of lifestyle is important too because there is a wide selection of simpler inexpensive phone to choose from.

Singer Chris Brown with customized gold iPhone 6

Blog 9: Personal Selling and Sale Management

In every apple retail store you go into there there associate there that are trying to sell you the

products. They may not be aggressive  with their technique but after a brief conversation with them they'll make to consider to buy what was being talked about or any of the Apple products. The associates are properly trained therefore they're highly competent in customer service and knowledge of the products.

For sales management Apple 

 

Blog 8: Advertising, Public Relations and Sales Promotion

Apple does its advertisement through various channels. As of late the most popular one is the use of social media, Facebook and YouTube being the two favorable.

 Apple also have TV advertisements.

Various retailers and since recently banks are advertising Apple's products and services. This is called a cooperative advertisement.

As with regards to public relations where you don't have to pay for the spread of information about the company or any of the products and service. PR can also be used to address any ongoing issues with the company. An example of this was when iPhone 4 users where having their calls dropped because of where the antenna was located. Apple used the social media to address the problem. Sine recently with the new iPhones, they were reports that the phone can be easily bent and the new operating system, iOS 8 was giving aot of trouble. Apple address the issue with the same manner.

Released statement from Apple regarding the bending issue.

Blog 7: Marketing Channels and Retailing

Apple has multiple means and ways to properly market their products advertising through various channels is one way.
Apple has their own retail stores which by the way leaves you in awe with its exquisite presentation, it is a destination store where only they can provide specifics and certain services other retailers does not offer. The company also distributes their products via retailers such as best buy and major cell phone providers.

Also Apple uses the exclusivity technique or distribution; composing only one or few dealers within a given area. When Apple first introduced the iphones it was only available for purchase at AT&T only. They had exclusive arrangements only with that phone company. The issues with this strategy is that the phones were restricted only to AT&T customers and if you wanted to have one, one would have to join the company under contract which may be costly because then you would have to terminate the current contract with other companies and it usually comes with a fee.

Now Apple uses the selective distribution strategy block dealers and retailers to eliminate all but few in any single area.

Blog 6: Consumer Decision Making

Recognized steps used when consumers are in the process of attaining a new good or service. This is entirely based on the consumer attitude towards the, whether it might be personal preference or the simply the importance of it. It can also be the consumer's lifestyle; economical factors and finally the influence of society, how or what society thinks of that product. 

With Apple, the behavior of current and potential consumers increases as year they have a wider range of products to choose from. Regarding the iPhones, there are mutitples devices, the 4,4s,5,5c,5s,6 and 6plus so this heavily influences the decision making process.

 Firstly the consumers figure out if they want a new phone or not and if they do have one what is the problem with it. 

The consumers then research which one of  the iPhones they want, in other terms one which best suits them. On the iPhones one usually research on the specifications (cameras, screen size, battery life etc.)

Often times than less  the usual alternatives the consumers reach out for are the android powered smartphones, Samsung to be more specific. 

After all that consumers finally decided to buy the iPhone, disregarding any alternatives. However, an alternatives may still be purchased if it fits the criteria of the consumers. 

The phones are then by trading it in for a later version when availabe

Blog 5: Developing A Global Vision

In an effort to expand within the global market, Apple is placing its flagship stores in many different locations across the world. According to Wikipedia it states that "with global sales of US$16 billion in merchandise in 2011, Apple leads the United States retail market in terms of sales per unit area. As of April 2014, Apple has 424 retail stores in 16 countries and an online store available in 39 countries."

World: 435 stores in 16 countries (257 US/178 elsewhere) United States: 257 United Kingdom: 37 Canada: 29 Australia: 21 France: 17 Italy: 14 Germany: 14 China: 12 Spain: 11 Japan: 8 Switzerland: 4 Hong Kong (SAR of China): 3 Sweden: 3 Netherlands: 3 Brazil: 1 Turkey: 1

Apple uses the strategy of one product, one message strategy to market its products to diverse audiences. This is a way of promoting the product for all markets the same way, with the same message.