Ch. 4 - The Marketing Environment

Apple's target market is not as cut and dry as those of other companies. Apple surely knows that their products are pricey. There must also be a profile typical of the person who buys a Mac or other Apple products. This person probably has a bit of disposable income, is 12-35, also professionals in media and design are drawn to the brand. But Apple also knows that people will sacrifice for a “better” product or luxury product. Apple has historically targeted everyone, or rather, the individual, rather than a whole. I found a great example of this in a Macintosh selling guide from 1984 (picture below). While this may be an old guide, this is in many ways still company strategy. Apple products are for people, for all. This consistent company disposition has served them well to being attuned to changes in environment and the component lifestyles of people today. People today are no longer defined by their professions and Apple would hope to appeal to the individual and their vast array of needs rather than those of simply their profession. Apple particularly appeals, not necessarily to the artist, but they aim to appeal at the creative side of all of us and our individuality.

Macintosh is for people: Most personal computers are aimed at specific segments of the computer market. But Macintosh is different. Because Macintosh is for people.

Bottled Water - One of the Biggest Marketing Schemes Ever!

DO NOT DRINK BOTTLED WATER! DRINK YOUR TAP WATER. GET A FILTER!
AND WATCH "TAPPED" DOCUMENTARY.

Because of class discussion today, I wanted to post of the many reasons why bottled water is a hazard to overall heath of the population and environment.

• 40% of bottled water comes from municipal sources (tap water). Bottled water companies mine municipal sources FOR FREE and basically sell tap water that you could be getting by turning on your faucet back to you.
  
• The effects of producing the plastic bottles this water comes in is immense on communities that are close to these plants as well as the entire public and the environment.
  
• Tap water is VERY well regulated, as municipal water has to adhere to strict government regulations. Bottled water, despite all their advertising that would suggest purity, has no regulations. We just assume because it is packaged and advertised as pure that it is good and even better then tap water, which is absolutely not the case. The lack of imposed regulation and the addition of PET plastic packaging and processing actually makes bottles water less safe than tap water.
  
• "If you eliminate the scourge of bottled water, you'll be eliminating one of the biggest problems facing our environment."
  
• Bottled water may have a place in certain situations, but there are issues around bottled water that make it unsuitable for regular use and those issues need to be emphasized because bottled water is becoming a big contaminant of our environment

The best option is to drink tap water. New York tap water is very safe. If you are still concerned, get a filter and drink filtered tap water. Use a reusable bottle. There are countless reasons why this is better....For the communities which are having their water supply pillaged, for your heath, the health of others, for the environment...

For more extended information I recommend you watch the documentary "Tapped." I've posted a trailer for it, but you can view the whole thing free on Hulu (link for it is below):

http://www.hulu.com/watch/192680/tapped?c=News-and-Information/Documentary-and-Biography

You can also get more info on the Tapped website: http://www.tappedthemovie.com/

Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics

The Greenpeace guide to Greener Electronics ranks the 18 top manufacturers of personal computers, mobile phones, TVs and games consoles according to their policies on toxic chemicals, recycling and climate change.

In this list Apple is in place 9 out of 18, with a score of 4.9 out of a possible 10.
Apple scored very well on the toxic chemicals criteria, such as now being free of PVCs, but they score poorly “for the minimal information it provides about its future toxic chemical phase-out plans” and secrecy.

Greenpeace said in their statement about the company:

Apple is so well-branded it might come as a surprise to some to know that the company historically scored low points on the Guide to Greener Electronics for a lack of transparency and unwillingness to report on its environmental policies. It might be the best branded electronics company, but this doesn’t absolve it of responsibility.

Art Created By Apple Fans for "Green My Apple" Campaign

When the Greenpeace "Green My Apple" Campaign was launched Apple fans were urged to send letters to Steve Jobs and create their own art to help the cause. Here are some of the best ones (well...at least some of the ones I liked best)....

Greenpeace “Green My Apple” Campaign

In 2004 Greenpeace launched a campaign to reduce electronic waste. In 2006 they published a ranking guide to “pressure individual companies to improve policies and practices.” At the time of this publication the company furthest back in the rankings, surprisingly, was Apple. It was then that Greenpeace decided to launch a very different campaign, one that urged Apple fans to demand a greener product. Greenpeace launched the Green My Apple website. When you entered the site the first words were: “We love our Macs. We just wish they came in green.”  

After many messages from Apple fans sending letters, pictures, and art, in May 2007 the announcement of “A Greener Apple” was posted on the front page of the site, with a message from Steve Jobs making a commitment to a greener Apple.

 After the Greenpeace “Green My Apple” campaign, Apple became the first laptop maker in March 2009 to eliminate toxic poly vinyl chloride (PVC) and brominated flame retardants (BFRs). 

Now Greenpeace says: "So far so good. But Apple still has some work to do. At the moment, the company has been very weak on its climate and emissions reductions policies. Although it boldly quit the US Chamber of Commerce in protest of climate-unfriendly lobbying in Congress, the company needs to take real action to become a leader on climate or risk losing out on its green credentials."

“Apple's visibility gives it potential as an environmental leader, something it should embrace or lose out to others. Indeed, Apple's position has been slipping slightly in recent rankings.”

Ch. 3 - Ethics & Social Responsibility

According to Mac|Life Magazine, "In the last five years, Apple made significant strides toward becoming the environmentally friendly company we know now. It's eliminated PVC, arsenic, and BFRs from its product lines, then cut mercury from the iMac's LCDs, just to name a few of its Earth-friendly changes."

Apple definitely has an outstanding corporate socially responsible image. Apple has several pages on their official site dedicated to addressing ethical issues and consumer concerns about their products and company:

• Apple and the Environment: The story behind Apple's environmental footprint (This page takes you through Apple's total footprint, from manufacturing to transportation to product use and recyclability) 
• Apple and the Environment: Designed for energy efficiency
• Apple and the Environment: FAQ
• Apple and the Environment: Measuring performance, one product at a time (This page includes PDFs of reports about environmental performance of Apple products and facilities, supplier responsibility, and others)
• Apple Recycling Program
• Supplier Responsibility at Apple (Highlights Apple's Code of Conduct for companies they do business with, such as manufacturers abroad)
• MacBook Pro: The world's greenest lineup of notebooks

In their Facilities Environmental Report they state:

Apple is committed to protecting the environment, health, and safety of its employees, customers, and the global communities in which it operates. We recognize that by integrating sound environmental, health, and safety (EHS) management practices into all aspects of our business, we can offer technologically innovative products and services while conserving and enhancing resources for future generations. Apple strives for continuous improvements in its environmental, health, and safety management systems and in the environmental quality of its products, processes, and services.

Apple is a well-branded company, seen as 'sleek,' 'clean,' and forward thinking. It is expected that they be an environmentally conscious corporation, and they have made great strides in making that happen.

Motorola Xoom Tablet 2011 Superbowl Commercial Using Apple 1984 Concept

Every Superbowl companies try to bring their 'A' game and air ads that will get them noticed. This year, in an attempt to compete with Apple's iPad and to get attention for their upcoming tablet, Motorola aired an ad with a similar "1984" concept as Apple's 1984 Superbowl ad.

The commercial depicts a sterile, uniform world. A young scruffy guy (wearing the only grey and black in the commercial, which really stands out amongst all the white) gets a pretty girl's attention and gets her to break away from the monotony with art created on is Xoom tablet. In the beginning of the commercial he is casually reading Orwell's "1984." This is not the dystopian world Apple depicted, but it is a world of uniformity – everyone with the same white earbuds in, dressed in the same white hoodies, presumably this is Apple and their sleek, sterile world. Motorola wants to mimic Apple and symbolize empowerment against conformity.

I don't know if the Motorola Xoom tablet will really be competition for the iPad, but nice try!

Vintage Apple Superbowl Commercial

In light of the Superbowl this past weekend, I want to share with you this iconic 1984 Apple Superbowl ad. This ad was one that started the ongoing campaign that set the Apple Macintosh – just known as Mac now – apart. In a sense this was the beginning of the Apple brand and Mac being set into our sub-conscious as superior, bold, nonconformist, and just plain awesome!

In this iconic Mac commercial an Orwellian "1984" world is depicted. A young beautiful woman (wearing the only color in the commercial) represents the coming of the Macintosh computer. She defies the uniformity of the crowd and destroys the image of the tyrant, in this case and time being IBM. At the end of the commercial a voice over says, "On January 24th, Apple computer will introduce Macintosh and you'll see why 1984 won't be like '1984'."

This is widely regarded as one of the most memorable and successful American television commercials of all time.

Ch. 2 - Strategic Planning for Competitive Advantage

Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple, has been an integral part of the company's strategic planning. His, and the company's, marketing plan has been to set themselves apart from other similar products as superior and "cooler." Apple has gained competitive advantage by setting themselves apart from the rest. Theirs is a product competitive advantage.

This can be clearly seen in their "Why You'll Love a Mac" campaign. 

Make the ultimate upgrade. To a Mac.

Why get a new PC and just upgrade your computer, when you can get a Mac and upgrade your entire computer experience?

They go into great detail to describe why the Mac is a superior and unique product, and also better than the competition. They describe how they have better hardware, better software, better operating system, better support, and emphasize the compatibility of their products and how Macs can run Windows and Windows applications.

Apple campaigns have worked great to set them apart. People have come to trust their products and think of them as better for their unique, user friendly, intuitive user experience from products such as the iphone and the ipad. Apple has always done a great job with not only setting themselves apart as a superior product, but also as a "cooler" product as well. The most recent "Get a Mac" and "ipod People Silhouettes," which I will discuss further in later posts are great examples of this.

Apple Inc Mission Statement

According to Apple's Investor Relations FAQ:

Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork, and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and has recently introduced its magical iPad which is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices.

Brief History of Apple Inc

Apple Inc is the largest technology company in the world and second largest company in market capitalization. Apple designs and manufactures computer hardware, software, and other consumer electronics, including the ipod, iphone, and ipad.

Steve jobs and Steve Wozniak were friends and both interested in electronics. Wozniak had been dabbling in computer-design for some time when, in 1976, he designed what would become the Apple I. Jobs, who had an eye for the future, insisted that he and Wozniak try to sell the machine, and on April 1, 1976 Apple computer was born. Apple was established by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne to sell the Apple I personal computer kit. Wayne sold his portion of the company to Jobs and Wozniak early in the history of the company. The company began to really take off in 1977 when the Apple II was introduced, the first personal computer to come in a plastic case and include color graphics. The Apple II was an impressive machine at its time. This set Apple apart from its competitors.

The company has been innovative and set industry standards for personal computers from the beginning. Later with the introduction of PowerBooks they began to set standards for laptop computers. Today with their computers, laptops, and other incredibly successful devices such as the ipod, iphone, and ipad they are a force to be reckoned with. In May 2010 Apple's market cap closed the day at $222.12 billion putting it ahead of rival Microsoft Corp. Shares of Apple reached an all time high of $330.26 during 2011's first regular trading session.

Hello World!

This will be a blog about the art of marketing, with an emphasis on Apple Inc with related articles on the company, marketing, and technology. I look forward to posting.