Ipad’s Integrated Marketing Communications Report

Table of Contents Introduction1 apples corporate merchandise Communications Programme for iPad. 2 Brand post2 manoeuvre Audience3 Target grocery store and segments4 Evaluation of the outputs Integrated Marketing Communications image4 Conclusion7 Recommendations7 Bibliography8 Introduction This make-up pass on discuss orchard apple trees Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) Programme for their iPad reaping and how this is coordinated to intercommunicate the iPads return positioning strategy. apples iPad is a tablet calculating machine adding a untried genre to their mobile eddys. The report leave discuss the discoloration positioning and any recommendations for future IMC planning. orchard apple trees collective headquarters ar based in California in the US in the heart of the Hi-tech industry. They atomic number 18 global in terms of computer electronic consumable sales. orchard apple tree position themselves as a top of the range betray with pioneering initiations and consumer needs and wishs in mind.Steve Jobs, former co-founder, hot seat and chief executive officer of apple Inc. , do a compelling positioning literary argument during his introduction of the iPad at a conference in January 2010, he verbalize that the iPad is so much more intimate than a laptop, and its so much more capable than a smartphone with its gorgeous screen (STONE, 2010). orchard apple tree is committed to remaining in the forefront of innovation and quality, and therefore will sustain their matched advantage in a rapidly evolving market.This report will in standardised manner highlight the importance of media for apples disgrace and how apple dumbfound officed this to reach its localise reference and development fool sensory faculty. It will also question if apple is focusing on the Marketing Communications Mix or are they relying more on the entrust of the send? The theory behind IMC is to usage completely aspects of merchand ising communication much(prenominal) as Advertising, Public Relations, Direct trade and personalized selling to attain and sustain long-term customer relationships while alter defacement awareness and increasing profits.Apples function and effectiveness of the IMC melt and their success from it will be discussed further in this report on with what message Apple are trying to deliver in their publicise of the iPad. Apples Integrated Marketing Communications Programme for iPad. The Apple brand is right a panache recognisable passim the world due to the telephoners positioning strategy of their mathematical product line by flair of product features, quality and ease of use to name a few. Their lead in innovation gives the brand competitive advantage and this has fed the want and desire for the brand by consumers. consequently the iPad having the Apple brand already created a certain am The Apple brand is instantly recognisable throughout the world due to the go withs p ositioning strategy of their product line by way of product features, quality and ease of use to name a few. Their leadership in innovation gives the brand competitive advantage and this has fed the want and desire for the brand by consumers. Therefore the iPad having the Apple brand already created a certain am Apple is no different to to the highest degree organisations for using promotional and advertise tools to catch customers interest and the desire for their products.However, their marketing on innovation and design of the iPad also catches the attention of new capability consumers. To galore(postnominal) the technology was not in all new, only the concept was and Apple focussed on that. Previous products from Apple put their brand in the limelight and made any new product launch a much anticipated one. amount of reputation, awareness and prominence in the marketplace before it was even launched. So how is Apples Integrated Marketing Communications organised to communi cate the iPads positioning strategy? Firstly, we should look at the brand positioning and how the iPad fits in.Brand Positioning Brands and the management of brands have acquire actually burning(prenominal) elements of culture and the economy. A brand apprize gain the products perceived value and therefore brand management and the marketing techniques utilize are seen as vital to enlarge brand equity and the positioning of their products. Marketers see a brand as an implied promise of the level of quality consumers have come to expect from the brands products and that future products will meet those expectations. Apple is seen as an iconic brand that delivers revolutionary, beautifully designed and incredibly profitable products. (Daye, 2012). The Apple brand is in event Number 1 in brand value according to Forbes, formulation it is worth $87. 1 billion, up 52% from two years agone (Forbes, 2012). The master of the Apple brand was Steve Jobs who was an excellent brand market er and loading to what Apple is today. He saw the future for Apple which was going beyond computers, therefore his archetypal step was to remove the word Computer from their logo. Doing this leave aloneed the company to diversify and puff out into the world of mobile stratagems and more. Doing this allowed the company to diversify and expand into the world of mobile doojiggers and more.Just as the products are genuinely most-valuable for competitiveness, the brand is too, and the Apple brand certainly has succeeded in building up a rattling valuable good an instantly recognizable and universally well-thought-of brand. This makes it easier to promote and sell the iPad. In fact, some brands over time become cult brands consumers become passionate about the brand and levels of loyalty go beyond reason (Roberts, 2004) and Apple has become a cult brand in some respects. As mentioned in Steve Jobs compelling positioning parameter in the introduction, he made two important statem ents about the product.They were that the iPad was betwixt two already highly successful mobile catchs, the laptop and the smartphone, and very importantly that the iPad had competitive advantages over each. Apple brand followers were instantly excited and could not wait for the release of the iPad so they could be the first to have it, whether they needed such a device or not The iPad was a game-changer in the tech world when released in April of 2010 and some conceptualise it may end the personal computer era such is the long suit of the brand. Target AudienceThe iPads target audience is not as gather as one would think, it turns out that it is very broad. The initial thought on the iPad by the media was that it was that a big iPhone that could not be utilize for regular phone calls, so who would want something akin that? Apple believed, bid for the iPod, that the iPad was for everyone. They got this perception when a year after the iPod was released many consumers still believed the device was for techies and celebrities. The task, therefore, was to use communications to inform world audiences that the iPod (and instantly the iPad) was for everyone, not just a select few (Fill, 2009).The fact that many features and programs on the iPad were inherited from the iPod and iPhone it meant that users would be familiar with the devices capabilities and have the advantage of mobile computing too. The iPad had the potential to target music lovers of all ages and denominations, it was a learning tool for both(prenominal) students and professionals with the addition of thousands of applications (apps) available. The variety of apps could attract consumers who love to read, share photographs, stay in touch through forms of email, forums, virtual meetings, social media and Apples Facetime to name a few.This made the iPads audience vast and diverse. Target market and segments Segmentation is necessary because a single product is unlikely to meet the needs of all customers in a mass market (Fill, 2009). This should be the case for most products, barely the iPad is satisfying many needs and desires. For example, due to the variety of applications available, the iPad becomes an educational tool, a recreational tool, a business tool and a communication tool, all of which the iPad was designed for. It is clear the device is equally good for home use as well as business for both genders.But the competitiveness of the product is strengthened by Apples award winning use music store, iTunes, which delivers seamless d professloading of not just music, but books and movies too, which widens the target market and covers several market segments. The need to communicate through channels such as social media, example is Facebook, and websites specifically designed for mobile devices such as iVillage for women, make the iPad a very attractive device as it is stylish, light weight and now trendy to own one.Consumers of all ages and backgrounds can pot entially own one as the price of the base model is relatively acceptable in terms of technical devices is concerned. Because of the potential to increase productivity businesses are scrambling to purchase the iPad, students and colleges want them, and they are seen being used by news broadcasters and presenters not to mention government representatives. Apple do not appear to target markets like other companies do, they tend to target people.They use elements of IMC and AIDA (Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action) to achieve and maintain customer loyalty and increase brand awareness. They managed to present complex technology in an easy, user friendly and mutation way, a key to their success in many markets. Evaluation of the products Integrated Marketing Communications plan Apple continued on the successes of old products when launching their iPad product, using images and reminders of what those previous products have done for the world. Their marketing communications for the iPad very much focused on what the company has done and what they are best at.In the keynote presentation of the iPad, the company reminded us that in October 2001, Apple revolutionised the way people listen to music with the iPod, in April 2003 Apple revolutionised the way people buy music, videos and games with iTunes. In October 2007, they revolutionised the world of mobile communications with the iPhone, and now with the iPad, Apple will revolutionise the world again. Steve Jobs enthusiastic description of the device during his Keynote in January 2010 makes the psyche user feel that it was made for them, that they will hold the internet in their hands and it is an incredible experience. Steve Jobs on many occasions has stated that he loves Apple products and their customers. This instals in the customer back down Apple has invested in. The company internally is well briefed on how Apple wants to be perceived, again this shows in how secrecy shrouds products prior to their l aunch. Their communication mix is very much audience focused and always consistent. The message for iPad is clear, it is a device for the individual who could personalise it and bring it anywhere. Apples marketing objectives were quite simple for the iPad.Their antenna has always been the same, but different to other organisations, their introduction was somewhat big due to the fact that products prior to launch were always successfully unbroken a secret. This made Apple brand fans excited and other consumers intrigued. Apples marketing strategy is Its better to be simple and it shows in their marketing communications as they keep their advertising minimalistic and product information in simple language. The main forms they use are social media, online advertising, presentation keynotes and sometimes viral marketingEither way, the message is clear and simple the product is exciting, merriment and easy to use. This is unusual, as traditionally, technical products were always desc ribed by their systems statistics and technical terminology which the average consumer does not understand. Brand awareness is change magnitude because of the hype. The communication mix or marketing mix involves the implementation of a marketing plan consisting of i) Promotion, ii) Product, iii) Price and iv) Place. The Apple brand is an incredibly substantial brand hence Promotion is mentioned first.Apple, surprisingly, do not spend as much on advertising as one would think. Media such as television and magazines are their main choice but what Apple did and did best were product launch press releases. As mentioned before, keynote presentations were what Apples former CEO was extraordinary at. And people who mattered most to promote and place the new product in the media through public relations press releases, were present at these presentations. Secrecy of a product generated interest and added to that the Apple brand which created hype, resulted in enthusiastic anticipation of the iPad launch.Commercials were simplistic but visually pleasing and this heighten the beauty and simplicity of the design and features of the iPad, exactly what Steve Jobs himself loved about Apple products. This is also mirrored in their shop designs featuring simple but innovative look just displaying the Apple products promoting their features. More recently, the iPad has been placed in most good computer electronic stores around the world and of course Apples own e-commerce website. It is now as easy to purchase the iPad as it is to buy shoes.The iPad, like other Apple products, is designed and manufactured to the highest standards as always retained by the former CEO Steve Jobs. The Product is probably Apples most important P in the communication mix as they believe they have the most a product can offer. Apple is committed to rescue the best personal computing experience to students, educators, creative professionals and consumers around the world through its innovative hardware, software and Internet offerings. (Apple, 2004). The products and the brand will weight-lift the other Ps of the mix for Apple.Price was not as important for Apple as their products. With their iPad they have competitive advantage with innovation, they also have escort with materials, such as touch screens and flash memory to keep cost down over their competitors. intimately electronic goods prices generally fall as the product nears the end of its PLC, (Product Life Cycle). Not so much with Apple products. Apple manages to get people hooked on their products from an early age. The iPad, like other Apple mobile devices, are very easy and fun to use and have the capability of adapting to the user by means of applications and personalisation.Therefore, as the user grows older the device can contain more matured applications. For example, games and early learning apps can entertain children while music and movies are a must for adolescences, and productivity and news may be important for adults. Today we cannot live without social networking and weather information This is a very clever way of reaching a varied target audience that is not confined to gender, demographics, interests, or even age and Apple use apps to promote the iPad.The effectiveness of the IMC campaign is hard to measure for the iPad as an individual Apple product, as much of the interest is down to the loyalty of the brand also. Critics will always point to the negatives, but there is without doubt, evidence to show the iPad is a huge success. Promoting the iPad to young users, for example, in schools and colleges and images of celebrities and peers using them means it generates the desire to own one. Apple can also lock the consumer into the brand by linking their products and serves so that they continue to use the brand through life.Conclusion Their advertising and in-store presentation of the iPad gives the product a prestigious image, but the ability to allow the consumer to try it or play with it in their stores shows the confidence the company has for their products capabilities and quality, and that is what consumers ineluctably pick up on. For effective marketing there needs to be effective communication of the information of the product. Apple does it well, but they do it merely and that seems to work. The desire they have generated for the consumer to want a fun and productive device is unquenchable.Apple may not follow all the rules of Integrated Marketing Communications, but they are careful in the planning of a product entryway into the market. Secrecy, hype, presentations and image are key to their success it seems and the Apple brand trunk powerful and resilient. Recommendations Apple as a company must be transparent to remain credible and sustainable in todays business climate. This will also aid in the expansion into emergent markets. The success of the iPad has been a cornerstone for the company roven by sales of some 40 million iPa ds at the end of 2011, according to Forbes, and they expect 73 million in sales by the end of 2012. This can be over confident and risky as they lack new innovation since the iPad 2 launch. To continue growth into 2013 Apples marketing strategy will need to focus on brand positioning, promotion, customer service and estimate a competitive price of iPad with additional features linking to research and digest of the environmental forces to compete in the global market. A continual S. W. O. T. compendium would benefit to understand the companys position.Promotion development and strategies can be extremely effective if Apple continues to focus on its strategic merciful resource management and by making consistent attempts to remodel its marketing plan to continue successfully. Bibliography Apple, 2004. Apple Press Info. Online Available at http//www. apple. com/pr/library/2004/01/08HP-and-Apple-Partner-to-Deliver-Digital-Music-Player-and-iTunes-to-HP-Customers. html Accessed 27th Ma rch 2013. Daye, D. , 2012. Weakness In The Apple Brand?. Online Available at http//www. brandingstrategyinsider. com/2012/12/crunch-time-for-the-apple-brand. html. US860jAqyCl Accessed 28th Feb 2013.Fill, C. , 2009. Marketing Communications. Fifth Edition ed. Harlow Pearson Education Limited. Forbes, 2012. Apple Tops List Of The Worlds Most Powerful Brands. Online Available at http//www. forbes. com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2012/10/02/apple-tops-list-of-the-worlds-most-powerful-brands/ Accessed 24th March 2013. Roberts, K. , 2004. The future day Beyond Brands Lovemarks. New York Powerhouse Books. STONE, B. , 2010. New York Times. Inside Technology. Online Available at http//www. nytimes. com/2010/01/28/technology/companies/28apple. html? _r=0 Accessed 12 Feb 2013.