It allows those users who only need the basics to start using it and forces those others who want more to buy any required accessory. A white minimalist box –with the brand value clearly assuming an important commercial role- inside of which every detail has been carefully thought gives the customer the impression that what he/she just bought is something unique which will distinguish its owner from the crowd.Īnd as part of Apple’s strategy, the Apple Watch only includes the basic accessories (watch, power adapter and charging cable, the wristband and instructions manual).
Since the company –as stated in the first assignment- targets a customer willing –and able- to pay more for the Apple’s exclusive design and brand, packaging has to be presented according to this segmentation. Apple benefits then from a high margin product without incurring in additional costs derived from the complex handling from big product diversity with many different detachable features and add-ons.Īn important selling point for Apple is the product presentation and packaging.
The company has a unified product range in which software and hardware works seamlessly and in which only the screen and back materials are different depending on the version. It exploits then personalization, integration, design, ease of use and service as a way to maximize the added value offered to the customer as return for his/her investment. And all these advantages are wrapped in Apple’s customer service.
It is also a product which presents a superior value proposition to the customer based on a total integration of the product with the Apple hardware (iPhone, iPad, Mac computers) and software environment (iOS, iTunes, App Store, etc.), a robust construction made with fine materials, an innovative design that clearly stands out and also adds countless customization possibilities through wristbands matching all styles and tastes. The Apple Watch intends to satisfy the demand for a highly customizable good-looking smartwatch able to enhance the smartphone (in this case the iPhone) capabilities. We will focus here on the 3 additional P’s from Booms & Bitner (1981) which have been very often used to complement the original 4: People, Process and Physical Evidence. They are all interconnected and must work together coordinately with the targeted customer or market in spotlight.Īlthough McCarthy (1964) originally established 4 –Product, Price, Place & Promotion- the concept has been revisited many times by other authors who have enhanced these areas by adding additional ones. All the areas which belong to the marketing-mix are there to be controlled and run in such a way that they achieve a competitive advantage for our company –normally increased revenues through sales growth. Marketing-Mix is a set of tactical and monitoring tools which can be combined and applied in a company in order to arise some wanted reactions within the targeted market. MARKETING MIXĪbbildung in dieser Leseprobe nicht enthalten It is clear then that only by approaching the Apple Watch Marketing-Mix as a whole, in which each part is irreplaceable and subordinated to Apple’s marketing strategy, can be obtained a complete view of the level of efficiency they achieve when exploiting the two Unique Selling Propositions already stated in the conclusions of the first assignment. The interaction among them shows clearly how changes and decisions made, which affect to one specific area of a product’s Marketing-Mix, produce different changes –and up to what extent- in the rest of the elements, demonstrating that they cannot be seen, considered or analyzed separately but as a whole. Therefore once the market for the Apple Watch has already been defined and correspondingly analyzed, the next step will be to review what the different elements of the Apple Watch Marketing-Mix are and how they interact with each other. INTRODUCTIONĪfter setting marketing objectives and marketing strategies, the Marketing-Mix represents the third and last level of planning in the marketing conception. IMAGE 4: Apple logo with “Think Different” slogan 1.
IMAGE 3: Apple Store in Upper West Side, New Yorkģ. IMAGE 2: Apple Watch Sport, Apple Watch & Apple Watch Editionģ.