Assignment #1

Tasks-1

Brand:

I have selected Apple as brand for this assignment. Apple is very famous brand which manufacture
electronic products, computers, mobile and electronic gadgets. Apple is considered as Premium and
high quality brand have association with higher class and associated with higher income level people.
This is the symbol of glamour, luxury which everyone wants to have to everyone not afford it. The
majority of the consumers of apple are either youngsters or wealthier people who are attracted by this
brand to maintain the glamour and reputation by symbolic products from Apple.

Looking at the Maslow hierarchy, Apple is a brand which always sought to achieve self-actualization. We
are ready to pay higher apple charges for their products because we know that the Apple products are,
well designed, used high-tech technology and have all the specs which benefits customer to meet the
level of self an actualization and this is the reason consumer is always ready for the dictated prices and
they became their repeat buyers to maintain the brand association and show their loyalty with Apple
brand.

Task-2:

Target Market: Identify target market of the market. Write a demographic and/0r psychographic
profile of the market in detail.

Apple has segmented and targeted the consumers based on the characteristics, they segmented those
who appreciate design, quality and performance of technologies used in their product and in services
over the demanded prices.

Apple is premium brand which is offering high quality product including advance functions over the high
prices. Apple target the customer of high income, high class and segment comprises of well-off and
settles individuals who are ready to pay the higher prices for the advance technologies, design, functions
and also for the symbol(brand) of apple.

At time of late Steve jobs, apple was majority used single/mono segment and appealing and targeting
the needs and wants of single segment, where after the Steve job, Tim Cook has worked over the
multiple apple products and continuously increasing the ranges of products and shifted the company’s
approach from single segment to multiple segmentation and position

Apple  target segment

Devices: iPhone, Services: iTunes and Operating Accessories:
iPad, Mac, iPod the iTunes Store, system & Apple TV, Apple
Type of
Segmentation criteria Mac App Store, software: iOS, Watch and
segmentation
iCloud, Apple Pay, OSX, iLife, iWork related
accessories
Region US and US and US and US and
international international international international
Geographic
Density Urban Urban Urban Urban
Demographic Age 20 – 45 18 – 30 20 – 35 20 – 45
 Gender Males & Females Males & Females Males & Males &
Females Females
Life-cycle stage Bachelor Stage Bachelor Stage Bachelor Stage Bachelor Stage
       
Newly Married Newly Married Newly Married Newly Married
Couples Couples Couples Couples
       
Full Nest I     Full Nest I
       
Full Nest II     Full Nest II
Income High earners High earners High earners High earners
Occupation Professionals, Students Professionals, Professionals,
managers and   managers and managers
executives Professionals, executives
managers
Degree of loyalty Hard core loyal Hard core loyal Hard core loyal Hard core loyal
       
Switchers Switchers Switchers Switchers
Benefits sought Sense of Speed of service Efficiency Recreation
achievement and
belonging
       
Self-expression Efficiency Speed of service Self-expression
       
Behavioral
Speed of service,    
advanced features  
and capabilities
Personality Determined and Determined and Determined and Determined and
ambitious ambitious ambitious ambitious
User status Non-users, Users Users Non-users,
potential users     potential users
Non-users, Non-users,
potential users potential users
Social class Middle and upper Middle and upper Middle and Upper class
classes classes upper classes
Lifestyle Resigned Aspirer Aspirer Aspirer Explorer
    Succeeder
Psychographic Aspirer Succeeder Explorer Explorer
   
Succeeder  
   
Explorer  

Task-3:
Need Recognition: On the basis of profile, identify and prioritize needs from most relevant to lest
relevant for the target market. At this point refer Maslow’s hierarchy and justify your answer.

As the Apple is premium brand and their basic focus is the high class category which can afford apple,
but as we knew that communication is the basic need to everyone so first, this can attract everyone, but
as we have identified that it has different segment identified for different type of apple products, but in
all the profiles the most common is the segment is the higher earner. The most targeted areas of the
identified profiles are those who are higher earners, are hard core loyals, those who are quality
conscious and determined and ambitious, these are the most targeted areas for the apple which can
easy for them to target. Since it is costly brand and symbol of reputation so majority of their targeted
areas are those who are higher earner who can easily afford are concern of quality of product, loyalty
with brand. Considering the Maslow hierarchy, apple has covered all the five level of hierarchy, it is
targeting the level of segment of self-actualization. This is the level where segment, have achieved all in
his life and have completed all the preceding level and now sitting at the top level where they are self-
sufficient, satisfied with the working, earning high and have importance of quality, are conscious of
brands and more loyal with their personality drives brand.

Task-4:

Brand offering: Refer your earlier research on brand and its marketing strategy, explain which
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs have been positioned?

In layman terms, positioning is nothing but an emotional value that you have towards a brand

Position is simply the emotional attachment with the brand. Apple is always considered as premium
brand and this has targeted mostly those people/segment which are reached to level of self-steam and
self-actualization, so their mostly marketing efforts revolved around these two levels.
Apple is all about the experience, it focused on emotional attachment with brand (emotional branding)
and targeted the mind and heart of the customer.

Apple positioned themselves in front of their targeted customer with the string belief of the competency
and ability of apple to provide innovation, imagination and design

Apple is positioned as a luxury brand that carries a huge emotional connection and loyalty among its
customers.

Apple always positioned as personality driven and luxury brand which carries string emotional (heart
and mind), and loyalty to their customer.

Apple is the only brand that has the attraction/affinity that other does not have, it does not require any
forced marketing but it the only brand which everyone want to use, which makes them t positioned
more strong in the mind of the customers.

Task-5:

Analysis: Write your review on brand offering and target market needs matching.

Since the apple is premium brand and its target market is niche and they knew that they don’t need to
do so much that so simply they focused on their quality, deign, technologies an innovation in their
products. From the research I have observed that Apple is the brand who does not require to compete
on the prices with competitors but their focus on the improvement of design, ease for customer,
introduction of technologies, functions. Their offering is always their focused customer driven and no
compromise on the quality to match the prices of the customer. Since this is the symbol of luxury and
style. All their offerings are matched to relevant target market and they have already a strong emotional
attachment with Apple.

Apple’s focused on the UVPs (unique values positions) which always makes them different other
competitors.

Task-6:

Suggestions: what do you suggest for the brand after analyzing the scenario?

 Since Apple is highly sophisticated and premium brand, it has already established image. This is
always considered as one of the most reliable, class and symbol of luxury. Following are few
suggestions which I think Apple can work in future
 Apple should work on their distribution channel to increase their distribution network, which
can provide more and direct access to their loyal customers.

 Since it is very costly and have less affordability for majority of the people, so this is suggestion if
they can work on the prices strategies without compromising on the quality so that it maximum
reach can achieve.

 As Apple is only targeting the higher class and those who can afford their high prices, so Apple
can work on the lower end models with lower specs and lower prices and segmented the
another