MARKETING ASSIGNMENT-

APPLE-
PRODUCT OR MARKET CENTRIC?

A product-centric mindset focuses on developing newer and more advanced

products regardless of the demand that exists in the market.
Product-centric companies are defined by the products they develop, and
those products may or may not meet customers’ needs.
In other words, they find customers for their products rather than products for
their customers. They aren’t looking to solve problems or add value, they are
looking to extend their product reach to anyone and everyone.
Any product that is doing exceptionally well in a market, the company decides
to launch it to the newer customer segments or even to a new country. For the
better performing products, the company decides to invest further to upgrade
the quality of the product. They continuously release the advanced versions of
the product to the market.

On the other hand, A customer-centric company places the customer at the

centre of all their strategies. They identify the needs, challenges and pain-
points of their customers and then build the solution to sell them. They have a
keen understanding of their customer segments to which they would be
marketing their products.

Apart from giving focus to the solution they offer, customer-centric companies
articulate the whole customer journey for a greater customer experience. They
keep a keen eye on building customer loyalty and thereby growing their
business.

Now comes the big question, that is APPLE PRODUCT CENTRIC OR MARKET
CENTRIC WITH ITS APPROACH?

One of the best examples of a product-centric organization is Apple. This

product-centric company focused their attention on developing newer and
more advanced products irrespective of the demand that is existent in the
market. They took huge risks at the time to become what we know them
now as: innovators. Even though demand may have been relatively non-
existent for their product(s) at the time of development (or even at the
time of launch!), the utility and the quality of the introduced product had
the effect of creating a new customer segment for the product.

Steve Jobs was integral to the culture of innovation that positioned the
company for a $1+ trillion valuation not too long after his untimely demise.
When you look at the organization structure of Apple, you’ll find that the
company is divided based on the products that they sell. There are teams
specific to creating iPads, iPhones, and Macs. These teams are experts in
their respective products and are rewarded for the number of new
products that are developed or a number of new patents that have been
achieved.
Apple typically doesn’t release and iterate their products based on the mass
market consumer wants or needs. Instead, they focus on making simple,
elegant products that prioritizes the quality and function of the product
that a small niche of customers will evangelize. In turn, this product
evangelism comes from the customer, not from the company itself, thereby
creating a natural consumer appeal based on the value of the product itself.

IS APPLE ABOUT PRODUCT MANAGERS OR MARKET MANAGERS?

APPLE is about product managers. What does product managers do in APPLE?

As a Product Manager at Apple, you will serve as the customer voice during
product development, helping define new features that will shape the future
of the home, and will also be responsible for leading the launch story,
deliverables and speaking to media about why your products matter. APPLE is
about marketing managers also but The Apple Services Marketing team is
growing their audience around the world. And hence, growing in importance at
Apple.

-PRANAVI.A

BBA-24