Apple is described as the world largest company based on market capitalization beating the likes of technology giants like Google and Microsoft. Its estimated market worth is capped at $600 billion. Apple has endeavored to produce innovative products that have continuously overtaken competition and managed to stay relevant to this day and age. Apple does not believe in producing huge product lines. It has managed to produce a rather limited product line range compared to competitors but has been able to adopt the most ingenious marketing strategies. Apple has been able to combine different factors that impact on marketing and in the cleverest manner managed to beat competition. Apple depends on the strength of its products to overcome the marketing challenge while incorporating the most effective marketing mix strategies.
This paper looks at how Apple has managed to employ its marketing mix in retailing of MacBook Air. The success of MacBook Air in the market is directly connected to the Apple’s strong marketing mix strategy focusing especially on the 4Ps of effective marketing. What is marketing mix? Marketing mix is a set of actions, or tactics that a business employs to promote its brand products in the market. The 4Ps make the typical marketing mix strategy. They include product, place, pricing and promotion. However, in modern day business environment more Ps have been included in the marketing mix, they include positioning, people, packaging and politics. This paper shall look at how Apple has utilized the marketing mix strategies in marketing of MacBook Air.
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Product
Apple products remain the most competitive products in the electronics market. MacBook Air is a Mackintosh flagship product. The innovatively designed product is taunted as the world’s thinnest computer device measuring a mere 0.16 to 0.75 inches. The product has exemplary features that have made it a unique product in the market. The MacBook Air boasts of;
An interestingly stylish design comparable to none in the market.
Being a thin device, it is extremely light in weight weighing just 2.96 pounds.
It has an incredibly stable battery that gives user more charge hours than any other computer device.
It has fitted with fifth generation processors from the world’s best processor manufacturer Intel. It is run by intel processors Intel Core i5 and Core i7.
It has seamless high quality graphic enabled by Intel HD Graphics
It is enabled for the next generation Wi-Fi support which gives it unrivalled performance capability 3 times more than the previous Wi-Fi generation.
All these features give MacBook an edge over competitor products. The MacBook is compatible with all the other Apple product quite easily making the “Apple Experience” a reality. The ingenuity of Apple product development is quite alive in the MacBook Air as demonstrated here (“MacBook Air”, 2016).
Price
Pricing in most businesses is a competitiveness determinant. Apple products do not necessarily compete on price basis. It competes on product innovativeness and efficient marketing strategies to strategic market segments. Apple has a very comprehensive pricing policy that despite their premium prices they still have been able to attract a sizable market share for its products. MacBook is no exception to this comprehensive pricing regime (Bhasin, 2016). The MacBook Air retails from $999. This is a premium charge for a device yet for Apple pricing of their products is not utility based but rather aspirational pricing regime. The quality of their products for consumers is worth the premium they pay. Apple has worked on improving the technologies present in their products such as the MacBook Air such that they can attract loyal followers who are concerned about product quality rather than pricing. This strategy has propelled Apple to the top of tech corporations in the world.
Place
Apple understands that to be effective, it is generally better to control product impute on society. They place their shopping outlets in very strategic positions throughout the world. In the United States, for instance, there are slightly over 300 licensed Apple stores that sell products from Apple only. This is a very strategic positioning, as it enables them to sell their products without offering customers any other products from competitors. This strategic placing of the Apple stores enables it to reach a dedicated market base. Apple also does referral marketing especially in colleges and professional areas. This is an important placing strategy that offers them a competitive edge over the competitors. It is able to sell the MacBook Air to more students and business professionals every year through referral marketing making their placement strategy very effective.
Promotion
Apple is a branding genius. It has been able to create a loyal market share through its branding and marketing (promotion) of its products. It is one of the few companies in the globe that have developed such a comprehensive promotional strategy. Apple, for instance, allows their customers to trade-in their products for newer products. This is a genius promotion strategy, people appreciate that Apple gives their product worth and can still trade them in for newer products. No other company has been able to offer their customers such a service. Another promotional strategy that give Apple’s MacBook Air an advantage in the market is their use of media advertisements. Looking at the promotional material placed on media for the MacBook Air, it evident that the product will evoke some kind of feeling in consumers to purchase the product. The back to school offers are great promotional strategies that have kept MacBook Air a favorite of many in the country and world over (Krstic & Becic, 2011).
As evident from Apple marketing mix for MacBook Air, all the elements of the marketing mix play a vital role in development of a strong successful business model. However, if these elements are handled wrongly they have the ability to tumble a business. Apple’s MacBook Air has been able to remain competitive due to its uniqueness. The product has been able to attract loyal market base of people and businesses that feel as being part of the “Apple Experience”.
- Bhasin, H. (2016). Marketing Strategy of Apple Inc – Apple Marketing strategy. Marketing91.com. Retrieved 12 November 2016, from http://www.marketing91.com/marketing-strategy-apple/
- Krstic, I. & Becic, S. (2011). Implementation of marketing strategy: Factor of competitive advantage. Marketing, 42(2), 118-126. http://dx.doi.org/10.5937/markt1102118k
- MacBook Air. (2016). Apple. Retrieved 26 November 2016, from http://www.apple.com/macbook-air/
