Ch. 4 - The Marketing Environment

Apple's Marketing Environment

Apple sure does know their target market. They have a very wide target for they try to attract teenagers with their iPod and even iPhone, business people are using iPhones and iPads, many corporations provide their employees with these gadgets instead of the very popular Blackberry that was mainly used by business people, college students with their Mac and even Kids though they obviously not able to purchase they attract them and parents end up buying for them . Though personally I don't believe Apple products are kids friendly many people are actually purchasing, specially iPads . Their demographics mainly goes from Teens to Gen X but as time passes they have attracted Tweens and even baby boomers !  

Many people complain on the fact that Apple comes out with a new version of their products often I believe is very necessary in order to be able to keep up with their biggest competition, Android. Even with those complains Apple keeps breaking record almost every time a new product is introduced, for example last week the new iPhone 5S was released and in less than one hour it was sold out. The Monday after its release Apple announced that they had a $9 Million sale throughout the weekend. 

Apple has been able to attract many markets not only age wise but ethnic markets also. The Apple madness is not only an United State's, they have been successful worldwide. As the textbook say, by 2050 one in three residents in the US will be Hispanic therefore many companies have to find a way to reach out to different cultures and languages. Nothing proves more their worldwide success than today's News. 

"Apple Bumps Coca Cola to become world's Top Brand " after 13 years Coca-Cola held the number one spot and today Apple made it to that number one spot. 

I believe Luxury is Apple's main focus, therefore people who owned an apple product are considered middle or upper income people. The presentation of their products sells, even their packaging is neat and at an upper end of the Market from their products to their customer services.

 

Ch. 3 - Ethics & Social Responsibility

We believe in accountability - four suppliers and for ourselves

" By vigorously enforcing our Supplier Code of Conduct, we ensure that our suppliers follow the same principles and values we hold true. We collaborate with experts in areas such as human rights and the environment to conduct comprehensive, in-person audits deep into our supply chain. When we uncover problems, we work with our suppliers to fix them."

Apple's code of conduct and social responsibility are posted on their website along with reports from their yearly audits and their claims on how they take the environment into considerations when producing their products. 

The Apple Supplier Code of Conduct.

The Apple Supplier Code of Conduct is based on standards created by the International Labor Organization, the United Nations, and the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition (EICC). It requires suppliers to provide safe and healthy working conditions, to use fair hiring practices, to treat their workers with dignity and respect, and to adhere to environmentally responsible practices in manufacturing. But our Code goes beyond industry standards in a number of areas, including ending involuntary labor practices and eliminating underage labor. To make sure suppliers adhere to the Code, we have an aggressive compliance-monitoring program that includes Apple-led factory audits and corrective action plans, and confirmation that these plans have been carried out.

Workplace ethics and protection for whistle-blowers.

To conduct a thorough audit, suppliers must give our auditors access to factories and provide them with accurate documents and record-keeping processes for review. Our auditors are skilled in identifying circumstances where a supplier may be providing false information or preventing access to critical documents — both of which are core violations of our Supplier Code of Conduct. Coaching workers on what to say during an interview and retaliation against workers for participating in an audit interview are also core violations.

Apple’s commitment to environmental responsibility.

At Apple, we take responsibility for minimizing the environmental impact of our operations and products, and our suppliers must take responsibility for their operations as well. They must comply with local laws and regulations and use environmentally responsible manufacturing processes wherever Apple products are made We report on our total carbon footprint — and we’re one of very few companies to do so. We manage our overall footprint by comprehensively measuring and reporting the impact of our own operations and our products

Making working conditions safer.

To reduce the risk of hazards in the workplace, suppliers must provide proper protective gear, guardrails, safety harnesses, and other safety equipment, as well as comprehensive, up-to-date training for workers. And we go even further. In many cases, we review new materials and manufacturing processes to assess potential risks and take appropriate action before they are introduced to the supply chain. When we discover a problem — during an audit or through one of Apple’s many onsite employees — we require immediate correction, and we look for ways to expand safety procedures and practices in all similar facilities.

Although the code of conduct seems comprehensive, concrete standards or measurements used in the auditing process should be revealed. Also, the audit result should be shown with more details, such as the audit result of individual suppliers and how many businesses are terminated because of the social responsibility violations. Only with the above details can the Apple’s report be more convincing. Finally, Apple should be able to explain how issues like Foxconn suicides and the use of H-Hexane can happen with all suppliers’ strict compliance with its code of conduct and how it keeps coming up that their manufacturers exploit employees. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gypZoLbEvJo

Ch. 2 - Strategic Planning for Competitive Advantage

Marketing & Competition

As most of us know or have been hearing about for a few months the new iPhone Models are coming and Apple held a reveal event at their Headquarters in Cupertino, CA. At this event two new iPhone models were announced the new iPhone 5S which out of the two is the product that differentiates since it provides a valuable and unique appearance at a higher price end than the iPhone 5C. Apple has always had competitive advantage not only with their iPhones but with all of their products being that they are perceived as significant and superior to the competition for they are on the higher end, I like to call them Luxurious. There are a lot of new phones coming out that are affecting the sale of Apple for example the new Samsung models therefore Apple knows that they have to keep working on innovating their products as quickly as the other Markets. 

Having the competition attack their prices on commercial and also maybe losing customers, they have came up with a cost competitive product starting with an iPad Mini. Though the product still expensive they created a version that is cheaper than their original iPad. By this diversification they started attracting new customers not only because of the cheaper price but because of the size of the new product, which is what made me want to buy it, and also making it more similar to its tablets competitors like Amazon's Kindle and Barnes and Noble's  Nook.

Continuing their cost competitive products on September 10th they announced a more affordable iPhone, the iPhone 5C. The Marketing strategy that apple seems to have for this new phone is to target a younger Market by having these new iPhone 5C in different colors and at lower cost but maintaining the satisfaction of their customers by having these product still be some what luxurious. This also makes it more affordable for parents. 

Apple's product have been imitated on their physical end resulting in law suits but what makes them sustainable is their Operating Systems with iPhones and Ipads and also with their Mac, they are the only ones to have it and I believe nothing has come close to it. 

Ch.1 - Overview of Marking ( Brief History & Mission Statement )

Apple Inc.

Apple, Inc. Founders Facts and Trivia: 

Apple was founded by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, who started working together in 1970 to create a personal computer. The Apple company was incorporated in the state of California on January 3, 1977. 

Apple Company Corporation Headquarters: 

The Apple, Inc. U.S. headquarters is located in Cupertino, California. 

The Mission Statement, Global Vision, and Values of Apple, Inc. 

It was widely reported that a famous quote from Steve Jobs in the 1980's was the Apple company mission statement: "Man is the creator of change in this world. As such he should be above systems and structures, and not subordinate to them." 

The "official" mission statement on the Apple corporation website, however, is not really a mission statement at all, but rather a list of products and past accomplishments. As stated, Apple's "mission" is… 

"Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and has recently introduced iPad 2 which is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices." 

Apple ends its press releases with a statement that resembles what a traditional mission statement is expected to be… 

"Apple is committed to bringing the best personal computing experience to students, educators, creative professionals and consumers around the world through its innovative hardware, software and Internet offerings." 

One of  Apple's Most popular product is the iPhone which was first announced in 2007. Since then, the popularity of this product has increased for at the beginning only one company had the right to it. Now almost all the cell phone companies carry the very unique phone from older models to the latest iPhone 5. Apple will hold an event on September 10th to reveal their new iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C.