MKT 345- Discussion 8

Apple, Inc. iPhone 12 Social Media Marketing Strategy

Team Project – Week Seven

Makenzie Callahan, Chad Davis, & Ashley Butler

Saint Leo University – MKT345-DL01

October 22, 2020

Introduction

This paper will discuss our consumer product, the iPhone 12, its new upgraded contents, and Apple’s market availability for growth. This paper will also include a brief summary about each of the team members collaborating on this project. There are many variables that factor into Apple’s social media strategy, including but not limited to unique content, video content, and top of the line content, all of which differentiates the mega conglomerate from other top technology brands. Through one of the broadest target audiences, Apple has been able to target customers through social media platforms, most specifically YouTube and Instagram, by offering content that no other technology brand has come up with, thus far.

Team Members

Makenzie Callahan is a senior at Saint Leo University. She currently works for an insurance agency, with three separate umbrella companies. She is the Marketing Director of the third umbrella company, Titan Life, and is helping with the start-up and marketing initiatives. She is passionate about digital media marketing and content creation. She can be reached at (941)961-8290 or [email protected] , in addition to her Saint Leo email: [email protected] .

Ashley Butler is a senior Political Science major at Saint Leo University. She is currently the Student Government Union President, LEAD Scholars President, Resident Assistant Director at Saint Leo University’s main campus. Ashley was born and raised in Kingston Jamaica and she has a passion for the arts and government work. She can be reached at (347)422–1647 or by email [email protected]

Chad Davis is a senior Marketing Major at Saint Leo University. He is currently a full-time real estate agent in Virginia Beach, VA and has been in real estate sales for the same company for the last 3 years. He understands the importance of having a strong presence online, as he deals with this obstacle daily in an ever-growing competitive sales environment. He can be reached at (573)310-1208 or by email at [email protected] .

Consumer Product / Brand Chosen & Why

The product chosen is the new iPhone 12. The iPhone 12 is the first phone to exhibit 5G capabilities, the fastest speed in any smartphone. We chose the iPhone 12 because it truly displays outstanding qualities that differentiates itself from other high-tech products. This new model has A14 bionics and OLED display that reaches all edges of the screen. Apple incorporated new shield technology to prevent the glass from easily breaking, enhancing drop performance. In addition, Apple included two perfect sizes, and three cameras with night mode capabilities on every lens (IPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini., 2020). Thus far, Apple has unbeatable brand equity. Apple promotes a brand that can be trusted, as consumers are never hesitant to invest in their products (Barker, Barker, Bormann, Zahay, & Roberts, 2017).

Current Social Media Environment

After seeing some of the iPhone 12 social media marketing videos they have some features that we see, year after year, throughout Apple product launches. Their videos contain detailed shots at the beginning of each clip so that the consumer is able to truly visualize the new product. As the video progresses, it is apparent that Apple is taking a step to the next level and the music becomes more intense. While Apple has a large demographic and is able to appeal to almost every individual who is able to perceive an ad, it would be neat to see Apple curate some celebrity endorsements. Apple could even venture into interactive advertisements for consumers to discover the differences between the existing iPhones and Apple products, and their new iPhone 12.

Organizations Goals & Business Model

Over the years, Apple, Inc. has developed into one of the most prestigious and successful technology brands that all other tech brands strive to emulate and compete against. According to an article recently written by Podolny and Hansen (2020) in the Harvard Business Review, Apple, Inc. organizes itself around functions and expertise that align with decision rights. The corporation is known for its innovative properties, including hardware, software, and services (Podolny & Hansen, 2020, p. 88). This enables their top leaders to perform cross-functionally, through collaboration and knowledge regarding details (Podolny & Hansen, 2020, p.88). Their challenges stem within each leader’s responsibility to be continuously and innovatively different against other major competitive companies in the technology industry.

Apple, Inc. operates under a functional multidivisional structure with only one position that intertwines each of the individual sectors of design, engineering, operations, marketing, and retail. The organizational structure that Apple, Inc. has in place allows them to face any technological change or upheaval that occurs in the industry, at any time (Podolny & Hansen, 2020, p.88). The company strives to exhibit three, main leadership characteristics that underline their business goals and help them to differentiate their business model from others in the market. These three main leadership characteristics include deep expertise, immersion in the details, and willingness to collaboratively debate (Podolny & Hansen, 2020, p. 90-91). All of these motives serve one main purpose and goal: to create products that enrich people’s daily lives (p. 89). Apple’s business goals appear to be none other but organized and well thought out. It is amazing what the collaboration of many technological engineers and creatives can come up with.

Target Audience

Apple has established a loyal, brand user base primarily because of the company’s ability to conquer international technology with target marketing. To be frank, target marketing is a fancy way of saying that Apple, along with many other companies, separates certain markets based upon demographic, psychographic, behavioristic, and geographic segments. Apple in turn runs targeted advertisements specific to each group the company wishes to market to at a specific time.

One of Apples top target audiences is actually children in their teenage years (Gaille, 2019). With high market saturation, teenagers are able to see the benefits upclose with all Apple products. It began with the iPod and now ranges all the way to MacBook’s and other Apple computers. Apple attempts to simplify the use of their products through advertisements for this very reason. If Apple is able to sway an individual while they are at a young and vulnerable age,

with Apple’s quality products, the company should be able to retain that young customer over the span of their life. Statistics point to evidence that 54% of Apple consumers who seek to purchase an iPhone already own an iPhone and are looking to upgrade (Gaille, 2019). It would only make sense to start targeting generations at a young age to increase retention. Apple products are also very influential among friend groups; nonetheless, one in four people claimed to have purchased an iPhone because another friend had one (Gaille, 2019). In addition, when friend groups have the same brand of technology, specifically Apple products, they are able to communicate in an easier fashion. For example, only Apple users have iMessage, an easier way to text message, replacing SMS with clear data service and WiFi capabilities.

It is not a secret that Apple products are high end products that can be extremely costly.

Because of their inflated price point, Apple has a tendency to target specific demographics that pertain to class rank and income, particularly the middle and upper class. The average yearly salary a customer who owns Apple products estimates to $98,500 (Gaille, 2019). It would only make sense for Apple’s advertising team to primarily promote Apple products in places that can be seen by many people such as established mall complexes, not only for the aspiring customer, but more specifically shoppers, people who typically have extra income to spend.

Apple also targets both business and education markets, allowing people throughout these professions to remain up to speed, utilizing some of the world’s most advanced technology (Gaille, 2019). For business professionals, Apple uses proper marketing tactics to demonstrate to these consumers how Apple can make day to day business, whether it be Business to Consumer or Business to Business, easier. It is uncommon to walk into a new, upcoming place of business and not see teams using an iPad as their form of payment system rather than an old, noisy cash register. As for educators, Apple markets to a similar narrative. Teachers quickly saw that the utilization of an iPad, as opposed to a bulky desktop or laptop computer, makes life a lot easier in most circumstances. It was not even ten years ago when teachers had to carry around grade books. With the invention of the iPad, teachers can have all of their gradebooks, notebooks, and lesson plans in one device, ultimately having the world at their fingertips. Apple products allow teachers to be more interactive with their students, whether it be through physical demonstrations or projected images up on a large screen.

The release of the iPhone 12 will be no different when it comes to marketing. Our initial target will be teenagers because Apple products only leave room for immense enticement among Generation Z, a group who yearns for and focuses on technological improvement and mobility in everyday life (Igielnik, 2020). We also know that their word of mouth is strong throughout the Apple community. There is a good, strong, and likely chance that if the iPhone 12 lands in the hands of a young teenager, their friends will be bugging their parents for the new model. Our second market will be the individuals in the upper-middle to upper class because they are bound to upgrade and try out the new model before they get their children one. They want to make sure that their hard-earned money will be spent on a good phone before purchasing it for their children. This may or may not be a strict rule this go-around with Apple, considering there are so many models on the market already. The holiday season is among consumers at this point and time in the year, which only makes marketing even easier as consumers are making purchases for ticket items under their trees. Our third, top target will be businesses and business personnel because up-to-date technology is important when facing technological and market competition.

Organization’s Competitors

Every business has a competitor, if not multiple competitors, just as an NFL team has one competitor for each game and multiple competitors throughout each season. For Apple, the company’s number one competitor is Samsung. Samsung finds themselves either one step in front of Apple, or one step behind Apple. Both companies attempt to release new models around the same time of the year every year, keeping the competition high and pretty cutthroat.

Steve Jobs met with Chang-Gyu Hwang back in 2005 in Palo Alto. Hwang, pulled out

what would first become the greatest thing to ever happen to phones: flash memory (Cain,

2020). Flash memory provided many benefits to smaller technology such as iPhones due to its small size and lightweight properties. Hwang, who worked for Samsung, guaranteed Jobs an unlimited supply of flash memory drives to build into what would be the first ever iPod (Cain, 2020). Samsung was once the only supplier to Apple, only until the release of Samsungs’s first smartphone in 2009, a phone sufficient enough to compete with Apple products (Cain, 2020). Steve Jobs was not thrilled about the idea of his number one distributor becoming his number one competitor in the smartphone market. The worldwide release of these new and upcoming smartphones only ignited and furthered the competition between these two brands.

This year right before the iPhone 12 was released, Samsung beat them to their own market game with the release of a new phone, the Galaxy S20. The Galaxy phone series is extremely similar to the iPhone series; similar to Apple, they also release new phone models with numbers in ascending order.

One of the biggest factors in the competition between Apple and Samsung is price. Both the iPhone 12 pro and the Galaxy S20 will begin at the stiff price of $999 (Kostadinov, 2020). In addition, Samsung and Apple have highly competitive displays and ways that they market information. Both phones have a similar type of OLED screen and extremely high refresh

rates (Kostadinov, 2020). The camera on each phone is severely upgraded with impeccable quality, each sports a 12Mp camera with Ultra-wide angle and telephoto modes (Kostadinov, 2020). The three categories above only leave competition to the preference of interface from the consumer. Typically, people who appreciate customization and the art of learning about a phone’s technological systems ultimately go with the Galaxy. Those consumers that do not care as much about customizability and like a simpler user interface will most likely be siding with the iPhone 12 Pro.

Competitor 2

Just like the Samsung Galaxy was a pretty strong competitor against the iPhone 12 Pro, Google released their top-of-the-line phone right around the same time as well. Google’s Pixel 5 is right on par with the iPhone 12 Pro and the Galaxy S20 with 5G capabilities and some of the same completive features both of the other phones have (Langlo, 2020). The Google Pixel comes as one of the top android phones on the market today and boasts a price of $100 less than the iPhone 12 Pro (Langlo, 2020). The Pixel gives the iPhone a run for its money with the refresh rate of the screen. The iPhone is only at 60hz refresh rate vs the Pixel’s 90 or 120hz refresh rate (Langlo, 2020). This is one thing that some android users love about this new model phone. As for the screen size and phone size, these two phones are almost identical in both which really makes for a tight race when looking at them side by side.

Criteria for Comparison	Your BRAND	Competitor # 1 – Samsung	Competitor # 2 – Google
Annual Sales Volume	260.17 billion	230.4 trillion	160.74 billion
Price - MSRP Range	$1000 or more	$999	Starting at $699
Product Unique Attributes	First 5G iPhone	64mp telephoto camera	Controls the design of both the hardware and operating system

The camera is the area of all cell phones that Apple really takes home the bacon. The Pixel came out with “night sight” which is the same as Apple’s night mode and also they released the “portrait photo mode” which is a feature you can find on older model iPhones back to the X (Langlo, 2020). Apple was able to improve on all these camera modes and claims to have 27% more improved photos in low light situations (Langlo, 2020). The final area of concern for phone users is the processor. Apple released the new phone with the new Apple Bionic 14 Processor which is the newest and most dependable processor that Apple has released to date. The Pixel comes with the 765G chipset from Qualcomm and was said to be even slower than the predecessor Pixel 4 (Langlo, 2020).

Although many people love some androids in their life, the Google Pixel really has no competition with iPhone 12 Pro. Other than the price and the screen refresh rate, Google is behind in all other categories when it is up against the iPhone 12 Pro.

Evaluation of Current Online Activities

Snapchat

Since the creation of Snapchat in 2011, it has become a very popular social media platform that is seen to have over 150 million users worldwide. Snapchat is an easy to use platform that serves as a great tool to upload content on business promotion materials. According to Herba Soffar, “Businesses can use Snapchat to promote products & services to your followers, the app allows close interaction with potential consumers & keeps them updated about your brand” (Soffar, 2019). In essence, Snapchat is an ideal platform to promote products.

The question surfaces, does Apple use Snapchat to promote the new iPhone 12 product? The quick and short answer to this question is, yes. Apple Inc takes an enthusiastic approach in promoting their products on the Snapchat platform. Apple uses quick and easy Snapchat advertising to promote their newest and latest product the iPhone 12. These Snapchat advertisements are about ten seconds long, played with upbeat music and showcases the features of the iPhone 12. The aim of these ads is to promote the Apple iPhone 12 product to both new and existing customers.

The use of Snapchat advertisements is deemed as effective for Apple. Not only does it appeal to Apple’s large target market, it also facilitates an increase in Apple’s website traffic, which furthermore encourages consumers to purchase Apple products. Apple has a unique strategy in which they market their products. Through Snapchat advertisements, Apple is transparent about its alliances with mobile networks, such as; Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile. They do this to ensure that consumers are aware that they may still purchase a phone and keep the same mobile service provider.

All in all, it could be safe to say that Apple’s use of Snapchat to promote the iPhone 12 product is reasonable as it drives a considerable amount of attention to its website.

Blogs

Blogging is a very important aspect of any business. According to an article presented by Prism Global Marketing Solutions, “a blog can promote the formation of a community around your website or organization” (Jonson, 2018). Apple, Inc. uses blogging to their advantage. The company has a blog called the Apple Newsroom, a blog that Apple designed for their audience to read new and updated press releases, alongside news and updates about the company. Apple Newsroom also contains videos and images of new Apple products.

Apple promotes the iPhone 12 product extensively throughout Apple Newsroom. Apple provides information about each new feature of the phone, the phone’s availability and ways consumers can purchase the phone. This blog seems to be very effective for Apple fans as it displays a social engagement of 25.4 thousand followers (Agarwal, 2020). Apple Newsroom blogs are updated every two days. It can be said that the Apple company is very active in promoting their products through blogging activities.

A quick Google search will point out that there are many blogs out there that are dedicated to putting out news, reviews, prices and deals about all Apple products. This shows Apple’s brand loyalty and elite status. Even if Apple should stop blogging, other people and Apple lovers will do it for them.

Twitter

The fourth quarter of 2019 indicated that “Twitter had 152 million monetizable daily active users worldwide” (Clement, 2020). After taking a look at Apple’s Twitter, there is limited utilization of their verified Twitter account. Currently, Apple has 5.5 million followers on Twitter, yet the company only has one post that does not even promote their new iPhone 12.

Apple having only one post on such a large social media platform such as Twitter, is shocking. In a blog entitled “Why Apple Doesn’t Tweet,” it appears as though Apple does not utilize the platform because they have smaller “branches that are dedicated to promoting its products and services” (Patel, 2020). These smaller branches include iTunes, iBooks, and the AppStore, in addition to the flock of Mac bloggers who essentially promote Apple products, free of cost. Apple’s hands-off social strategy has worked for them as in Apple’s mind, the decision is simple: “why bother tweeting out product announcements when legions of fans will do it for us?” (Patel 2020).

In essence, Apple does not use Twitter like other technology brands. Not only do they want to uphold their brand image, a premium experience, but they have a large number of other people and platforms to promote their products. As Brian Sozzi said in an interview with CNBC news: “You go to Apple, Apple do not go to you” (Patel, 2020).

YouTube Videos

With little research, it is evident that Apple takes their presence on YouTube quite seriously. Looking at the YouTube marketing for the iPhone 12 in isolation, there are five total videos. Each video ranges from 30 seconds to a few minutes and includes the advantages and benefits of using the new iPhone model. Because there are so many models of the iPhone, when Apple launches a new model, it is important for the company to differentiate the new model from the older one, even if there are only a few discrepancies. The titles of the five YouTube videos, alone, tell users that the iPhone 12 has a once in a lifetime camera and ultimately, is the most powerful iPhone thus far.

Apple’s YouTube account speaks true to their entire brand. The colors and title pages display clean, high technology branding, the true reputation that the company upholds. By taking a look at Samsung’s YouTube channel, it is apparent that there are many differences between Apple and their top competitor. Apple has an audience of 13.5 million subscribers, whereas Samsung trails behind at only 5.02 million users. Apple’s channel individualizes each new model and product, whereas Samsung groups its new and latest news all in one category. Details such as these provide Apple with the upper hand when it comes to digital marketing. Users know to expect niche marketing from companies such as Apple. Not that it is not possible, but other technology companies make this process just slightly more difficult for users than a company like Apple. YouTube includes viewer statistics for each individual user page. Apple’s channel upholds 741,810,702 views in total, updated to today. A company such as Samsung lacks Apple’s views by almost 100,000. This is not to say that Samsung is not as effective; however, Apple’s marketing on YouTube appears to be even more effective.

So why has YouTube been an effective marketing tool for a company like Apple? According to Neil Patel’s blog, “video content is taking the marketing world by storm” (Patel, 2020). Today, a vast majority of online entertainment is through video. It would only make sense for Apple to have a large presence. Users are more apt to remember video content over written content that a company puts forth (Patel, 2020). The highest customer conversion rate, beyond research reports at 46%, is video and motion graphics at 44% (Patel, 2020). Video content ranks above social media content in general. Apple speaks to proper statistics by focusing their efforts on micro-video content, content that is vital to retain user attention spans. Luckily for Apple, they do not have to use videos in order to create leads, users who watch their videos move directly into Apple’s hands after realizing how great Apple products can be.

Instagram

To say the least, it is interesting that Apple, Inc., a major technology brand waited to develop their brand image on Instagram until 2017. Being an established company prior to Instagram’s popularity and development, Apple may not have needed Instagram; however, Instagram needed Apple.

In 2017, Apple launched its presence on Instagram, only to feature the photographs taken through the lens of an Apple device. The company’s use of the application is quite broad, as Apple truly uses Instagram to showcase the high quality of their own cameras. Apple’s tagline on Instagram includes the quote: “A look through the lens of iPhone users around the world” (Carman, 2017). Apple incorporated a unique view of the application’s tools by featuring each photographer’s work, accompanied by a sound clip of the photographer speaking about the subject matter; Apple also started the hashtag #shotoniPhone, for collective use (Carman, 2017).

Apple’s company account was not the first account that the corporation obtained and maintained. Apple already had established multiple verified accounts including accounts for their applications: Apple Music, iTunes, Beats 1, iBooks, Carpool Karaoke, and Planet of the Apps, just to name a few (Carman, 2017). While these accounts were successful in their own endeavors, Apple never steered their focus to photography, so what was the harm in using the world’s largest photography application as a tool?

Now, Apple’s Instagram maintains over 24.8 million followers, posting frequently to uphold consumer interest. The photos that the company posts are typically unique, dynamic, and out of the box photos that other consumers have yet to create. Apple, Inc. always bringing new ideas to the table

Gamification Activities

Gamification brings game qualities to non-game activities. Apple really does a great job with this when it comes to the iPhone, Apple Watch, and the Health app. The Apple

watch, a small wearable piece of technology, brings the ability of your phone right to your

wrist. The Apple watch was first announce at the Apple Keynote in 2014 to be readily

available in 2015 (Stroud, 2016). The Apple Watch Series 6 has come a long way from the first-generation Apple Watch. The advanced Apple Watch Series 6 is able to give you an EKG, a test used to examine the health of the human heart. This, among many other reasons, is why the Apple Watch raises popularity (Stroud, 2016). In turn, the Apple Watch gamified the wristwatch while also making life easier in just a few steps.

Included in its usage, the Apple Watch has a free, exciting health application. There is a well-known gamified circle depicted on the screen that also has the ability to link to any iPhone or iPad. The gamified circle contains three rings that monitor the number of steps taken, individual movement, exercise, and amount of time standing (Mitroff, 2019). This application is useful for many reasons; however, its main purpose is to convey to the wearer to get up and take some steps every once in a while, whenever it deems the wearer inactive (Mitroff, 2019). Ultimately, the ring gives insight about individual movement every day. It allows users to go back and look at their health history and movement from prior days, weeks, and months. The watch is able to gauge exercise, considering any movement from a walk, to run, or sprint. The stand ring encourages each user to stand for a total of 12 minutes, 1 minutes for 12 hours of the day, encouraging users to not be sedentary for an abundance of time (Mitroff, 2019). Along with the rings, the watch takes health a step further and records noise levels that surround the user during use or time worn. The Apple Watch is the ultimate gamified guide to individual health. Users can add friends to different applications so that they can sync up with the health application, allowing for health journeys to be a healthy competition with friends and family. Apple made the Apple Watch an apparent necessity for many users by gamifying and furthering the totality of the experience with additional Apple products.

Corporate Website

Apple, just like their user interface on the iPhone 12 Pro, has one of the most interactive

websites in the world (Ive, 2020). If you go onto Apple’s website you will be able to easily and effectively navigate to any page included on the site. The site has a lot of pictures, videos, and moving screens to keep the consumer actively engaged.

In October 2020, the Apple website was visited 477.18 million times and the average amount of time spent on the website totaled around 4 minutes (Web, 2020).

The Apple website ranks number two in all of the computer electronics and technology websites; therefore, they obtain a great rank to be in for the new release of the iPhone 12 Pro (Web, 2020). In addition, Apple holds the spot for the 66th most visited website in the United States and the 67th ranked worldwide (Web, 2020). Being in the top 100 of all websites on the internet, it is almost impossible for the company to not generate adequate sales with each new release.

Other Activities

Apple is among the largest tech companies in the world. With the emergence of social media, “Most brands are furiously creating content to stay on the “current trend bandwagon” to attempt to stay relevant in the social atmosphere while also pushing out information about their products” (Hessler, 2018). It is very interesting to see how Apple uses its social media. Not to sell products but to engage consumers and promote its products. We see the use of this strategy in the social media platform, Facebook.

Apple uses Facebook to run several ad campaigns. Currently, Apple’s Facebook page has over 13 million likes and zero content. This goes to show how powerful of a company Apple is. It also shows that Apple does not need social media to be successful. Likewise, with Apple’s Twitter account, its Facebook account is used to promote Apple’s upcoming launch events. Retweeting or liking the post or tweet on Facebook and Twitter respectively allows Apple to send you notifications at the time of the event. Apple launch events are important to the company. Launch events allow Apple to give its consumers the opportunity to get insights and official reveals of their new products. What is interesting about Apple’s launch event is that, after they are hosted, videos are uploaded on YouTube for the world to see what new things Apple has in store.

Competitive Advantages

Brands like Apple are so iconic in the world and tech industry today because of their brand image. In 2017 Apple was one of the leading brands in the world over Google, Coca Cola, and even IBM (Linton, 2019). Apple has customer loyalty like no other brand out there. You know this is true because you will always hear people talk about Apple users being “sheep.”

Another reason that Apple brand is so large in the marketplace is because they are committed to the cause of breaking through with new innovation. (Linton, 2019) Every year the public awaits Apples iconic show to see what new changes, programs, and products with be coming from the world’s best smart tech company.

The last thing that allows Apple to have the competitive advantage over its competitors is the ability for all of their products to be integrated (Linton, 2019). You can call or text someone from a MacBook, iPhone, Apple watch, and even and iPad. The integration among apple products is like nothing else out on the market today.

Competitive Disadvantages

With every company having advantages over some of their competitors it is also important to point out some of the areas that can become a weakness for them. What some can consider an advantage, other consumers can see it as a disadvantage. The closed ecosystem of Apple is one of the areas that can be concerning for some individual consumers (Beatie, 2020). A lot of people don’t like how Apple has all programs unique to them like iTunes, iBooks, and even Apple podcasts (Beatie, 2020). It is good from a business standpoint because you want to capitalize but consumers are not always looking for an all-in-one style of phone or tablet.

The last competitive disadvantage we see at Apple is leadership (Beatie, 2020). Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple, was one of the greatest leaders/business owners of his time. His employees loved working for him and that is really the reason why we have seen Apple succeed so quickly over time. After the passing of Steve Jobs, Tim cook took over as CEO (Beatie, 2020). It is never an easy act to follow up someone like Steve Jobs and Tim Cook faces this challenge year after year with critics always comparing him to the late Steve Jobs.

Overall Analysis of Online Marketing Efforts

Apple, Inc. clearly dominates the technology world, so much so that Apple has been able to decrease the company’s spending on digital advertisements and marketing efforts. Apple’s strategy may sound as it lacks effort; however, Apple’s impeccable brand image, recognition, and equity, built upon some of the high standards in technology has allowed the company to remain more successful than other technology companies over the years.

In an article about technology and digital advertising strategy, author Sarah Fleishman describes Apple’s digital strategy as the mega-conglomerate or otherwise monopolist over the advertising industry. Fleishman states, “few advertisers are as watched as Apple - not just the consumers consuming their ads, but also the folks in the ad industry… who are eagerly taking notes on Apple’s every move” (Fleishman, 2020). Through storytelling and minimalist expression, Apple has grown to decrease their advertisement spending from $243 million in 2018, to $76.3 million in 2020 (Fleishman, 2020). For a brand of Apple’s caliber, it may appear unclear as to how the company shrank their budget by over half in just one to two fiscal years; by tracking monthly impressions, Apple is able to decide where they need to allocate their advertising resources (Fleishman, 2020). Most of their budget and efforts fall into video production and video leads for mobile and desktop users, with mobile and desktop display trailing steadily behind (Fleishman, 2020). Interestingly enough, Apple spends less than 1% of their budget on social media advertising, with less than 5% of their budget on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram (Fleishman, 2020). The company’s overall strategy in 2020 caters to consumers and individual feelings as opposed to their products, alone.

Throughout research and Apple’s image alone, it becomes even more abundantly clear that video is the company’s strong suit. Apple creates videos that entice users to watch more and purchase items that can stream more videos at a larger convenience as well: MacBooks, iPads, AirPods, iPhones, AppleTV, and Apple Watches.

Recommendations for Improvements

Web Site Improvements

The upgrades that could be made to the corporate website is a different color change. Apple moved into the darker backgrounds with plain black and white throughout on their entire website and it really just makes it look dark to look at (Apple). I think if the color pallet was switched up a bit, they could really harness more consumers because that’s what people are liking these days. Also, another small tweak that could be made is when you are on a product overview page, you have to keep scrolling all the way to the bottom to get different sections of what you want to read about (Apple). Most other normal websites will have tabs they you would be able to click on in order to see the next item you wanted to read. All in all, Apple has a pretty solid website and the traffic to the website after the release of the iPhone 12 has been great from what the analytics are saying.

Blog Improvements

Apple's main objective is to retain its faithful customers while also building new relationships with future customers. Apple’s new release of its iPhone 12 product has allowed Apple to gain an increase in its consumer base. However, there are many ways Apple can improve and implement a more successful blog.

Apple can create a more successful blog, by producing more interesting content. The iPhone 12 is the newest product on the market, if Apple posted content on how to get the best functionality from their product; For example, highlighting creative and useful Apple applications, how to control your phone using voice controls, how to screenshot, use Siri etc. In all sincerity, Apple will get more views on their blog if they produced more fascinating content about their products especially the iPhone 12.

Conversely, it is believed that Apple could also improve their blogs by posting more often or rather on a consistent basis. Currently, Apple either posts four times in one day or once every five days. If Apple were to blog on a consistent basis and provide more information on their products, they will inevitably get more views and attract more potential customers.

Twitter Improvements

Apple Inc being one of the world's best technology companies has been efficient without the use of social media. As mentioned above, Apple does not Tweet and their reason for doing so is absolutely reasonable. Apple’s lackadaisical approach to social media is a very strange marketing strategy and works for them. As such, it is believed that if they should start having a presence on the Twitter platform it will contradict their brand personality of being elite and prestige and may attract negative feedback of which they were avoiding by not using this platform.

In essence, Apple not using the Twitter platform to its maximum capability is genius. Apple does not have to improve on this platform as mentioned above: “You go to Apple, Apple do not go to you” (Patel, 2020).

YouTube Video Improvements

After taking a look at Apple’s successful YouTube channel, a conclusion can be made that Apple specializes in video content. While there may not appear to be too much room for improvement, no company is perfect and must be open to new ideas in order to substantiate and perpetuate more growth. Since most of Apple’s budget is spread across video content, they may not be up to improving spending by any more than is needed. As a suggestion for the company’s improvement, it would behoove the company to get on the “do-it-yourself (DIY)” train and the “how-to” bandwagon. It is hard to say how a company that already monopolizes most of the technology industry can make improvements throughout content that they clearly dominate, but if the company wishes to continue to thrive, it is in their best interest to monopolize over their own how-to videos with tips, tricks, and hacks to their products. Some of the complaints from Apple users typically surround user mobility regarding what can and cannot be figured out in terms of device or product function. While some of their products are easy to maneuver and navigate, it is when consumers run into issues that Apple loses total support. The company could even do a YouTube series showing users how to set up products, reset products, and ultimately maximize product function.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Apple, Inc. is a trusted technology brand in modern day society. Apple is a company that has been successful in most of their endeavors, physically and digitally. With the release of Apple’s new iPhone 12 with extraordinary features, it has come to fruition that there may be even more of an opportunity to grow Apple’s market availability. With research there are some new, proposed funnels of opportunity such as celebrity endorsements, interactive advertisements, and how-to videos with tips and tricks; nonetheless, these ideas could benefit Apple and attract even more people to their existing markets. All in all, this consumer product was chosen to discover the taken opportunities with the presentation of new ideas to utilize true social media marketing skills.

References

Agarwal, A. (2020, November 09). Top 100 Apple Blogs on Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Watch & Music in 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2020, from https://blog.feedspot.com/apple_blogs/

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MKT 345 Written Assignment 2

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Appendix

Apple’s current home page

This visual from www.apple.com displays all the available colors for the new iPhone 12. It is quite interesting that they put the side by side colors together so the consumer gets to compare which ones they like the best. As a marketing tool, this visual attracts the consumer’s attention; nonetheless, it is also a staple in Apple’s company that is easily recognizable. If you were to glance at this image without the Apple logo, you would still be able to easily identify the brand.

This image was taken from Apple’s YouTube channel.

This image was taken from Apple’s Instagram page

This image is showing how Apple uses Twitter to promote launch events.

This image was taken from https://officechai.com/stories/apple-social-media-strategy/ .