Marketing week 6 plan III

Apples product launch for the new iCar will show off the more customizable features of this product for the Consumer. This product launch will discuss the target market profiles, key buying behaviors and decision motivators to the customer. The product launch will also discuss the iCar product life cycle as well as including the tactical plan for the product including price, place and promotion. In addition the planed product launch will provide more information on the benefits of iCar features mix. These benefits include branding, differentiating characteristic from competition, packaging, labeling and information on warranties and guarantees.

Target market profiles

Conducting market requires intensive research and knowledge of your customer. Knowing the likes and dislikes or their wants and needs will help focus marketing efforts towards that particular person. The chance for success will be greater if you have a detailed picture of what that customer looks like (Shupe, 2014).

· Demographic: The demographic make-up of potential iCar customers fits a wide demographic, however the iCar does require users to be tech savvy below 60 years of age and are of legal driving age are the demographic most targeted. However the iCar will have wide appeal to any geographic area in the United States.

· Lifestyle: The typical lifestyle of an iCar customer is a customer who uses technology to make their life easier. These are people who own and are comfortable with a computer, iPad or iPhone. Of particular interest are those customers who have learned to incorporate the use of mobile computing into their everyday life.

· Morals and Values: These customers typically believe in a paperless world. They like things that are “green” and energy efficient.

· Pain Points: Customers are looking for way to control their car that increase the comfort, usability of information, safety, convenience and drivability. People want to customize the controls of their car and add unique informational interfaces.. Today, customers like the sleekness of tablets and the ease of using them in everyday applications.

· Shopping Habits: The potential iCar customer’s shopping habits include looking for the” latest and the greatest technology. “

Key buying behaviors

· Cultural: Based on ease of customization the iCar can appeal to a multicultural audience. There are not many cultural boundaries that would limit. Older users might like the larger text and graphics and the potential of an audio interface to reduce eyestrain or health related issues. It is possible that “baby-boomers” may be opposed to things that are changed a generational mantra of “weren’t broke in the first place.” might provide additional marketing strategies to engage this demographic.

· Social: The iCar adds a connectivity layer to social networking or media in the current market. This next “layer” in social media is the ability to connect anytime safely with the world. As customers incorporate the iCar into their driving experience it will create a demand for those who do not. Thais demand will be a increase the emotional experience and incorporate a desire of belonging to this group.

· Personal: The iCar will connect with the personal behavior of customers simply because it can adapt and adjust to each person’s level of comfort.

· Psychological: Customers have shown a proclivity to be on the cutting edge of technology and want to psychologically feel that they are market leaders. The iCar technology is incrementally upgradeable and will continue to give the customer this feeling.

Decision motivators: Maslow’s hierarchy of needs provides a reliable understanding of what will motivate a customer’s decision. Apple can convince their customers that iCar will increase their safety while operating a car. By doing so, will satisfy a person’s second most important basic need: safety. [Your paper shows definite improvement in focus, clarity and demonstrates a growing understanding of marketing.]

PLC/Four Ps

To effectively manage the product life cycle, You have not discussed the phases of the life cycle Apple needs to greatly focus these key business areas:

Development: iCar’s continued development is therefore one of the first and the most crucial phases of the manufacturing process that Apple need to spend both and money on ensure that iCar is a success.

Financing: Apple needs to earmark comprehensive funds in order to launch iCar and sustain it throughout the introduction stages, but later investment through the stages of growth and maturity needs to be financed by profits from sales. Throughout the life cycle of iCar, Apple needs to take in to account the most accurate path to finance their costs in order to raise profit potential.

Marketing: As the market steps on to maturity, the consumer’s attitude towards iCar will change. So the promotional and marketing activity that launches iCar in the introduction Stage will be very different as compared to the campaigns that will be developed to protect market share during the maturity stages.

Manufacturing: The cost of manufacturing of iCar will decline during its life cycle. As the market production and development increases, costs will start falling; and when more effective and cheaper methods of production get released cost will continue to fall.

Information: Because ICar is directly connected to customers, concerns with data linked to the potential for iCar will rely on feedback related to different marketing campaigns to view which are most efficient, or monitoring the market cycles to decide on the most accurate response, this information has been deemed critical to the success of iCar. Apple needs to efficiently manage iCar along the product life cycle by developing the most efficient information systems. (Catherine Capozzi, 2008).

Concentrating on the 4Ps we have:

Product: iCar will be provided for sale to the target market. When developing iCar Apple should considers design, quality, features and cost when considering packaging along with customer service and comprehensive after-sales service.

Place: This comprises of the location of the business, distributors, brick and mortar vs e retailers, logistics as well as the actual use of the internet to sell iCar directly to its consumers.

Price: Price will definitely be a factor. Apple has a history of premium pricing that comes with its quality and brand and ICar may benefit from this perennial Apple strategy. [Your essay is well-developed, at this point include the price you’ve decided upon .]

Promotion: Apple needs to invest in product promotion so that the product can become an international market success. (Thomas Barta, 2013). You need to state what the basic promotional strategy is, not merely that there needs to be promotion. What integrated marketing communication plan would you put in place.

New Features and Benefits

The new features of the iCar will include the division of the screen into two panels. The top panel will be always used for navigation. This will allow the costumer to know their location at all times. On the right corner of the top panel will be a button to access voice activated directions. iCar navigation system will allow the costumer to select the settings to avoid tolls, and areas with recent reported accidents. The bottom screen will be shared between entertainment on the left side and phone services on the right side. Having these panels permits the customer to have more control and accessibility to phone, navigation and entertainment.

Branding: Since the Apple brand have been firmly established and preferred by many consumers our work is going to focus on marketing the iCar and analyzing the response of the public to our product. Marketing campaigns will depict an easier, upscale and connected lifestyle with the iCar. Before iCar launch we will interpret the data from our survey to capture the needs and wants of our intended target market (Keller & Kotler 2012).

Differentiating characteristics from competition: The user friendly setup and versatility of the ICar is the main differentiation of our product from the competitors: Ford, Microsoft and Samsung. The iCar, targets technology oriented consumers, will be easy to navigate as it is based on the iPhone. The iCar will only require the initial purchase of the product for between 3-3.5 thousand dollars and will require no further subscriptions, unlike Ford who requires yearly subscription in addition to the initial purchase of sync MyTouch (Muller, 2012). The iCar will offer the customers better visibility and control of their vehicle.

Packaging and Labeling: The iCar will be carefully packaged in individual white boxes measuring 15 inches long, 15 inches wide and 10 inches deep. The boxes will be labeled fragile on the sides to prevent damage. The label of the boxes will display the tablet on the face label showing its design and our slogan “has all the information you want, as you want, when you want.”

Warranties and guaranties: The iCar will have a warranty for the first three years. An additional 2 years warranty could be purchased by customers. The warranty will cover hardware and software malfunctions for the first three years. Apple guarantees fixing the product or replacing with in warranty guidelines.

Positioning statement

Apple will revolutionize the auto industry with the new iCar. Apple’s iCar offers excellent visual quality, ease of operation, and all controls while driving a car safely. Other competitors cannot compare to Apple’s iCar on any level and the iCar is the only tablet that will be compatible with any car.

Conclusion

Reference