The iPhone Marketing - Report Sample

Introduction

Every business entity has to apply consumer behavior for it to gain more profits and maintain its customers. A business requires understanding the needs and preferences of its target market and providing products or services that best fit them. Though its iPhone brand, Apple company is a perfect example of a corporation that has gained much success for using customer behavior in its business activities. This paper aims to discuss how the iPhone has applied personality and self-concept to grow its brand, adapted to the consumer culture, and how the Apple company uses iPhone to develop its relationship with the consumer.

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iPhone History

iPhone mobile was introduced into the market in 2007 by Apple Inc company (Miles, 2020). Apple Inc. designs, manufacture, and markets software, portable digital music, media communication devices, and computers. Apple Inc. company was founded in 1976 by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. The two founders brought a new perspective on the way people viewed computers. The first version of the iPhone was developed without certain features like copy and paste, 3G, and apps. The version could only be sync through iTunes on the desktop. Apple has done various modifications to the iPhone's design, from the first version in 2007 to the present version of 2020. The company substituted the metal design with a plastic design in iPhone 3G and 3GS and later moved to a glass design in iPhone 4. The metal model design was reintroduced in iPhone 5. The later versions of the iPhone that is the iPhone 8, iPhone X, and iPhone XS, were developed using the glass models. The current iPhone versions in 2020 have upgraded features like a quality camera and 5G connectivity.

Application of Personality

The Apple Inc. company has applied the personality and the self-concept to develop the iPhone brand since 2007. The iPhone brand is one of the most prestigious models admired by many for its unique features. When considering the personality perspective, the Apple company has gained its success by having a unique personality as it strived to adapt to its environment. Personality is the totality of thoughts, intentions, behaviors, emotions, and tendencies. Personality is unique to an individual, and it is typically portrayed when an entity strives to adapt to an environment. The iPhone brand contains some unique features that differentiate it from other smartphones. The iPhone's unique features explain the brand personality, which is a human characteristic that can be associated with a specific brand. Brand personality offers a company the opportunity to differentiate its product.

The first unique feature in iPhone mobiles is the messaging feature platform known as iMessage. The iMessage is an instant messaging that is only found on iPhone devices. The messaging platform has not been developed in any of the other phone brands. iMessage is fully encrypted and contains additional features such as Memoji. When a message is sent to another iPhone, the chat bubble changes to blue, making the sender aware that the recipient is also using an iPhone (Apple Support, 2020). The bubble turns green if the recipient of the massage is an android user. iMessage also allows the user to send or request money through Apple Pay, and colorful animations are then added to the message. The sending of messages via the iMessage platform requires an internet or a Wi-Fi connection. When there is no available data network, the messages sent to other iPhones are done through SMS messaging, where the user is charged by his carrier, unless he has a message plan.

The iPhone brand also an operating system known as iOS rather than an android operating system applied by most smartphones. iOS has a layered architecture as it contains an intermediate layer between the hardware and the applications. The role of the intermediate layer is to avoid direct communication between the two. The iOS operating system is also available in other Apple devices such as the iPod, but it lacks phone calling capabilities. The operating system can be installed through Apple's App Store in all Apple products, the iPhone included.

The iPhone brand contains a variety of add-ons, which provides the user with various services for its users. For instance, a health labs platform is present in the iPhone. The platform makes wireless scales and activity monitors, wireless pulse oximeter, and blood pressure monitors. The health app collects data for health purposes on daily activities (van Zandwujk, 2019). The add-ons are only available on iOS, making the iPhone have its brand personality.

The Apple company has also simplified the iPhone's use by having a simple interface present on the iPod. The same application of the same interface in the iPhone has made familiar to users thus simple to use. In Android, an application may be misconfigured, making it not to perform as expected. iPhone ensures that all of its features, including apps, function correctly the way Apple intended them to work. All iPhone brands operate the same way, while android functions differently, depending on the person's phone. This is because different phone providers have separate android launchers. Additionally, the iPhone provides various accessibility options for people who require unique accessibility options, such as low-vision users. For instance, the iPhone allows one to dim the light down, which is useful to people who study during the night. The feature is not present to android users as the setting does not allow one to dim the light down as much as necessary. These features give the iPhone brand its identifiable characteristic.

Adapting to Consumer Culture

The iPhone brand's success is mainly because of its adaptive capabilities to the consumer culture. Consumer culture is a commonly held societal beliefs that demonstrate what is socially gratifying. Consumer culture plays an essential role in shaping consumer activities' value, such as giving meaning to actions and objects and facilitating communication. A consumer culture considers the connection that consumers may have with services or products. Every business owner is supposed to identify his target market, which applies more than just basic demographics. Consumer culture is used to target people or groups that share the same desire and have the same demand for the service or product.

The development of Apple company is a perfect example of consumer culture. Apple was not the first company to invent the tablet, smartphone, personal computer, music download software, and portable music device. Yet, it has become one of the prominent companies gaining significant sales, profits, and market share. The rise of the Apple company to one of the most influential technologies globally is mainly because of the creation of products that fit its customers' needs. Through this, buyers became part of the technology movement. Apple company, through its iPhone brand, strives to make life easier through technology. The company has created a culture displayed through its precise and straightforward packaging of the iPhone brand.

Apple accesses relevant information about the consumer when the consumer downloads or purchases iTunes. The data is used to give Apple an insight into the customer and what drives the customer's purchase behavior. The iTunes software found in iPhone has transformed in ways users of the brand consume media. iTunes has provided new consumption methods for video, music, photography, and allowed apps. Apple has done this by evaluating the information derived from iTunes and other sources, where it gets the customer experience.

To create a unique customer experience, iPhones are available in Apple-branded stores. The stores make interoperability between the watches that display capabilities, including video, music, software, apps, and hardware components such as computers, tablets, and music players. The Apple-branded stores are used to capture the knowledge of customers concerning iPhone and other Apple products. The stores provide services such as repair services, direct tutorials, and workshops to issue an exciting customer experience. Apple also applies strict key elements by dictating iPhone brands' pricing and their mode of display to retailers. The strict rules set are essential in gaining a competitive advantage in the physical environment.

Communication

In terms of communication, the Apple company uses verbal communication to inform its consumers about a particular iPhone brand. Verbal communication involves the transfer of information by either written or spoken word. The company applies an efficient communication strategy to provide information about its iPhone brands. iPhone advertises its products using print and media. iPhone also uses celebrity endorsements in the media and print advertising. When unveiling a new iPhone brand, the executives use a robust communication strategy of posting a short description of about 140 characters on Twitter, accompanied by the product name and picture. The design is derived from brain rules, which states that a person is more likely to pay attention to a big picture description than a detailed one. Thus, the presentation of a product should start with a big picture, followed by details, and the ending should be a big picture also. When unveiling the iPhone 11, Tim Cook, the Chief Executive office of Apple, described the product using 11 words. The short description focused on the essential features of the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 pro.

Apple's communication style provides its customers with trust, confidence, and shared beliefs that make consumers make their phone purchase from the company. Efficient communication strategies of Apple company about iPhone brands make the consumers gain confidence that they are purchasing a quality product. The shared beliefs between the iPhone and its customers and quality product and service experiences are crucial in developing the brand in the customer's mind.

The Apple company has designed a useful website that helps the customers communicate with the company. Customers from all parts of the world can communicate with the officials on an online chat platform and express their grievances about its iPhone brand and other products. Simultaneously, the company can get information concerning the customers' preferred tastes and preferences and make necessary adjustments. When a customer buys an iPhone from the Apple company, he can communicate easily with the company officials informing them about any challenges he has experienced in handling the phone. The close communication between the customer and the company increases customer loyalty and helps the company maintain its customers (Schneiders, 2011). The Apple company also has well-trained agents who deliver the latest information concerning iPhone brands to the public. The agents are well skilled in communication, and they can listen patiently to customers without interrupting.

Conclusion

Apple company is very determined in making its customers around the world happy and satisfied with their products. The connection between the company and the consumer is mainly displayed through the communication process between the two. The company has developed a website online chat platform where its customers can convey their complaints to the Apple officials. Through the well-trained agents, the customers are listened to attentively, and their issues concerning iPhone are resolved. The communication between the Apple company and the consumer boosts the customer's loyalty and enables the company to maintain its customers.