Assignment 1

Unit 1: Evolution of Digital Marketing

 Assignment 1 

Task 3 


Part 1

Product


Fig 3. Apple (2019) AirPods [photograph]
Example of a newly developed Apple product which uses wireless technology


Price


Fig 5. Apple (2019) Education Finance Programme [screenshot]
Example of an Apple payment plan aimed at educational institutions


Place


Fig 9. Apple (2019) Apple Princes Street [screenshot]
Example of Apple retail store in a beautiful, standalone building


Promotion



Fig 11. Apple (2019) #ShotoniPhone campaign photos posted on Apple's Instagram [screenshot]
Example of Apple's latest inbound marketing campaign using social media


People
Fig 13. Apple (2016) Apple employees at the grand opening of Apple Via Santa Fe [photograph]
Example of Apple staff dressed casually in jeans and a t-shirt branding the Apple logo


Physical Evidence


Fig 16. Dick-Agnew, D. (2016) Apple Shows Off New Store Designs in London and NYC [photograph]
Example of Apple products displayed on open tables within a cool and inviting space


Process


Fig 19. Apple (2019) Mac tips for Windows switchers [photograph]
Example of one-to-one customer service offered in-store



Part 2 

Written Report
People

A fundamental tool in Apple’s marketing success is its network of employees who work tirelessly to drive and promote Apple’s technology. At the forefront of this network is Steve Jobs, who became a brand unto himself. Not only CEO but a Brand Evangelist to Apple, Jobs created a value system and vision for Apple that successfully infiltrated every aspect of its technology, design, process and marketing. In this written report, I intend to briefly analyse how the vision of Apple’s people, originally ignited by Jobs, continues to drive Apple’s worldwide success. 

Jobs was originally ousted by Apple 1985, only to return in 1997 as CEO of a company enduring plummeting sales and on the face of bankruptcy (Umoh, 2017).  Jobs managed to realign Apple’s vision as an innovative tech company and oversaw its astronomical growth. Currently, Apple is estimated to be 'worth over $800 billion’ (Umoh, 2017). A point Apple never would have reached without the visionary guidance and determination of Jobs during its most crucial years. 

Jobs real talent lay in his ability to transform technology into seductive products for the mass market by focusing on its design. 

The formative design lessons he got were so far ahead of their time that they would lay the groundwork for Apple’s success (Kuang, 11).
Inspired by Zen Buddhism, Jobs affirmed the need for simplicity in design and a minimalist aesthetic. Aware of the growing consumer need for intuitive technology that worked with frictionless ease, one of Jobs most important developments at Apple was a touch and swipe interface for the iPhone. The simplicity and sleekness of this software design was so tempting for consumers that the release of the iPhone in 2007 led Blackberry - who was the leading mobile company at the time - to be ‘ totally blindsided by their newest competitor’ (Ringtone search, 2019). 

Jobs’ ability to analyse the potential of the future market and empathise with consumer needs led to Apple introducing revolutionary online services that coincided with its technology. The first of these services was iTunes, which was launched in 2003. As more of music began to be streamed and downloaded online, Jobs saw an opportunity to satisfy this new consumer base, who didn’t want the hassle of going in-store to buy music, by developing an online, affordable music store. In 2008, iTunes had become the biggest music retailer in the US (Beaumont, 2008). This success continued with the launch of the App Store in 2008 and it became apparent that Jobs had the ingenuity to introduce innovative services to the market before it even realised it needed them.

Tim Cook, the current CEO of Apple and successor to Jobs, stated that Jobs had ‘“an uncanny ability to unlock the talent of everybody that he worked with”’ (Umoh, 2017). This particular gift of Jobs, meant he could inspire his vision for Apple within every one of its employees. Many of Jobs core values, such as focus, simplicity and innovation, were so regularly instilled into the mindset of Apple employees that they became founding values of its company culture. This set of core values is readily upheld and defended by Apple employees and is the reason why customers ‘can walk into any Apple store across the country and have essentially the same experience’ (Moreland, 2011). Exceptional products and customer service, both in-store and online, is the result of Apple employees throughout the chain being unified by a common set of values that were originally ignited by Jobs.

Overall, it can be argued that People remains one of the most important elements to Apple’s marketing mix. Mainly, the contributions made by the key figure of the company, Steve Jobs, is what skyrocketed Apple to global success from a position of facing possible bankruptcy. Jobs’ distinctive and unwavering approach to design meant that new technology was adopted and developed in a way which had never been seen before. His raw understanding of consumer needs saw Apple reap revenue through new, online service channels and his relentless impart of core values led to a united employee base that could maintain Apple’s vision for years to come. The people of Apple continue to lead the tech world, inspired still by Jobs’ determination to change the world.

Image List 

Part 1 

Fig 3. Apple (2019) AirPods [photograph] in apple.com. Available at: https://www.apple.com/uk/shop/product/MMEF2ZM/A/airpods [Accessed 7 February 2019].

Fig 5. Apple (2019) Education Finance Programme [screenshot] in apple.com. Available at: https://www.apple.com/uk/financing/education.html [Accessed 7 February 2019].

 Fig 9. Apple (2019) Apple Princes Street [screenshot] in apple.com. Available at: https://www.apple.com/uk/retail/princesstreet/ [Accessed 7 February 2019].

Fig 11. Apple (2019) #ShotoniPhone campaign photos posted on Apple’s Instagram [screenshot] in instagram.com. Available at: https://www.instagram.com/apple/?hl=en [Accessed 15 February 2019].

Fig 13. Apple (2016) Apple employees at the grand opening of Apple Vía Santa Fe [photograph] in apple.com. Available at: https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2016/09/apples-grand-opening-in-mexico [Accessed 4 March 2019].

Fig 16. Dick-Agnew, D. (2016) ‘Apple Shows Off New Store Designs in London and NYC’ [photograph] in azuremagazine.com. Available at: https://www.azuremagazine.com/article/new-apple-store-designs-london-nyc [Accessed 4 March 2019].

Fig 19. Apple (2019) Mac tips for Windows switchers [photograph] in apple.com. Available at: https://support.apple.com/en-au/HT204216/ [Accessed 6 Match 2019].

Reference List 

Part 2 

Umoh, R. (2017) 'How Apple's success can be traced to Steve Jobs’, CNBC [Online], 13 September, Available at: https://www.cnbc.com/2017/09/13/how-apples-success-can-be-traced-to-steve-jobs.html [Accessed 2 February 2019].

Kuang, C. (2011) 'The 6 Pillars Of Steve Jobs’s Design Philosophy’, Fast Company [Online], 11 July, Available at: https://www.fastcompany.com/1665375/the-6-pillars-of-steve-jobss-design-philosophy [Accessed 2 February 2019].

Ringtone search (2019) How The iPhone Killed the Blackberry [Online], Available at: https://www.ringtonesearch.com/how-iphone-killed-blackberry/ [Accessed 2 February 2019].

Beaumont, C. (2008) 'iTunes becomes biggest US music retailer’, The Telegraph [Online], 4 April, Available at: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/3356961/iTunes-becomes-biggest-US-music-retailer.html [Accessed 2 February 2019].

Umoh, R. (2017) 'Tim Cook says Apple founder Steve Jobs had this unique gift’, CNBC [Online], 12 September, Available at: https://www.cnbc.com/2017/09/12/tim-cook-says-steve-jobs-had-this-unique-gift.html [Accessed 2 February 2019].

Moreland, J. (2011) 'Steve Jobs, Apple, And The Importance Of Company Culture’, Fast Company [Online], 11 February, Available at: https://www.fastcompany.com/1792485/steve-jobs-apple-and-importance-company-culture [Accessed 2 February 2019].

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