Introduction
Apple brand is among the top-ranked, most recognizable, and valuable brands globally. Since the recognition of the brand has a close relationship with the brand value, the vast product ecosystem has dramatically supported the Apple brand. Additionally, for a long time, Apple has had a reputation for designing and developing sell-designed, well-functioning, and highly innovative products. It has also delivered outstanding financial performance as well as customer experience (Aljafari, 2016). This paper examines the customer experience I have had with the company, areas the brand is doing well at, and areas that can be improved. Further, the paper also summarises various pieces of information that can be helpful to a new employee whom the company has hired. These pieces of information will enable the new employee to fit into the company fast.
The first point of attraction that allowed me to get the customer experience with Apple was the need for a platform to source music, movies, news, tunes, photos, and apps, among others. The choice of Apple was a simple one to make because, with it, I would access all these and many more from a common platform. After shifting to Apple, I was able to access everything I was looking for in a commonplace, meaning that the brand met my expectations. However, the choice was also necessitated by the fact that the brand was cost-effective in terms of its pricing. This means that the four Ps marketing theory was applied (Kotler & Keller, 2016). This marketing mix comprises product, price, place, and promotion.
What the Brand is Doing Well
Through its marketing capabilities and advertisement, the company has achieved strong brand recognition and reputation. The company has always relied on external agencies for promotion to launch its advertising and marketing campaigns. The campaign’s result was Apple establishing itself with an iconic brand image. However, the company has recently shifted its efforts to build its marketing and advertising teams in-house by attracting talented people. The success of this initiative would lower costs and strengthen the capabilities of marketing and advertising (Li & Hopfgartner, 2016). Therefore, the company’s excellence in the creation of marketing campaigns, quality products, and the ability to provide the desired customer experience is an area it is performing exceptionally well.
Another area the brand is doing well is that the company can design, develop, and deliver its hardware and software as well as services and applications. This ability has allowed the company to quickly introduce innovative, easy-to-use, and unique solutions for its customers. Products and services that are unique and innovative and seamlessly integrate into a single ecosystem have been an attraction that has made many customers buy the brand’s premium products. Therefore, the single ecosystem has created a competitive advantage that other companies have not provided.
Areas to Improve
Recently, Apple introduced Proactive, a new feature intended to use information on time and location to surface apps and knowledge in what was regarded as a Google Now version. This was seen as necessary because ios devices should be smatter and of high capability. One improvement that should be done on an iPhone is that it should be designed to identify its location to follow the rules of its site. For instance, it should know if it is in a car to follow regulations related to vehicles. Additionally, an IPad should be designed to automatically connect to a favorite speaker system while all audio is routed to Air Pods by a home profile.
Another thing that can be improved is making iPods relevant. While iPod Nano, Classic, and Shuffle were all killed by Apple, the iPod touch has remained alive to date. The iPod’s name remains a great brand and is being handled by a third-party software team dedicated to marketing. Following Nintendo’s Switch’s recent mega-strength of selling units in excesses of 10 million a year, Touch can be refocused to become a competitor to Nintendo Switch. According to the marketing orientation theory, this requires a deep understanding of the competitor (Cacciolatti & Lee, 2016). Additionally, since kids still love the iPad Mini, the iPod family can comprise the iPad Mini. Moreover, iPod Touch can be repurposed by Apple in new housing to compete with the video-capable models of Amazon video. This is because the apps, chips, and OS are all present, and the only thing required is new housing as well as a screen.
The apple accessory market is another area that the company should improve. Over the years, the company’s pitch has been that it costs more for Apple-approved accessories since they have been tested and proved to be safe and compatible with most devices. However, the company’s decision to have everything done its way has been very effective for neither customers nor developers. This has seen the company’s accessory market that used to thrive into rubble. This move also scared customers, most of whom moved to different reasonably priced alternatives. Therefore, the company should overhaul its entire accessory licensing and seek the next generation’s hardware developers instead of tying them down and controlling them.
Moreover, the company can also improve its Macs by developing touch screen Macs. The MacBook Touch Bar has become an expensive distraction since only a few developers remember it, and most users avoid using it. Therefore, the company should welcome the idea of touch screens across various Macs. The families of the iPad, iPhone, and Apple Watch should also be streamlined. The line-up of the iPad has become uncontrollably large because of the competition between the 9.7 and 10.5-inch devices and between Wi-Fi + and Wi-Fiat each capacity. Further, out of the eight devices, six of them do not have to exist. Several versions of the Apple Watch exist due to the multiple materials, strap bundles, sizes, and straps. This improvement can be achieved by streamlining each product line and keeping only three iPads. The Apple TV section of the business has remained disappointing for several years as it is always last, behind even smaller competitors in all aspects, including pricing and apps (Baltes, 2016). The company failed to take advantage of a chance of getting people to buy Apple TV games as well as apps because of a joystick policy. Therefore, the company needs to improve this scenario and get real with Apple TV.
Fitting into the System
To help me fit nicely into a company as big as Apple as a new employee, I would need information about various aspects. First, I would seek information about emergency plans and contact information. While every employee would like to avoid emergencies, it is critical to be prepared. Secondly, I also need an employee checklist because the first few weeks entail a lot. A list with an action plan with details on training and tasks regarding events to take place in the first few weeks of my tenure will also be helpful. A checklist with a solid outline will not only track my performance but also assure me of the company’s plan and value for the position I have been given.
Additionally, I would also need a performance plan and job description. This would provide a clear path of the roles to be accomplished and the measurement of their successes or failures over time. This will also highlight my responsibilities, timelines, and expectations on what I should achieve. Signing this document would enable me to understand the expectations and provide the company management with a written guideline for performance evaluation. Lastly, according to the institutional theory of marketing, an employee handbook will be of great significance as it outlines the company’s policies, procedures, and other critical elements (Slimaneet al., 2019). Further, the handbook can serve as a compliance tool as evidence that as a new staff member, I was made aware of the rules and policies of the company.
Conclusion
Apple is a global brand that has stood the test of time and emerged as one of the best brands. The company has done well in various areas, especially advertising and marketing. However, the company also has areas that it can improve. Therefore, a newly hired employee would need a lot of information regarding the company before the commencement of work because a company of its size could have a lot of rules, policies, and procedures.
Reference List
Aljafari, A.(2016)‘Apple Inc. industry analysis business policy and strategy’, International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research, 7(3), pp.406-441.
Baltes, L. P.(2016)‘Digital marketing mix specific to the IT field’, Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Brasov. Economic Sciences. Series V, 9(1), p.33.
Cacciolatti, L. and Lee, S. H.(2016)‘Revisiting the relationship between marketing capabilities and firm performance: the moderating role of market orientation, marketing strategy and organisational power’, Journal of Business Research, 69(12), pp.5597-5610.
Kotler, P. and Keller, K. L.(2016) A framework for marketing management. Boston: Pearson.
Li, N. and Hopfgartner, F.(2016)‘To log or not to log?SWOT analysis of self-tracking’, in Selke, S. (ed.) Lifelogging.Wiesbaden: Springer VS, pp. 305-325.
Slimane, K.B. et al. (2019)‘Bringing institutional theory to marketing: taking stock and future research directions’, Journal of Business Research, 105, pp.389-394.