Brand Positioning of Apple
Understanding Apple’s Segmentation, Targeting, and Positioning
The world’s 2nd most valuable brand with a brand valuation of $146+ billion, Apple over the past many years have created a niche that no other product in its category has been able to achieve. All this have been made successful because of the right marketing mix of apple
Apple enjoys an affinity that no other brand has in the world. But what makes it so different and so special than its competitors? For this, we need to understand the brand positioning of Apple.
Let’s understand Apple’s segmentation, targeting and positioning
Segmentation and targeting of Apple:
Market segmentation is the process of dividing a broad consumer or business market, normally consisting of existing and potential customers, into sub-groups of consumers (known as segments) based on some type of shared characteristics.
Market segmentation is based on variables such as behavior, demographics (e.g., gender, age, education, and income), geography, and psychographic characteristics, or those based on lifestyle and personality. In market segmentation you are forming customer personas that suit the best for your brand.
Learn more about what is customer persona and its importance in forming marketing strategies
Targeting is when the company decides on which target customer segment they want to go after, which they think will be profitable for them.
For Apple, the market segmentation and target are clearly defined as
- Age group: 22 – 55
- Gender: Male and Female
- Income: Being an affluent brand, Apple targets medium to high-income individuals
- Lifestyle: Income becomes synonymous with lifestyle and since Apple has medium to high-income individuals as segments, the lifestyle they target is to Modern, young, open to change etc.
- Behavior: Hardcore loyalists – Once an Apple user, always an apple user!. These customer groups become very loyal to a brand and hardly change their brand.
Interesting read: How to develop an effective SEO strategy using theme cluster model
Positioning of Apple :
Positioning of a brand is a marketing effort and can only be done through promotion and advertising. A company’s brand identity, its elements, its product and its communication, they all play an important role in positioning a product.
So, what really is positioning of apple in the market?
In layman terms, positioning is nothing but an emotional value that you have towards a brand
Apple is all about the experience, it goes after the emotional branding something which is felt in the heart and the mind of the customer.
Apple brand is reflected through their core beliefs about innovation, design, and imagination.
All these 3 beliefs are strongly reflected and promoted through their products, advertisements and customer experiences.
Apple is positioned as a luxury brand that carries a huge emotional connection and loyalty among its customers.
Below are the factors which attributed to the positioning of Apple in the market
Brand Identity: All the intangible brand assets like Apple’s brand values, its culture, employees, Brand colors, Tagline, Tone of voice, Type of Imagery etc all these elements contribute in forming a specific position in the minds of the customer.
Product Design and Quality: Since its inception, Apple has been rolling out products which have been an epitome of design and quality. Apple Macintosh was the first personal computer to have a mouse and graphical interface for a user. Apple’s iPod made the old ugly walkman’s put to shame.
Apple has always come up with innovative technology and improved designs and this, in turn, has led them to have a strong command in the market and ask premium prices for their products.
Advertisements: ” The less the Better”: Apple always followed “The Less the Better” philosophy – Clear and straight messaging, and usage of minimalistic colors is what has worked wonders for Apple. The usage of mediums to promote their messaging also plays an important role in positioning Apple.
Also, check out the marketing mix of apple and its 4ps of marketing.
Learn more about what is marketing mix and why is it important to crack the right marketing mix for a brand.