Brief Description of the Product
The Apple I Phone 5 is a type of smart phone developed and produced by Apple Inc, and it was launched in 2013, during the month of September. It is considered to be a sixth generation device in the lineage of the I Phone products. I Phone 5s boast of a wide array of unique features such as Touch ID, metallic ring, finger print recognition, an advanced camera. It runs of IOS 7, and an A7 dual core processor. It weighs 112g, a random access memory of 1GB, Its processor has a speed of 1.3 GHz (McFedries 18). Its storage capacity has been developed with varying capacities of either 16 GB, 32 GB, or 64GB.
Analysis of the Current I phone 5 market Situation
Micro Environmental Factors
Micro environmental factors are the issues, which are extremely close to the company, hence they have the ability to influence the performance of an organization. The marketing department needs to evaluate the manner in which it operates. Over the years, Apple Inc has managed to develop a reputation for itself, through development of high quality brands and marketing strategies. Under the leadership of its founding father, Steve Jobs, Apple Inc has managed to develop a reputation for beautiful and functional products. As a result, customers from across the globe are always anxious whenever the company launches a new product in the market (McFedries 45). It is this anticipation that enables the company to sell millions of products on their first day of release. By so doing, the company manages to generate sales that are worth millions of dollars on the first day of release. This is usually a significant boost to the profitability of the firm. However, the degree of anticipation that used to be brought about by the introduction of a new product has declined significantly. This is based on the introduction of superior brands and the declining popularity of the organization in the global market as competition intensifies.
The development of information and technology has led to the development of complex marketing strategies by competitors. The management needs to establish the various factors that have led to the decline in excitement about the launch of Apple products (Luther 244). This is because the dwindling in the prevailing levels of excitement at the launch of new Apple products has a negative impact on the profitability of the firm. In fact, this decline communicates that there is a problem and the management of Apple Inc needs to tackle. In light of this, the marketing department has decided to work together with the other departments so as to determine the most suitable image for the organization. The marketing department is responsible for positioning the firm in accordance to the preferences and tastes of the consumers. Market positioning will be preceded by marketing research. This research will aim at establishing the various micro environmental factors that are influencing the operations of the organization.
Macro Environmental Factors
Macro environmental factors are considered to be forces that have the ability to influence the micro-environment of an organization, and they are usually part and parcel of the larger society. Technology is an example of a macro environmental factor that has the ability to influence the operations of Apple Inc. The management of Apple needs to put in place mechanisms that will enable the company to be the foremost to launch mobile devices that boast of the latest technologies. In the past, Apple products used to sell very well because they used to boast of the latest technologies (McFedries 12).
However, in the recent years, it appears as if the company is lagging behind as far as technology is concerned. For instance, the majority of the organization’s competitors have launched mobile phones that boast of displays that are larger than five inches in size. However, Apple Inc has not yet launched any mobile phone that bears a display that is larger the five inches in size. Apple I Phone 5s is one of Apple’s latest products, and it boasts of a display of approximately four inches. This is a factor that has negative implications on the ability of Apple Inc to increase its market share within the emerging markets (Luther 12). The marketing department needs to carry out extensive research so as to establish whether consumers want to procure mobile phones that boast of displays that are larger than five inches. This is important as it will enable them to advise the production department on the kind of products that consumers are willing to procure.
Statement of Primary Objective
The fundamental objective of this marketing plan is to enhance the prevailing levels of awareness about the Apple I Phone 5s. Through the implementation of this marketing plan, the organization aims at educating the general public about the Apple I Phone 5s. It is one of the latest products that have been launched by Apple Inc. As a result, the management needs to make certain that the general public is equipped with the relevant knowledge pertaining to this product (Bowman 23). Apple I Phone 5s is a product that boasts of cutting edge technology. It is positioned as a high end smart phone, and its main competitors include the Galaxy S4 by Samsung, HTC One, and Xperia Z among others. Currently, it is considered to be Apple Inc’s flagship product. Through the implementation of this marketing plan, the organization will be able to enhance the prevailing levels of awareness about the Apple I Phone 5s. Consequently, this is expected to enhance the demand for this product.
Target Audience
The primary target audience of this marketing plan is the middle income, as well as the high income market. This market is comprised of individuals that are considered to be either middle class or wealthy. As a result, the marketing department will employ various strategies so as to reach this target market. For instance, the management should choose the most suitable medium of advertisement. The advertisements of Apple I Phone 5s will be placed in strategic locations (Bowman 27). Strategic locations are considered to be the locations whereby individuals can be able to access the members of the intended target market. For instance, in the United States the organization should aim at placing advertisements of Apple I Phone 5s in various billboards that are found in major cities. The most strategic billboards are the ones that are found on the road side or buildings, that can be seen as individuals enter into the city.
The management should ensure that a healthy combination of live and still billboards is done to facilitate their effectiveness. This is because, during the night it is interesting to watch live billboards (Luther 63). In fact, live boards have the ability of attracting the attention of people as they move into the city. However, such billboards are not usually clear during the day. This is because of the glare that is brought about by sunlight. As a result, the management should also place advertisements on still image billboards. All the images on these billboards should be high definition images. This is essential as it will facilitate the organization to capture the attention of the general public. These billboards should also be cleared regularly so as to ensure that the exciting colors on the billboards are not tampered. The billboards should also be equipped with a lighting system. This is essential as it will facilitate the billboards to be visible during the night. The management can also place advertisements on various billboards found outside sport arenas. This is because these are locations that receive a relatively high number of visitors.
Intended Positioning
The Apple I Phone 5s is a premium device. As a result, the management should strive to place advertisements that show the premium features of the phone. For instance, the management hired the services of a public relations and communications company. This company should be tasked with the responsibility of developing advertisements that will enable the organization to achieve the aforementioned objective. Since Apple I Phone 5s is a premium mobile phone, the management should make certain that all the visual advertisements are produced in high definition (Bowman 35). This will be essential as it will display the various features of the phone effectively as they are in reality.
The management should also make certain that these advertisements are able capture the various unique features of the phone. This is because these are the key factors that serve to distinguish this mobile phone, from all the others that are found in the market. This strategy will also serve to enhance an individual’s desire to own this device, hence enhancing the prevailing levels of demand for this product (Luther 7). All the advertisements of the Apple I Phone 5s should inform the general public about the ecosystem of this product. In the contemporary universe, phones are being developed in a manner that they will fit within a specific ecosystem. As a result, the management should also make sure that this product is also positioned in a manner that shows the general public how it relates with other Apple Inc products such as the I Mac, MacBook, and I Pad among others.
General Marketing Mix
The marketing department will develop promotions that will be carried out at different times of the year. The main intention of promotions is raising the prevailing levels of awareness pertaining to the Apple Iphone 5s. These promotions should be carried out on specific timelines and during certain periods. For instance, the management of the organization should make sure they have a promotion running during major holidays. This is because people are usually in the mood of shopping during these periods (Bowman 18). This means if the organization can place advertisements in strategic locations, it can manage to generate a significant demand for this product. The marketing department will also make sure that this product is priced in accordance to its target market. There are individuals who judge the quality of a product based on its price. This implies that a product can be of relatively high quality, but there is a substantive population of people who are of the contrary opinion. This is mainly because the pricing of the product does not serve as a good reflection of the quality of the product. The management should make sure that this product is available in the leading retail outlets countrywide. This is because the organization can be effective at creating awareness about this product, but they are sloppy in making it available to the customer. This is a factor that can bring about negative implications on the sales revenues of the company.
Implementation Plan
This marketing plan should be implemented over a period of one year. This implies that it should be implemented from February 5th, 2014 to February 4th, 2015. This is because market data indicate that on average, most mobile phone remain relevant for a period of three years. Apple I Phone 5s was launched in the year 2013 during the month of September hence it is approximately five months old (McFedries 23). This marketing plan should be implemented by a special task force within the marketing department. This is because the Apple I Phone 5s is among the wide array of products that are being produced by Apple Inc. The marketing of this product should be carried out by a special task force so as to ensure that even the other products by Apple Inc are being marketed. The task force that will be liable for implanting this marketing plan will be under the leadership of the brand manager for Apple Inc’s I Phone.
Works Cited
Bowman, Douglas. Market Response and Marketing Mix Models: Trends and Research Opportunities. New York: Publishers Inc., 2010.
Luther, William M. The Marketing Plan: How to Prepare and Implement it. New York: AMACOM, 2011.
McFedries, Paul. iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C Portable Genius. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2014.
