The brand presented in the following analysis is Apple, world’s most valuable brand according to Bloomberg (Culpan, 09). The value of the Apple brand has been growing at an incredible rate during the past years, that is why it is so interesting to investigate the strategy behind its success.
Brand positioning refers to the activity of reconciling all the marketing effort in order to provide customers with the reason to choose a particular product over the competing ones. Apple positions itself as a premium brand, which offers more than just a product, but an experience and a means for differentiating from the others. Apple culture as well as the price premium, charged for all the products, reflect the strategic orientation of the company and target customers, who are more concerned about the exclusiveness of their device, than about its price.
Today the brand name of Apple is not only associated with the product benefits, such as convenience and technological innovation, but is also positioned on consumer values and beliefs. It appeals to the customers on the emotional level and creates passion for Apple products. Although the word “Apple” has little to do with technology, it reflects the simplicity and innovative nature of the products. Moreover, it is very easy to remember and relate to, it is unique, extendable and can be easily interpreted across languages and cultures.
Apple has been always selling its products under its own name, defining its sponsorship as the manufacturer’s brand. Such strategy in brand sponsorship is justified by the strong differentiation of the product and high brand value. Selling products under Apple brand allows the company to charge a price premium.
Lastly, according to the Power Grid of brand development, Apple is currently a leadership brand, which possesses both high energy and differentiation as well as high relevance and consumer esteem. These values together indicate not only the outstanding past performance of the brand, but also its high potential in the future.
References
Culpan, T. (09, May 2011). Apple brand value at $153 billion overtakes Google for top spot.
Bloomberg Businessweek, Retrieved from http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-
05-09/apple-brand-value-at-153-billion-overtakes-google-for-top-spot.html
Kotler, P., & Armstrong, G. (2010). Principles of marketing. (14th ed.). Upper Saddle River,
NJ: Prentice Hall.
