Essay 3A Branding

Essay 3A

Branding – Apple

 THE QUESTION: Define what branding is and it’s importance to these products.  How have these companies’ brands been solidified (solid) or fortified (make something stronger) through the effective use of both traditional offline and emerging online marketing and media?

  

PART ONE:

SUMMARY: While answering this question, I realized that Apple is one of the most known brands out there.  It is such a simple picture, but mostly everyone who sees the Apple logo knows what it stands for.  I also noticed how important branding is since most people are able to tell a company by their logo, no matter how simple or elaborate it is.  Branding is a very useful and common way to help companies market to get their name heard.

REASON:  This question was asked so we could understand how much of an impact branding has on marketing.   I think you also wanted us to realize that most companies are known just by looking at their logo.  In marketing we learn that a product must have something to catch peoples attention and stand out to them and branding is a key way in doing so.

PURPOSE:  I think the main purpose of you asking us this question was for us to think about why branding is so important in marketing and why it’s essential for companies to market their brand so persistently.  I also feel like you wanted us to recognize that you don’t need a fancy complex logo to get your band out there.

DIRECTION:  I used the Internet to get all my research on this topic.  I found various websites and blogs that talked about Apple and their logo.  When I first started my research I was mostly looking at how Apple came out with an apple as their logo and “Apple” as their name.  But then as my research progressed I started focusing on how the Apple Brand became so well known and how they market their products.

IMPRESSIONS: A surprise that I had while doing research on Apple was where their name actually came from.  I was shocked that Steve Jobs used to work at an Apple farm, thought apples were the perfect fruit and admired the Beatles Apple record label.  So when the deadline was coming up and he needed a name for the company, he was eating an apple and decided the company would be called Apple.  I was shocked that such a common fruit could become such a successful company. (http://www.maxintosh.org/reviewsnews/2010/7/12/how-did-apple-get-its-name-and-that-logo.html)

PART TWO:

ANSWER:

Creating a product that has a well-known brand helps increase the popularity of that product.  The purpose of a branding is to get your customers to see you as the best and only choice that provides a solution to what they need.   The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a customers experience represented by a collection of images and ideas; it often refers to a symbol such as a name, logo, and slogan and design scheme. (http://www.marketingpower.com/_layouts/Dictionary.aspx?dLetter=B)  When a product has a popular brand name, most consumers view that product as being most reliable and having better quality, when in reality they’re probably the exact same product.  Most people are willing to pay more for a brand name product when they could get the same product for cheaper.  Over the years, Apple has created a very simple yet successful brand name and logo that is associated with extremely reliable products.

When Steve Jobs, the former owner of Apple, was trying to create a name for his company he was around apples a lot.  He was working on an apple farm, was a fruitarian and also loved the Beatles record label, which was also named Apple.  The day he needed the name because the deadline was coming up, he couldn’t seem to think of anything better but the name “Apple”.  He thought that it was ‘fun, spirited and not intimidating’.  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc.)  Apple Inc is an excellent example of how you don’t have to have a complex logo to make your brand popular and stand out next to others.  In reality, the simpler the logo is, the easier it is for people to remember.  Apple Inc’s logo is a silhouette of an apple with a bite taken out of it, yet when most people see if they immediately think of Apple, Inc.  Over the years, the Apple logo has changed color, but has always been the same picture.  The Apple brand helps Apple, Inc compete in numerous competitive markets, including the computer industry, electronics, digital music, magazines, books, games, tablets and most recently cell phones.  (http://www.marketingminds.com.au/branding/apple_branding_strategy.html) 

Branding and trustworthy products have played a huge part in Apples success.  When people hear of the brand “Apple”, the first thing that comes to their heads usually is extremely reliable.  They are so reliable that when someone has their first Apple they will always look to Apple for future purchases.  Apple has done a great job in reinforcing their products and adapting to customers needs.  When you walk into an Apple store there is always someone at the front door asking what you are looking for.  Also, throughout the store there are numerous electronic devices that you can test out to see if you truly like the product that you are buying.  When you walk into the Apple store you immediately feel like you are going to get the best and newest technological product out with great support from the tech crew to help you understand the product.

Apple has made many strategic moves over the past several years that have made them the top competitor in the technology world.  Apple products are known as cool and futuristic which grabs consumer’s attention.  “When you hear some marketers talk about Apple, you hear about emotive benefits associated with the brand: the cool design aesthetic, the imagery in the advertising, and the sense of community evoked by seeing people you respect with Apple products.”  (http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2011/07/the-secret-to-apples-marketing-genius-hint-its-not-marketing/241724/)  Apple seems to always be one step ahead of technological changes that helps grabs customers attention because everyone always wants “the new cool technology” before their friends can get it.

One of the first things that Apple did that brought them to become one of the top competitors was when they created the iPod.  At the time of the iPods, mp3 players were the newest and coolest music player.  As the mp3 player fad was dying Apple came out with the iPod, which had a cool TV screen and was extremely simple to use.  When people were introduced to the iPod, they wouldn’t settle for anything less than that anymore, including their old mp3 players.

Apple followed up their success with the iPod with their computer brand known as Macintosh.   They benefitted through the “Halo” effect to help market their product.  “In advertising terms this is when one product or brand from a company benefits in sales from a 2nd product or ad campaign from the same company.”  (http://seekingalpha.com/article/74064-apple-s-branding-strategy-delivers-superior-results)  When the Macintosh computers came out, customers knew how reliable their iPods were and how cool and technology superior than other products.  So when the Macintosh computers came out, everyone wanted to get one.  They were known to rarely get virus and are fast working computers, which they are still to this day.  Soon after their computers became popular Apple released the iPhone.  Everyone had to get his or her hands on the iPhone because it was the most up-to-date technological phone.  Through branding, Apple has solidified their products by being known has having the newest technological products that are most reliable with great customer service.   The Apple crew is always looking out for customer needs and trying to create the best products for Apple users.