Chapter 18- Social Media and Marketing 



Apple uses many different techniques to brand their company and market their products including social media. Social media is any tool or service that uses the Internet to facilitate conversations. When a new Apple product is announced or released, you hear about it everywhere. It's shown all over the news, in newspapers, on tv, and of course on Facebook and Twitter. Even though, social media is used greatly to promote the company, Apple doesn't have an official cooperate page. There is no official cooperate page on Facebook or Twitter, nor Instagram, Google+ or Pinterest. The only social media that Apple uses are LinkedIn and Youtube, which will be listed below.


Apple's LinkedIn Account : https://www.linkedin.com/company/apple 
Apple's Youtube Account :  https://www.youtube.com/user/Apple   


Apple's website also helps with marketing their products and services. On Apples website they have a section for each one of their products, which include but are not limited to, Mac, Ipad, Iphone, Watch and Tv. They also have a section for their Apple Music. I feel like the most helpful thing part of the website is the Support section though. Through the Support section, you can contact them via phone, chat or email. 

Chapter 2- Strategic Planning for Competitive Advantage 



Apple is actually a well known company that is very successful. In order for them to become so successful, they had to go through many trial and errors through strategic planning. According to the MKTG 8 book, Strategic planning is the managerial process of creating and maintaining a fit between the organization's objectives and resources and the evolving market opportunities. To get to the point that they are at now, Apple had goals. According to one of Apple's Senior Vice President of Design, Sir Jonathan Ive, he said that Apple's main goals isn't just about making money. Their goal is to make good products because if the products are good and the consumers are happy. If the consumers are happy, the customer satisfaction will go up and they'll make money regardless. 

According to the SWOT analysis in 2015, Apples strengths are they are one of the top selling phones in the world, and the customers are loyal. Nowadays customers have multiple Apple products. Also brand reputation fits in well, due to the fact that many new products are coming out, most people are part of Apple so when they hear a new product is coming out, they automatically look into it. The weaknesses are high prices. Even though when a new phone comes out, the older products prices drop, but no one is looking to get an older product. Everyone wants the most recent and without an upgrade a new apple product can be anywhere up to $1000, maybe even more. The opportunities are, that even though other products are being made, Apple still has an advantage because their name is out there already. So while upcoming phones are being made, Apple can simply improve their products and loyal customers would already be on their side. A threat to Apple though is other products are starting to have similar traits in them that Apple has but they are offering the products for less, so if consumers see that they can get the same exact thing just in a different product, they will obviously go with the lease expensive one. 

Apple comes out with new phones every year for people that want a new phone or want to upgrade their phone for better. But to keep other Apple users that are satisfied with their phones up to date, they come out with a different Ios every year. For example, next week, September 16th, Ios 9 is supposed to come out and it will support all the Apple products that are already out. But also the new Iphone 6s and Iphone 6s Plus are coming out. 

Chapter 1- Overview of Marketing (Brief History and Mission Statement)


On April 1, 1976, Apple Inc. was created by two college dropouts both by the name of Steve. One of them was Steve Jobs and the other one was Steve Wozniak. They started the company to change peoples views of computers. They wanted to make computers to be user friendly, so they are small enough for people to have them in their homes and offices. They started out building computers in Jobs garage and sold them without a monitor, keyboard or case. Apple didn't go public until approximately 1980, after the computers came with color graphics. Wozniak left Apple in 1983, and Apple was still doing good until around 1990, when everyone thought the company was doomed. Until Apple asked Steve Jobs for help. To get the company to start doing better, Steve Jobs, decided to make some changes, but he didn't officially become the CEO until 2000. He introduced the laptop and also the ipod. Once he seen business start running again, he also introduced the system that we still use for Apple products called itunes. Apple also introduced phones. Even though Steve Jobs passed away, his company and product still lives and is continuing to grow.

Apple Inc Mission Statement:

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Apple is committed to bringing the best personal computing experience to students, educators, creative professionals and consumers around the world through its innovative hardware, software and Internet offerings.