Introduction
Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation that carries out the designing and manufacturing of consumer electronics and computer software products (Anonymous, Apple Inc, 2010). This company has a total of two hundred and eighty-four stores all over the world and the number of stores located in the United Kingdom is twenty.
The goal of this organization is to provide its customers with personal computers that are the best in the world (Stanford, 2010). The company is linked to ten countries and has more than twenty million customers. The company has more than seventy-five thousand employees all over the world. These employees comprise those concerned with sales, those in marketing, and those in engineering among other employees. The organization takes its employees to be the most valuable wealth regarding their loyalty to the company. The major external audiences to this organization include the customers, the intermediaries, and the stakeholders.
The customers fall into two major categories;- those in education and those that are working. The customers are interested in technology, design, and music among others (Anonymous: who is Apple’s target market, 2010). In education, the students receive a 15 percent discount. The major shareholders of the company include Tamaddon Sina, Johnson Ronald B, and York Jerome B among others. Communication here is mostly carried out through regular meetings for the shareholders.
Communication tools and media used by the company to communicate
The tools used by the company to communicate to its various target external audience include leaflets, promotional giveaways, and advertising. The sales places include the departmental stores, online stores, PC mall: PC World, Currys, Comet among others. The communication media include the internet, TV, newspaper, and broadcast.
Basing on TV, this involves the product’s video. It targets a group of 24 million viewers before 9.30 PM. The people targeted are businessmen, families, and young people. In the Ads for the iPhone, the features of the iPhone are introduced. These features may include video, email music phone et cetera. The purpose of the iPhone TV Ads is to pass over the message to the customers that the iPhone has many functions and it is easy to use. This method of advertising is effective as it is lively and all around.
The internet is another method. In the U.K, it targets internet users who are adults aged above 16 years of age and form 70 percent of the total number of adults. The people targeted are mainly students, businessmen, and voyagers. In the advertising of the iPhone using the internet, the website is given. The message passed over maybe that this is a three in one phone. That the iPhone comprises of three devices that include; a revolutionary phone, a widescreen iPod, and a breakthrough internet device implying this is the best phone a person could ever use.
Since part of the targeted group is the young people, these people use the phone to shoot and share videos, Youtube, games, iPod, among others. The businessmen are also another target. These use the phone for email, up-to-date calendars, stocks, and web browsing among other uses. The voyagers use the phone for compass direction, map, and all-time internet search among other purposes. The internet has a low cost, covers a wider area, brings quick updates, and is generally effective.
Another means of communication is through magazines. The group targeted by this in the UK is 77 percent of the adults. This group consists of the fashion people and the businessmen. There are more than seven kinds of magazines that are devoted to the Apple Company. These magazines carry out the advertisement of the Apple Company products and the message all the time is that ‘Apple is a partner with you’.
Evaluation of various methods of communication
Evaluation concerns with coming up with the ways that are appropriate to measure effectiveness. No perfect measures do exist but it is quite essential to have some ways for trying to determine the level at which communications have realized their objectives. Evaluation can assist in effectively engaging with the audience (Asibey, Parras, and Fleet, 2008).
There is the evaluation of a particular target audience and in this case, are the students. Students are selected because they are the largest consumption group. The students have various features. For instance, this group likes trying out new things, they don’t have a regular income, they spend from hand to mouth, and also they are a large consumer group as earlier on mentioned. The students can consume the product during their free time. The company is fond of offering a product that is very high quality to this group at the cheapest price possible.
The company communicates to the students in various ways. One of the ways is an advertisement. Advertisement is carried out through the internet, the active media such as TV ads, and through print media advertisement. Communication is also carried out through the use of questionnaires. These are taken to the students to get feedback regarding what improvements need to be carried out on a particular product.
More so, communication is carried out by the company sending emails directly to the students regarding the availability of discounts and the new products. Students are fond of receiving discounts or special offers from the company. Free products from this company for the students are normally there at the time the term is beginning and a 15 percent discount for the students as well as an extended warranty of one year. More so, the company has a website from which it receives comments from the students.
The students have a habit of conveying messages to their friends at the time they come across a new product or new good services. This serves to pass over information even to a larger group of people. The ability of the Apple Company to be successful in communicating with the students might be attributed to the company being the sponsor of the students and offering support to education.
Assessment of the ethical and social responsibility policy of the company and how it is communicated
The policy is regarding the educational plan and the target audience includes the students, teachers, schools, and universities. This plan offers a 15 percent off discount. The purpose of the plan is to indicate that the company’s products offer people all the tools they require to turn out to be successful people and get them through life between schools. Another purpose of the plan is that the company wants to promote its own and establish brand reliability.
The people in the education sector qualify to receive education discounts from the company. Such people include the students, administrators, teachers, and any other member of staff in education. All these people qualify for special discounted pricing on Apple Company computers, software, and selected third-party products. However, there are limits on the quantities (Anonymous: Apple on campus, 2010).
Regarding the environmental programs, the Apple Company should recycle computers and displays by email. It should do this responsibly and domestically. The old iPod or any mobile phone should be recycled by email or this should be brought to the store for 10 percent off for a new one.
The company should take an initiative to collect personal information to identify the specific customer needs and this will help in enabling the company to deliver a higher level of customer service. The company should reflect for it to be able to improve the image of the company. By improving the image, the company will be able to retain the existing customers as well attract more new customers.
Recommendations and conclusion
In general terms, the Apple Company has been quite successful in employing its strategies to carry out communication to various audiences. This success can be attributed to the company getting to the U.K market much earlier than most of the companies at the time when there was less competition and gaining stability in the market.
However, for this company to go on being successful and meet the rising competition in the market, it needs to carry out some improvements regarding communication strategies. For the company to reach even a much larger audience, it needs to carry out mobile phone advertising. More so, the Apple Company needs to carry out more public service activities to bring the prestige of the people at a higher level. In addition, the company should cooperate with the game companies to enrich their products through the production of more software for the game players.
Reference
Anonymous, (2010) Apple Inc. [Online]. Metaweb.Web.
Anonymous, (2010) Apple on campus [Online]. Apple Inc.Web.
Anonymous, (2010) who is Apple’s target market? [Online]. Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd. Web.
Asibey E., Parras T., and Fleet J. V., (2008) A communication evaluation guide [Online]. Communications Network and Asibey Consulting.Web.
Stanford, G. (2010) Apple history [Online]. Glen Sanford. Web.