International Entrepreneurial Marketing Strategies Assignment Sample

• Subject Name : Management

Managing Marketing: Apple and Lenovo Laptops

Contents

Introduction.

STP strategy.

Apple laptop.

Targeting.

Positioning.

Lenovo Laptop.

Value proposition.

Point of parity and point of difference.

Analysis of two products.

Two salient features.

Conclusion.

Introduction to International Entrepreneurial Marketing Strategies

Marketing strategies are one of the most important approaches to attaining a competitive advantage in the most effective manner (Yang 2018). In the current scenario, companies are focusing on developing an effective marketing strategy to survive in a highly competitive environment. Major players like Apple, Lenovo Dell, and others are focusing on innovations and effective resources and development to provide the right products to the right customers. The major focus of this analysis is to assess the overall marketing strategies of apple and Lenovo laptops. Both the companies are considered as the premium brands for laptop and are known for effective Customer services. The analysis will focus on assessing the best brand which can provide maximum benefit to the customers. Also, the point of parity and point of difference will be utilized to understand the unique features that help the companies to achieve competitive advantage and long-term profitability. 

STP Strategy

Apple Laptop

Segmentation targeting positioning is one of the most effective strategies to attain a competitive advantage (Camilleri 2018). It has been identified that Apple has established itself as a premium brand that offers a variety of products and services. Furthermore, the target customers of the company are willing to pay additional for technology products as they have advanced design, functions, and capabilities. Segmentation focuses on dividing the population into different groups according to the specific features or characteristics (Payne 2017). The common set of features shared by Apple’s target customer segment includes design, quality, and performance. Also, the company uses a mono-segment type of positioning and makes a positioning appeal to the loyal customer segment (Camilleri 2018). Furthermore, the company positions itself as a premium brand offering products and services which have advanced functions and capability. The target customers of Apple Laptops include individuals who are willing to pay additional for technology, Professional, techno-savvy, students, and many more.

Targeting

It has been identified that Apple targets three major segments (Yang 2018). A laptop is one of the most premium brands in the company. Furthermore, apple targets the urban population who has enough buying power to purchase the Apple MacBook. It includes early adopters.

The target market of the Apple laptop includes the following:

• Teenagers: teenagers are one of the major target customers of Apple laptops (Payne 2017). Besides, teenagers used laptops for study purposes and to use social media like Facebook, Twitter, and many more.
• University students: The Company also targets University and college students. Besides, students are one of the major target customers of Apple's MacBook as well as the iPhone. Furthermore, Apple MacBook is a very light product which makes carrying device very suitable.
• Business people: business people are highly impressed with the quality of Apple Laptops.
• Adults: adults also use these products to fulfil their communication needs and perform business functions most effectively. 

Positioning

Apple laptops are positioned as premium products and they are generally priced higher than the competitive products. The positioning strategy of the company is Highly Effective as it has to differentiate it from other competitors (Gonchar et al. 2019). With the help of different positioning strategies, the company can compete based on innovation and unique value propositions. Also, the premium pricing strategy helps the company to gain more profit in the most effective manner (Hinterhuber and Liozu 2018). To strengthen its premium pricing, the company does not provide a discount on any product. The company has positioned itself for Valley people’s innovators and people with good jobs. 

Lenovo Laptop

Lenovo designs different types of laptops for different needs. The company has differentiated its products for commercial use as well as home use. Furthermore, the segment is divided into different categories.

Targeting: The business strategy of the company has witnessed a major transformation and also surpass major competitors like Dell, Acer. The target customers of the company include carbon customers, rural customers with strong brand awareness customers with advanced concepts and students (Qi 2017). The company is one of the largest manufacturers of laptops but the major problem is that they are not well known in some markets. To capture a large market share, the company is focusing on building strong brand awareness and improving its presence in the rural market. 

Segmentation: the company has made massive changes in its present strategy to cope with the competition.

Value Proposition

Apple Laptop

Apple is one of the most famous innovators and it includes a wide range of value proposition that enhances the overall value of the brand. Now value proposition on the company is based on three different things including ‘’think different motto and reliable technological devices for mass markets (Gonchar et al. 2019). In the current Era, the company has also focused on privacy to differentiate itself from other major competitors. It is necessary to understand that the value proposition focuses on developing a strategy that influences the customers to buy the products and services. In the current scenario, the company has the most significant market share and they are putting more emphasis on customer share (Gaba 2020). Besides, the company's most current value proposition is focusing on privacy protection and becoming a part of a safe ecosystem. It has been identified that the computers of Apple are mainly designed by the company itself. As an outcome, the company had a higher cost structure and research and development costs are high as compared to the competition. Also, the company can focus on reducing research and development costs to improve the manufacturing, distribution, and marketing tactics. In this industry, every player comes up with new technology and innovation so Apple needs to focus on continuous innovation and product quality (Gaba 2020). Also, the company always targets customers who are techno Savvy and looking for something unique and innovative. Also, the company designed some of the most popular products like computers, iPods, iPhones which are highly differentiated from other competitors. 

Lenovo Laptop

Innovation is one of the major factors that provide a unique value proposition to the company (Qi 2017). Lenovo always focuses on user-friendly hardware and technology to compete in the market. The company has a creative innovative centre on its laptops as well as a significantly commended keyboard so that all the new technology remains consistent and strong (Zhang 2017). The Machines of the company uses current cooling systems and resourceful technology to decrease damage to internal systems and increase long term usage. The company also uses customization to design different sizes to meet the needs of all the target customers. With the help of all these characteristics, the company can compete in a highly competitive environment (Jiao and Wei 2020). It has also been identified that Lenovo majorly focuses on building effective customer relationships, featuring warranties and extensive support. They also try to offer after-sales support to businesses as well as schools to make sure that the right product reaches the target customers (Yang 2018). Personal assistance is provided by the company so that customers will be able to understand the features and innovative technology offered by the company. 

Point of Parity and Point of Difference

A point of parity is considered as industry principles that make business genuine in their particular industry (Jiao and Wei 2020). It describes the qualities that a company has to compete in the environment. In this context, apple and Lenovo are the premium laptop manufacturers in the world. Both companies are competing in the global competitive environment. It has been identified that both the companies are focusing on effective branding positioning and establishing the products as one of the premium brands (Zhang 2017). The companies are putting a major emphasis on using innovative technologies to enhance the User experience and developer a large market share. It has also been identified that the core competency of Apple's Macbook is innovation (Jiao and Wei 2020). Also, the company possesses a long history of Designing unique and innovative products which include iPhone, iPad, and Mac computers, Apple TV, Apple Watch, and many more. Apple MacBook and Lenovo provide excellent options for business people and frequent Travelers who require some things that feel premium and is portable yet powerful. 

A laptop is one of the most effective tools for presentations, web research, word processing, spreadsheets, and many more (Jiao and Wei 2020). In the current scenario, the demands of the customers are changing rapidly due to which companies face very challenges and designing the appropriate product that will be able to suit the demands of the target customers.

The evidence specified that Apple utilizes an effective marketing resource to enhance the product and attain customer feedbacks (Payne 2017). With the help of customer feedback, the company will be able to increase customer satisfaction and build a strong relationship with them. The company can gain the trust of the customers and loyal customers are will always prefer Apple among other competitors. The laptops offered by Apple include two different MacBook Air models which are 11 and 13 inches. Furthermore, the company designs ultraportable laptops that are highly suitable for students and business persons. The lightweight alternative also helps to attract the attention of the customers (Gaba 2020). Furthermore, models include a solid flash memory of 64 GB, 128 GB, RAM 256 GB for bulk storage. It includes the i5 Core processor which runs at a slower speed to maximize battery life. The company offered a very thin but strong aluminium case. All the Apple laptops are integrated with Intel HD 3000 graphics processor. One of the major factors for Lenovo is to balance the price as well as brand value. The company offers a wide range of suitable products at affordable prices. It has also been identified that Lenovo established itself as a leader in technological innovation. Also, the designs and products are developed based on the feedback and customer opinions collected. It has also been identified that Apple sells a product in different countries and has a major target group in China and India (Boiano 2020). Besides, the diversification factor, Public Relationship, effective personalized services are some of the major elements that differentiate Lenovo from other competitors. 

Analysis of Two Products

Apple and Lenovo are also manufacturers of mobile phones. Besides, the companies target different segments to market their product in the most effective manner. It has been identified that Apple manufactures the iPhone series for customers (Davis 2017). Furthermore, the iPhone is faster than any other Android-based phones. One of the major factors for the success of Apple's iPhone is the better hardware, software integration, and control on both sides of the equation (Zhang 2017). Besides, the company also bought a major emphasis on investing in research and development. Every target customer recognized the unique features of the Apple iPhone over other competitors (Davis 2017). Besides, the 3D Touch display of the iPhones are smart enough to sense the pressure and enables the customers to take quick actions. However, Android users face some difficulties and using iPhones as it is different from other products. The company has also made major improvements in their products by including Siri and control centres. Also, the iOS10, Siri, iMessage are some of the major updates that provide customizable widgets for the screen. Apple iPhones allow users to update IOS whenever they want. It has been identified People start 80 per cent of ios devices are functioning on iOS010. However ios and Android have millions of apps in the app store but the iPhone is still preferred by the developers to launch a new app to attain maximum reach. Besides, iPhones also function very well with Mac.

The customer can also that easy access to pictures on iPhone from the Mac as well as documents or notes. Factors have also been identified that Apple provides the final support and assistance for the users (Davis 2017). Lenovo mobile phones have built a great position in the market but the competitions are offering high-quality products that can fulfil all the needs of the target segments (Boiano 2020). It has also been identified that Lenovo is a new player in the Smartphone industry and it is facing difficulties in making a unique and loyal set of target customers (Camilleri 2018). To deal with all these issues, the company has reduced expenses to simplify its product portfolio. The company has also shifted its major focus to Latin America and North America. One of the major reasons for not selecting Lenovo is that the company is not able to fully understand the target market and their changing needs and requirements (Qi 2017). The company launched Apple iPhone in 2007 and it comes off with a 3.5-inch display powered by a 412 Core processor and 128 of GB of RAM. In the current scenario, the company has launched the latest versions of the iPhone including iPhone X, iPhone XS, iPhone XS series, and XR (Davis 2017). Besides, the company also includes a notch which is an effective facial ID recognition system. Furthermore, recent iPhones are bigger in size and include touch screens that employ multi-touch Technology. Also, touch Technology can allow users to control items on the screen. iPhone can be considered as a mini-computer as it offers a wide range of features and functions that a computer provides. Furthermore, the iPhones are divided into different categories: the features of the iPhones are very useful as it includes innovative features like visuals, standard features, text messaging, voice, free conference calls (Zhang 2017). Furthermore, it is a personal information manager that has pre-loaded applications of the calendar, dress book, stock weather, and other important features. 

Two Salient Features

One of the major features of the iPhone is that it uses the device with iCloud. With the help of this feature, the customers can back up their data to iCloud instead of iTunes for safe and simple data access. It also helps to redownload the purchases including apps music, ebooks. Another major feature is LTE capabilities and improved graphics. The company is highly recognized to accept the evolution of mobile networks in iPhone applications (Backaler 2019). Also, they have clearly understood the needs of the target customers and target market. 

Conclusion on International Entrepreneurial Marketing Strategies

It has been concluded from the overall analysis that apple and Lenovo laptops of functioning in a highly competitive environment. Both brands have some unique features that are providing long term revenue and effective customer feedback. However, Apple iPhone can establish its brand image as one of the most premium Technology brand. The analysis also revealed that Apple mobile phones are much more suitable for customers as they can function smoothly and provides a unique experience. Also, the brand image of Apple helps the organization to attain a competitive advantage and a high level of profitability. The analysis revealed that technological company must focus on building innovative products and invest in continuous research and development to provide the right products in the right market. 

Reference for International Entrepreneurial Marketing Strategies

Backaler, J., 2019. Digital influence: The rise of modern-day influencer marketing and key implications for global business leaders. Journal of Digital & Social Media Marketing, 7(1), pp.44-52.

Boiano, E., 2020. Lenovo: a big step toward the future of technology (Bachelor's thesis, Università Ca'Foscari Venezia).

Camilleri, M.A., 2018. Market segmentation, targeting and positioning. In Travel marketing, tourism economics and the airline product (pp. 69-83). Springer, Cham.

Gaba, A.K., 2020. Unit-5 Market segmentation. Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi.

Gonchar, V., Gorokhova, T. and Ponomarenko, A., 2019. Segmentation and positioning in the marketing practice of the company.

Hart-Davis, G., 2017. Teach Yourself Visually iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X. John Wiley & Sons.

Hinterhuber, A. and Liozu, S.M., 2018. Thoughts: premium pricing in B2C and B2B. Journal of Revenue and Pricing Management, 17(4), pp.301-305.

Jiao, R. and Wei, J., 2020. Brand expansion through reverse socialization: an example of iPhone in China. Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal.

Payne, B., 2017. Brand Positioning and its Usefulness for Brand Management: the Case of Apple Inc. Newcastle business school student journal, 1(1), pp.51-57.

Qi, Y.U., 2017. Analysis of GE and Lenovo in the International Market. DEStech Transactions on Economics, Business and Management, (eced).

Yang, M., 2018. International entrepreneurial marketing strategies of MNCs: Bricolage as practised by marketing managers. International Business Review, 27(5), pp.1045-1056.

Zhang, Q., 2017. Research on Apple Inc’s Current Developing Conditions. Open Journal of Business and Management, 6(01), p.39.

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