Setting the product and branding strategy pdf

In this section the report explores alternative strategies looking at the relationship between brand experience and customer experience, the strengths and weaknesses within the Cos brand previously explored through the PESTEL and SWOT analysis and referencing justification for an approach to resolve the key issues going forward. Assess needs and segment customers Map the Measure journey for and customer develop segments Structure Identify the the desired customer experience touchpoints Design the brand experience Figure 3.

How do We Measure It? And Does It Affect Loyalty? Their model looks at sensation, feeling, cognition, and behavioural responses evoked by brand- related stimuli that are part of a brand's design and identity, packaging, communications, and environment. Brakus et al proved that several dimensions of brand experience positively impact brand loyalty.

Most of these responses can be attributed to lack of communication surrounding availability and stock levels across stores and online and unexpected delivery costs. There is some evidence that Cos core customer browses online and then purchases instore and this is experience studied in relation to activities Chang et al what happens according to where experiences occur online and where they take place instore.

These experiences affect the decision making process based on product judgement, attitudes, preferences, purchase intent and recall Zarantonello et al This is a pre-purchase touchpoint and interactions that drive awareness and differentiation Parkes et al Whereas previous studies had focussed more on productivity and quantity.

Cos has a strong visual aesthetic which enhances the customer experience through their architecturally designed store environment. Proactive customer services and the use of invisible technology would improve how the customer interacts with the brand. This is a post purchase touchpoint, an interaction that builds confidence Parkes et al. COS consumption experience post purchase touch point This is the satisfaction phase or feel good factor after the research and buying phase has been completed the customer leaves a store or receives a parcel and a number of feelings can be experienced in response to this phase Brakus et al By capturing this information, retailers can start to personalise the returns experience and create more value for the consumer and themselves.

In order to provide a greater customer flexibility, the report reflects on the three key customer touchpoints: Firstly, the COS product and brand experience pre-purchase touch point.

Secondly the COS shopping and service experience purchase touch point , there is a lack of customer interaction and engagement at point of purchase which could be addressed through social and community initiatives and the use of invisible technology to improve how the customer interacts with the brand instore and online and to optimise stock and operational efficiencies.

If Cos is to succeed in the future, it is clear that they must embrace future technology to bring a clear message and parity across channels to deliver a consistent customer experience.

Figure 4. What are the Solutions? If Cos were to implement the strategy to move from a multichannel to an omnichannel business they would offer customers seamless integration of online and offline sales, improve communication between channels, stock and customer and heighten their overall customer experience and satisfaction levels. As a recommendation Cos could look to implement a retail management system with industry specific fashion solutions including customer relationship management solutions organisational buy in , the shortlisted suggestions would be: JDA Software Ikea , GS1 UK boohoo.

What are the benefits? The benefits of a technical solution are to bring consistency across the business and would enable a system to support growth and innovation in the future. Successful implementation would bring a much improved customer service experience that is seamless across all channels by ensuring communication across all channels.

Cos would have a greater understanding of its customers and be able to nurture its customers and personalise its responses in reaction to better quality data and analysis. An omnichannel system would give greater insight across operations and manage stock more efficiently and long term stores could look at becoming distribution centres to improve availability and delivery.

And consequently unreliable management and customer information which will impact on the brands equity Aaker, and the overall customer experience. How Cos implements these changes across platforms will impact on the overall brand equity in the future Chan-Olmsted, The global fashion retail landscape is always changing and as retailers seek to integrate and align various channels to provide shoppers with a seamless shopping experience, omnichannel retailing is at different phases in different geographic regions.

The demand for omnichannel retailing is unlikely to slow down, and retailers operating in different regions of the world will need to overcome various challenges to achieve omni-channel proficiency and satisfy their sustainable credentials alongside the desire for their customers purchasing immediacy. If Cos want to remain a future player they will need to fuse the capabilities of their ecommerce site, and bricks-and-mortar stores into one simple shopping experience.

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Industrial goods can be further classified into capital goods and regular business supply. Capital goods are type of industrial goods, which are required for production of final products, for example, plant and machinery.

Business goods are type of industrial goods, which are required for day to day functioning as well as on special occasion, for example, office supplies, lubricants and spare parts. Another important aspect of product strategy is branding. Branding is process of giving identity and image to the product as to create an impression in the mind of consumer. Branding is a long process involves lots of investments in terms of money and time from the company.

Building brand identity involves designing name, symbol and logo for the product. Branding involves developing strategy to create a point of differentiation from competitors as well point of similarity with product class.

Brand which reaches a high level of awareness and enjoys the loyalty from customer develops brand equity. Packaging of the products also forms part of branding strategy. Creating a unique product identity and branding strategy is important in formulating success of the company. View All Articles. Similar Articles Under - Marketing Management.

To Know more, click on About Us. Later that year on April 3, , the iPad was launched in the US and sold more than , units on that day and reaching , by the end of the first week. In May of the same year, Apple's market cap exceeded that of competitor Microsoft for the first time since Apple released the fourth generation iPhone, which introduced video calling, multitasking, and a new uninsulated stainless steel design, which acts as the phone's antenna.

Because of this antenna implementation, some iPhone 4 users reported a reduction in signal strength when the phone is held in specific ways. After a large amount of media coverage including mainstream news organizations, Apple held a press conference where they offered buyers a free rubber 'bumper' case, which had been proven to eliminate the signal reduction issue. Apple was featured in the documentary Something Ventured which premiered in On January 17, , an internal Apple memo from Jobs announced that he will once again take a medical leave of absence, for an indefinite period, to allow him to focus on his health.

Chief operating officer Timothy D. Cook will take up Jobs' day-to-day operations at Apple, although Jobs will still remain "involved in major strategic decisions for the company. In June of , Apple unveiled its new online storage and syncing service for music, photos, files and software -- iCloud.

It has been argued that Apple has achieved such efficiency in their supply chain] that they have something like a monopsony one buyer, many sellers in that it can dictate terms to its suppliers. It weighs 2. Models prior to July included a built in optical disc drive. The Mac Mini is currently one of three desktop computers in the current Macintosh lineup, the other two being the iMac and Mac Pro.

It has been the primary part of Apple's consumer desktop offerings since its introduction in , and has evolved through five distinct forms.

In its original form, the iMac G3 had a gum-drop or egg-shaped look, with a CRT monitor, mainly enclosed by a colored, translucent plastic case, which was refreshed early on with a sleeker design notable for its slot-loaded optical drive.

The second major revision, the iMac G4, moved the design to a hemispherical base containing all the main components and an LCD monitor on a freely moving arm attached to it. The current iMac shares the same form as the previous model, but is thinner and uses anodized aluminum and a glass panel over the entire front.

Newer versions are available with a solid state drive instead of a hard drive. The newest version features quad-core Intel processors across the line, 1 on The first MacBook Air was a A mid refresh, introduced alongside the MacBook Pro family, featured a slightly higher-capacity battery, and a faster Penryn CPU option.

It has evolved to include various models targeting the wants of different users. The iPod is the market leader in portable music players by a significant margin, with more than million units shipped as of September Apple currently sells four variants of the iPod.

The newest generation has a FM radio, a pedometer, and a new multi- touch interface that replaced the traditional iPod click wheel. Currently available in 8, 32, and 64 GB models. The latest generation features the Apple A4 processor, a Retina Display, and dual cameras on the front and back.

The back camera allows video recording atp. The original iPhone combined a 2. It also includes web-based and Dashboard apps such as Google Maps and Weather. The iPhone features a 3.

The new version was visually different from its predecessor in that it eliminated the flat silver back, and large antenna square for a curved glossy black or white back. Following complaints from many people, the headphone jack was changed from a recessed jack to a flush jack to be compatible with more styles of headphones. The software capabilities changed as well, with the release of the new iPhone came the release of Apple's App Store; the store provided applications for download that were compatible with the iPhone.

On April 24, , the App Store surpassed one billion downloads. On June 8, , at Apple's annual worldwide developers conference, the iPhone 3GS was announced, providing an incremental update to the device including faster internal components, support for faster 3G speeds, video recording capability, and voice control. Shortly after the release of the iPhone 4, it was realized by consumers that the new iPhone had reception issues.

This is due to the stainless steel band around the edge of the device, which also serves as the phones cellular signal and Wi-Fi antenna. The current fix for this issue was a "Bumper Case" for the phone distributed for free to all iPhone 4 owners for a few months. In June , Apple overtook Nokia to become the world's biggest smartphone maker by volume. It offers multi-touch interaction with multimedia formats including newspapers, magazines, ebooks, textbooks, photos, movies, TV shows videos, music, word processing documents, spreadsheets, video games, and most existing iPhone apps.

It also includes a mobile version of Safari for web browsing, as well as access to the App Store, iTunes Library, iBooks Store, contacts, and notepad. Content is downloadable via Wi-Fi and optional 3G service or synced through the user's computer. On March 2, , Apple introduced an updated iPad model which had a faster processor and two cameras on the front and back respectively.

However, the availability of the iPad 2 has been limited as a result of the devastating tsunami and ensuing earthquake in Japan in March The device links up to a user's TV and syncs, either via Wi-Fi or a wired network, with one computer's iTunes library and streams from an additional four. On May 31, a GB drive was released alongside the existing 40 GB model and on January 15, a software update was released, which allowed media to be purchased directly from the Apple TV.

On September 1, , alongside the release of the new line of iPod devices for the year, Apple released a completely redesigned Apple TV.

Apple with the Apple TV has added another device to its portfolio that runs on its A4 processor along with the iPad and the iPhone. It has HDMI out as the only video out source. Apple also independently develops computer software titles for its Mac OS X operating system. Much of the software Apple develops is bundled with its computers. For presentation, page layout and word processing, iWork is available, which includes Keynote, Pages, and Numbers. Apple also offers a range of professional software titles.

For the professional creative market, there is Aperture for professional RAW-format photo processing; Final Cut Studio, a video production suite; Logic, a comprehensive music toolkit and Shake, an advanced effects composition program.

Mac that bundles personal web pages, email, Groups, iDisk, backup, iSync, and Learning Center online tutorials. MobileMe is a subscription-based internet suite that capitalizes on the ability to store personal data on an online server and thereby keep all web-connected devices in sync. Announced at MacWorld Expo , iWork. For marketers, the company is also establishing a very strong presence to rival Google in the advertising market, via its Apps business. Apple uses promotional methods using special short-term techniques to persuade members of a target market to respond or undertake their products.

Examples of certain methods Apple uses for sales promotions are money back guarantees, lower purchase price and rebates etc. The Apples stores are very distinct and captivating from many other electronic stores because they display all of their products for consumers to experience hands- on. Consumer's are allowed to surf the web on any of their computers, listen to the latest ipods, and experience the iPhone and its features.

This lets consumers get comfortable with the products and familiarize themselves with it. This is a major consumer sales promotion that Apple has developed. During special consumer promotions, Apple has its certain auditions in which they target directly. For example during the month of July to September 1st, Apples promotes their Mac book laptops for college students. When students show their school I. D, they pay for a Mac book book and get any free Ipod they desire and a free printer.

I can personally say that this is a good promotion method because I was one of its targeted audience who purchased this great deal.

Another great promotion sales is the teamwork between Apple and Ticketmaster. They have teamed upon once again to give fan a great deal they cannot resit. This is an excellent promotional deal that benefits the music fans.

The Apple Brand Personality Apple has a branding strategy that focuses on the emotions. The Applebrand personality is about lifestyle; imagination; liberty regained; innovation; passion; hopes, dreams and aspirations; and power-to-the-people through technology. The Apple brand personality is also about simplicity and the removal of complexity from people's lives; people-driven product design; and about being a really humanistic company with a heartfelt connection with its customers.

The brand equity and customer franchise which Apple embodies is extremely strong. The preference for Apple products amongst the "Mac community", for instance, not only kept the company alive for much of the 90's when from a rational economic perspective it looked like a dead duck but it even enables the company to sustain pricing that is at a premium to its competitors.

It is arguable that without the price-premium which the Apple brand sustains in many product areas, the company would have exited the personal computer business several years ago. Small market share PC vendors with weaker brand equity have struggled to compete with the supply chain and manufacturing economics of Dell. However, Apple has made big advances in becoming more efficient with its manufacturing supply chain, logistics and operations, and it can be assumed that as far as like-for-like hardware manufacturing comparisons are concerned, Apple's product costs are very similar to those of Dell.

In terms of price to the consumer, Apple's computer products have an additional cost advantage: the company does not have to pay another company for operating system licenses. The Apple Customer Experience The huge promise of the Apple brand, of course presents Apple with an enormous challenge to live up to.

The innovative, beautifully-designed, highly ergonomic, and technology-leading products which Apple delivers are not only designed to match the brand promise, but are fundamental to keeping it. Apple fully understands that all aspects of the customer experience are important and that all brand touch-points must reinforce the Apple brand.

Apple has expanded and improved its distribution capabilities by opening its own retail stores in key cities around the world in up-market, quality shopping venues.

Apple has also increased the accessibility of iPods through various resellers that do not currently carry Apple Macintosh systems such as Harvey Norman , and has increased the reach of its online stores.

Apple Brand Architecture From a brand architecture viewpoint, the company maintains a "monolithic" brand identity - everything being associated with the Apple name, even when investing strongly in the Apple iPod and Apple iTunes products. However, even though marketing investments around iPod are substantial, Apple has not established an "i" brand.

The list of Apple's Trademarks reflects something of a jumbled past. The predominant sub-brand since the introduction of the Apple Macintosh in January has always been the Apple Mac. Products whose market includes Microsoft computer users for example MobileMe, QuickTime, Bonjour, and Safari have been named so they are somewhat neutral, and therefore more acceptable to Windows users. Yet other product have been developed more for a professional market eg Aperture, the Final Cut family, and Xserve.

Leveraging the success of the iPod, Apple launched the iPhone released in July 07 to extend the brand even further. Apple's buzz marketing efforts in the first half of were truly superb, culminating in the release of one of the most highly anticipated products for many years - and launching apple into a completely new market: mobile handsets.

By July the buzz about the 3G iPhone resulted in over 1 million units being sold in the first 3 days of its release in over 20 countries around the world. This success was repeated in with the introduction of the iPad tablet computer, and in March with the launch of the iPad 2 which sold 1 million units within 24 hours.

CSR-Environmental record Greenpeace, an environmental organization, has confronted Apple on various environmental issues, including promoting a global end-of-life take-back plan, non-recyclable hardware components, and toxins within the iPhones hardware Since they have campaigned against Apple regarding their chemical policies, in particular the inclusion of PVC and BFRs in their products, both of which have serious negative health effects.

At the Macworld Expo, Greenpeace presented a critique of Apple. Rick Hind, the legislative director of Greenpeace's toxics campaign, said, " The company is getting greener, but not green enough.