If *U* were the boss... How would *U* run Apple...
- Thread starter MacLuv
- Start date
Sirtovin
Senior Switcher Tech Guru
Hmmm... First, I would lower the costs on all MAC'S... Immediately... to prices that stay in the 800-1600 dollar range... (Yes I would take an intial loss because MAC does make it's money from the 1000-3500+ range but the more mac's out on the market the better the "Switch" compaign would work...
Second, I would run agressive ads against Intel stating how fast Mac really is... like the fact that Mac's use a 128-bit Risc based processor... and Windows still depends on 32-bit processing power...
Third, I would bundle some third party Apps with the system... (Possibly Trial software...) like In-Design, Accrobat 5 (Full version yet a trial based software...) Dreamweaver MX, or Studio Trial edition... etc... That would be a foundation to lay to say to all... "Look at what we can do..."
Fourth, I would make sure that my ad campaign was geared to the youth... (Espeically since Macs are still in many schools...)
If more people were educated about the benefits of MAC They too would make the switch if the price was right.
Second, I would run agressive ads against Intel stating how fast Mac really is... like the fact that Mac's use a 128-bit Risc based processor... and Windows still depends on 32-bit processing power...
Third, I would bundle some third party Apps with the system... (Possibly Trial software...) like In-Design, Accrobat 5 (Full version yet a trial based software...) Dreamweaver MX, or Studio Trial edition... etc... That would be a foundation to lay to say to all... "Look at what we can do..."
Fourth, I would make sure that my ad campaign was geared to the youth... (Espeically since Macs are still in many schools...)
If more people were educated about the benefits of MAC They too would make the switch if the price was right.
And you would likely begin bleeding money immediately too.
And you'd likely get sued for false advertising too.
I believe Apple is already doing this.
What would be the point of this? Can't you download a trial version of Acrobat from Adobe? All you do here is save the download.
Well, this is partially right. However, ultimately Apple needs to market to peopel that have money to spend on computers.
Not at all.
First of all, everyone ASSUMES that Apple can "just lower prices" without there being OTHER (negative) consequences. They also ASSUME that PRICE is the primary inhibitor to more people buying Apple products. These are not NECESSARILY safe assumptions in either case.
Secondly, your plan to advertise that Apple uses a 128-bit processor vs. 32-bit processors used in the Wintel world would be misleading (at best) and lying (at worst). I would not think that misleading and lying to customer is likely to be a successful long-term strategy for Apple (though Microsoft appears to have made it work, so what do I know.)
In the case of the InDesign suggestion, as I said, I believe Apple was already doing this. Furthermore, I believe Apple does/did have a promotion involving bundling of Word (or Office) at one point. Point being, Apple DOES do these kinds of thing. Perhaps not as much as you think they should, but perhaps as much as makes sense. Another point on this is that bundling is likely to cost SOMEONE money SOMEWHERE. Perhaps it is Apple bearing some of the cost of the software license to do the bundling for "free". So again, a financial trade-off that must be balanced against the gain in sales and (more importantly) profit.
Finally, I like the idea of advertising to "youth". But this needs to be better defined. I think Apple needs a marketing strategy that makes Apple "cool" again. I think they are doing this to some extent. Perhaps not as much as they should (or could). But...having said that...Apple needs to market to people that have the money to spend on their product. In reality, there are a couple kinds of marketing that a company like Apple can engage in. First has directly to do with driving sales NOW...TODAY. The second is about fashioning a general image for a product or company that POTENTIAL (read tomorrow's) customers can begin to identify with. Apple needs to be doing both.
Personally, I think Apple needs to have a 3-pronged marketing strategy (each with its own "sub" elements). These would be:
1. switch
This is basically what they are doing now. Give people reasons, information, security about choosing Apple when they buy their next computer product. This could be targeted at four possible audiences:
a. Current windows CONSUMERS
b. Enterprise purchasers
c. Linux-heads
d. Corporate UNIX/Windows techno-geeks/developers
Each will require a different message and form of communication.
2. getting it done
This is the current brand of advertising I see from Intel, Canon and HP. So people doing tons of cool things with a Mac. Show they doing it differently or BETTER than can be done with anything else. This could be sliced in several different ways...by tool set (video, photography, publishing, email, etc.)...by audience (consumer, developer. corporate, etc.)
3. cool
These are simply "image" ads. The product perhaps is not shown so centrally...but lifestyle...COOL lifestyle with an Apple product contributing to this coolness. These would have to be sliced by product. Each product can have something "cool" about it as shown in an ad (iPod, iBook, iMac, PowerBook, etc.)
Now. Keep in mind...all this marketing costs $.
So lowering prices (to begin with) might suck out $ you need to do this.
I, for one, don't think Apples prices (when properly compared) are THAT outrageous. Secondly, look around...people are CLEARLY willing to spend MORE money on things that have a real or preceived (to them at least) value over other similar solutions.
As an example...at the local (upscale mall) there is a 10,000 square foot specialty store (Gap, I think) for underwear! Skivvies are being sold at a premium (and this sisn't LINGERIE, just regular underwear).
People WILL pay more for something IF they see some value in it. Apple's problem isn't price, it is that they have not communicated (marketed) widely enough the STRONG PERCEIVED AND REAL value of their products for people. If they do this, they will sell more products.
Sirtovin
Senior Switcher Tech Guru
As for the rest of what you say... I paid 2100 dollars for my tower... 1700 for the Dual 867 plus 200 on top of that and of course 129 for System Works... (Dumb purchase that last one was) but still if apple were to make the price of their Mac's lower in a way that could be geared to all... (not just Upper Middle-Class or the rich) We would see a real fight between Mac and Windows... but it won't happen for several reasons...
1. Bill pays Apple 150 million per year to make his software work with Apple... Which actually helps Apple to an extent... We never see Apple doing this to Bill... but wait... Firewire was invented by Apple not Intel... and now look what is happening in the market... PC's are touting it as if they invented it...
I guess Apple has it's work cut out..
acidtuch10
Registered
Wouldn't it be great if apple offered rebates and discounts for PC's that people trade in for new Macs to off set the initial draw back of the price?
I know price is a major consideration for a struggling college student and that 10% discount for them just isnt cutting it.
Especially when one can get a PC for 399 now a days that can do all the web surfing and email getting as another other machine that costs upwards of $900
Thats what I would change --- drastic incentives for students, educators, graphic artists. ----- And a really big price reduction for though whom trade in for a new Mac.. Apple would make up the difference in time with upgrades, and add ons ..
I know price is a major consideration for a struggling college student and that 10% discount for them just isnt cutting it.
Especially when one can get a PC for 399 now a days that can do all the web surfing and email getting as another other machine that costs upwards of $900
Thats what I would change --- drastic incentives for students, educators, graphic artists. ----- And a really big price reduction for though whom trade in for a new Mac.. Apple would make up the difference in time with upgrades, and add ons ..
Huh? Where have you read/heard/seen this? As far as I know, this is simply not true.
Apple and Microsoft currently do not have any (public) agreements where $ is changing hands. At this point MS is an ISV for the Macintosh platform. And they're (Microsoft) making pretty decent money for it too. They only sold 300,000 copies of Office for the Mac (OS X) this past year. At $500/copy that's about $150 MILLION in revenue. Have no idea of their profits, but let's assume the same margins as for Windows...this would mean a profit of something like $75M. Not too shabby at all. Not what they're making elsewhere, but I'd take it.
