Macintosh: Apples for Businessmen
There is something oddly intimate about the relationship between consumers and their iPods. In fact, it is easy to say there is something oddly intimate about Mac users and their Macs in general. For years Mac has presented itself as a niche for creatives. Perhaps after the mainstreaming of iPods and iTunes it is time for Mac to move on and show the computer market what it is made of. We at Stealing Share argue that Mac is made up of a lot more than creativity, superior art programs, and amazing product/packaging design. Mac is made of business solutions. Being a company who worships the Mac system and who must constantly
accommodate clients who are not within driving distance, we are constantly utilizing
Mac’s well-organized systems of iChat, iSight, and Entourage. Even though these
programs work well with clients who are across the country, we find these programs
useful internally and with local clients who may not have time for face-to-face
meetings. In fact, we provide a lender iBook to our clients so we can communicate
via the Mac system. Of course PCs have audio/visual systems, the ever-troublesome Outlook Express,
and AIM, but what Mac offers to “the tech savvy” businessman is more than superior
programming, it is the Apple brand. Positioning Macs as business tools could be
compared to the positioning of the Blackberry phone. The Blackberry phone has had
great success with businessmen who want to stay connected at all times. Our suggestion to Macintosh: invest in your brand. Mac only has a mere four share
in today’s computer market, and that is a travesty. While other brands such as Dell
and Gateway blend even more into the broad PC spectrum, Mac continues to
produce effective and elegant products. The opportunity for Mac to steal market
share is wide open. The largest task to tackle before positioning a brand is, of course, the research and
consumer insight. In order for Mac to position itself as the business tool every
serious businessman cannot go without, Mac would have to test this precept (or
belief) in the market. This research would include both current Mac users as well as
non-users. Finding a way to present the brand accordingly always involves a lot of
careful questions and plenty of consumer perspective. As it stands in the market, Mac brands evoke a feeling of creativity and innovation.
Even when iPod became a mainstream product, every iPod owner still felt special for
owning one. Anyone in the field of art and design and even advertising will swear by
the Mac because it makes special effort to accommodate their industry. Mac knows
creative. What Mac fails to capitalize upon is the fact that it could know “business”
as well. You do not have to be an artist or proficient in Photoshop and InDesign to
benefit from a Mac. Any office would benefit from the consistent, smooth
functioning of Macs. Often the consumer asks about the “over-pricing” of Macs. To this we can answer
best with examples. There is no way all PC users can say they do not stand by
brands such as Tide, Campbell’s Soup, Pepto-Bismal, or Nike. People buy brands.
People will pay up to three times more for Nike running shoes because it is Nike.
People will buy Coke or over Grocery Store brand cola because they believe it is
better and more about them. People recall brands and make associations that never
disappear from their memories. These associations and identifications are what cause brand preference. Therefore,
the argument of price for a single brand does not apply in the modern market. After
all, look at the success of the iPod, a device priced significantly above all other MP3
players due to the fact that consumers believe an iPod is a greater being than an
MP3 player. iPod created its own category. It is not price that keeps Macs in a world of their own. A lack of knowledge is the
culprit behind Mac’s inability to grow in the computer market and to increase their
market share.
It is amazing how many people are not aware of Mac programs that would directly
impact their business productivity. For example, Keynote, a Mac only program, has
capabilities far exceeding Power Point, a program used by almost every office every
day. Hardly anyone in the business world uses Keynote, yet the program is the finest
electronic presentation program available. Keynote, like Macs in general, is simply
more professional. Professionalism is something this country may value more than any other country in
the world. However, professionalism in the US is also demonstrated and interpreted
differently. As Americans we believe in order to provide, we must possess, and with
this possession, we must always have the biggest, best, and most advanced.
Ironically, the computer company that allows us to have just that is being ignored
due to the excuse of price and a lack of acceptance. Mac must become more
approachable and reachable for businesses of all varieties in order to succeed in an
ever-changing market.
Molly Sunderdick
Brand Strategist
Stealing Share Inc Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/ |