iPod Marketing Assessment

[TNL]

Hye there folks, i wondered if anyone could help me out, im looking for a article/assessment on the success/failure of how apple have marketed the ipod/mini ipod. Its for a university paper that i have to write, im looking for something that focuses on the product, price, promotional methods, and distribution channels and how these factors basically have contributed to the sucess/failure of the ipod!

Thanks any references are welcome

Regards

TNL

[MetaLRasaM]

cant help ya much..but ipod started sellin like crazy when it was windows compatible...sad..but true...

[KeR]

cant help ya much..but ipod started sellin like crazy when it was windows compatible...sad..but true...

584914111[/snapback]

I could have not said it better. Thanx to Windows Apple has a hit on their hands, ironic isn't it?

[TNL]

so before the the ipod was only for mac? and therefore not very popular?

This is good information, Im looking for this kinda time line in constrast to sales figures...iv tried to email apple, but not heard from them yet!

Thanks a lot so far tho :)

[macman87]

Er...No. even after iPod was released for Windows it didn't sell like hot cakes. Heres a quick graph I drew up. Its very rough but it should get the point across.

I think the ads play a really big part. Instead of promoting specs of the iPod (like it play a whole range of formats like the guys at iRiver or Creative) Apple markets the iPod as an icon. A device of our times. Instead of market the iPod as a product, they are marketing a brand. Thats why you never see iPod Mini specific Ads.

The product it self is very important. How many electronic gadgets did you see before the iPod that was white? Not many if none. One of the characters of the iPod's icon is that it's white.

I think what drives teens getting an iPod is that it is a "cool" device. Having White earbuds is "cool". They see they idols with an iPod. They see it on TV. They see other "cool" people have it. They want it.

There are many sites that discuses this if you search google. :p

[Dejon]

That was well said.

Kind of makes me want to write an article.

[michael.b]

I love how easy it is one to jump in and make assumptions. Anyone can say 2+2 = 5, but those who take prize are those whom illustrate why 4 is the relevant answer.

Truth is, the only way we would be able to analyze that portion would be to look back and track the sales of the iPods when they were operating system specific. Even then you could have converted a Mac iPod to a Windows iPod, just couldn't revert it.

Just a thought, if Windows, in fact, was such a prominent factor in sales, how comes iPod needed to team up with HP? Reasoning given behind the partnership was to help bring ease to the PC users that the iPod is in fact fully compatible with a Windows based system. I just can?t figure out why else Apple would intentionally give a cut to HP. It?s illogical to assume else wise, considering the prices for both the Apple iPod and the Apple + HP iPod are exactly the same.

Needless to say, as perfectly documented by Phillip and the last keynote. The strongest boom in sales came in the latest quarter of iPod sales. (And that was far from the release date of the iPod for Windows. Because if you look at the sales at that time, they were pretty damn small.)

I?ll admit, my first iPod was for the Windows machine. However, you can only see how that would most likely benefit. Think of the iPod as a gateway drug. It gives the user a taste of what Apple is like. Like the product, you?re bound to look into other aspects of the company. That is what hooked me as a user and I sure as hell know that I can?t be taken as a solo case study on the theory.

Walk down the streets of Chicago. Before when I had my first iPod, I never saw the status headphones. Now, they?re everywhere. We wanted to find out how long it would take to count 100 white headphones in the commute to and from school. (Which is a mere 4 blocks both ways.) It took 3 days under 3 weeks. Numbers say something.

You can?t necessarily say it?s just because it?s Windows users. You also need to factor in the music store. I am sure that sways a lot of customers as well. I know that is one of the reasons I had purchased my Powerbook. The iTunes music store wasn?t released on Windows yet and I was more than ecstatic to try out this ?per-song? pay feature. I was immediately hooked. I had fallen in love with the Apple line in more ways than one. It all started with the iPod.

Just to toss out more numbers. As of this Friday AAPL is priced at $55, roughly. Merrill Lynch predicts that with the current trends iPod sales will come near 4 million units. That alone, in iPod sales should bring the stock up to $61. Pretty damn good, if you ask me. I sure hope that is the case. I?d like to see where MSFT goes in parallel to that number. So even if you want to argue that it is due in part to Windows users, bitch all you want, I like to listen. (Just keep iPod-ing!) My portfolio is only growing.

Yours truly,

Raven

Edited November 14, 2004 by varekai2

[noyb]

The reason HP gets the iPod is because Apple wanted to have a major OEM to install iTunes on all their machines to expand their userbase and for the added Halo effect brought about by millions using software with the forbidden fruit on it the price??? the iPod. Convincing consumers that pod's play on PC's had nothing to do with it.

[michael.b]

The reason HP gets the iPod is because Apple wanted to have a major OEM to install iTunes on all their machines to expand their userbase and for the added Halo effect brought about by millions using software with the forbidden fruit on it the price??? the iPod. Convincing consumers that pod's play on PC's had nothing to do with it.

584919263[/snapback]

Case in point. You couldn't have said it better.

That's exactly what I meant. Why did more or less buy Microsoft branded products back in the day when compatability of items was a major issue? Because they knew if they had purchased Microsoft, it will definitly work. Same goes in this sense. Why would I purchase any other mp3 player when I have iTunes knowing it's seamless intergration in more ways than one. (Including the DRM.) That is what I inferred when I said it catered to those by proving it worked with PCs.

(Of course that doesn't limit me, either. I could have very well had purchased something else, but just stating that most likely. And most likely is what has shown prevalent in this instance.)

I attend DePaul University and am a commerce major. Apple has been a company of major study under my marketing classes and all we've been able to say is they sure have a jem at the game.

[macman87]

Apple themselves is touting the compatibility with PCs. They are even putting PC before Mac now in the (PC + Mac) on their ads. (That annoys me slightly, there are a computer company). Compatibility isn't such as a big of an issue with the iPod because it appeals to the age group that are computer literate. They know just because Apple made it, doesn't mean it won't work with my PC.

I see the deal with HP nothing more really than a distribution deal. HP gets to resell iPods, and put their logo on them with their slogan, Invent (that certainly says alot about HP), with the Apple logo too. HP installs iTunes on every consumer computer they sell. The fact is that HP can reach more people than Apple can and that way Apple can get more iPods. Its a win-win situation, I think.

[michael.b]

Apple themselves is touting the compatibility with PCs. They are even putting PC before Mac now in the (PC + Mac) on their ads. (That annoys me slightly, there are a computer company). Compatibility isn't such as a big of an issue with the iPod because it appeals to the age group that are computer literate. They know just because Apple made it, doesn't mean it won't work with my PC.

I see the deal with HP nothing more really than a distribution deal. HP gets to resell iPods, and put their logo on them with their slogan, Invent (that certainly says alot about HP), with the Apple logo too. HP installs iTunes on every consumer computer they sell. The fact is that HP can reach more people than Apple can and that way Apple can get more iPods. Its a win-win situation, I think.

584922598[/snapback]

Definitly win-win.

However with the putting of the PC first. (Maybe with this following statement, I am thinking too much, but I am going to state it anyhow.) PC + Mac, perhaps it sounds good to put the PC before Mac? It sounds cumbersome to say Mac + PC. I just look at it in an issue of media credits. More often than not credits will appear in alphabetical order. This provides for a loss of hierarchy in conjuction with leading and supporting actors, etc. Perhaps it's in the same sense.

I cannot agree with them appealing to solely the computer literate age group. Maybe it seems a little all too convenient for me to state at the present, seeing that you know my views on the issue. But my father wants an iPod photo. When I spoke to him about it, he said too bad you have your Mac at school. What relevance did that hold? He thought that iPods were only accessable through Macs, especially since he didn't know how it would work with a PC, especially knowing I use Mac specific software. Perhaps I am pulling in a too new of a product in relation to a discussion that predominantly focus' on the older iPod. But the fact is there is some obscurity on the compatability. I don't care if you're young or old, even though I do agree that the iPod would be more appealing to those of younger age.

(The best scene ever. Since we're talking about iPods. It was great seeing my 80 year old grandma using my iPod when I left it on the kitchen table. She was able to comprehend what it was through handing the unit and was listening to Lindsay Lohan. My grandma is hip on all the pop-culture. Asking if this in fact was the girl that was rumored to have the fake boobies.)

You cannot ignore the people that like to do thier neighbor hood walks. I see it in my neighborhood. I guarantee you most of the time they aren't saavy on the techology. I am sure most of the time they're just doing it to be trendy. (As is very mucht he case, in my opinion on the iPod, rather than being a marvel in more ways than one.)

Haha, HP Invent. Yeah, makes me laugh too. But needless to say, the more the merrier, right? That is one thing we all agreed on. :)