Marketing Concepts and Planning-- Apple IPods Assignment

Marketing Concepts and Planning-- Apple IPods - Assignment Example Features and benefits have long been the idea of improving sales and through promotional materials, however in today’s market pricing should be given much more emphasis by making it much more transparent to consumers in a variety of ways. This report identifies these proposed changes. The company’s mission is simple: Apple â€Å"recognizes that by integrating sound environmental health and safety management practices into all aspects of our business, we can offer innovative technological products and services while conserving and enhancing resources for future generations† (Lee, 2008, p.5). The objectives are to improve sales volumes through creative promotion, effective distribution, and to build consumer interest in mass market groups. The strengths of the iPod are in areas of innovation by remaining a step ahead of competition by updating features, memory and other important benefits for consumers. Research and development talent is an internal strength. Fortunately for Apple, competition is considerably weak and this is a major strength for the business! Weaknesses include, though not a fault of Apple, weakened economic conditions both domestically and internationally, posing a potential risk for future iPod (and iPad) sales. Additionally, minimal television advertising, despite the potential cost and time investment, is another weakness in regards to reaching more mass market customers. Threats to the iPod include the sudden resurgence of consumer use of auction websites such as eBay, creating a form of self-competition for budget-minded, mass market buyers as well as failure of retail partners to be more interactive in the sales/promotion process. These are external failures, however they definitely impact sales volume in certain market territories. As identified, segmentation for the iPod begins with identifying specific groups with