Originally posted by Sirtovin
Do I assume that this is a complete attack on my strategy to get Apple more mainstream? Hmmm....
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.