• Describe the iPhone’s brand identity – exactly as you see it
• What do you think its positioning is currently?
• What do you think the strategy for this specific product was?
• What research do you think was done on this by the company who made it?

Brand identity:
The first things that comes to my mind when I think of iPhone, and Apple generally, are elegant, modern and simple. The iPhone design is just perfection, and they have taken time to think of every details. They use neutral colours, and the design is kept as simple as possible to keep the luxury feeling. All text are kept to a minimum, and the new versions of iPhone has no buttons on the screen. The phone is thin, and the buttons on the side are as discreet as possible. When it comes to design Apple products stands out from the rest, and all Apple products go together. Apple uses their own operation system, has their own chargers, their own cloud and so on. The brand identity is kept on all aspects, and the packaging is clean, white, simple square boxes. The stores are in the same style. This gives a really strong brand identity.

When people has a tablet or an smartphone, they often say iPad or iPhone, even if it is a totally different brand. This is a good example that Apple has created a good name for them self. The first iPhone was a game changer, but this does not mean that iPhone was the first with the ideas. It is also often discussed that Apple used other brands ideas, for example the triple camera that comes on the new iPhone 11 that was released this week. But they must do something right, for people still loves Apple products.

Current positioning:

The positioning of iPhone is strong, but it has seen better days. Apple has created a very strong brand identity, and it is hard to take them out of place. The latest years they have been facing a lot of competition, especially from Samsung. iPhone is still one of the most wasted phones in the world, and people still buy the newest version. Apple is not trying to give people a cheap phone to beat the competition, they are selling on the luxury. It is kind of the same with people who buys a Louis Vuitton bag instead of a non branded on a normal handbag store. People want the luxury, and they gladly pay 15 000 kr for it.

iPhones current positioning would be elegant, luxury, intelligent, trendsetter, simple, user-friendly. They are selling good on branding them self as an expensive brand. They also have a more affordable version to please a wider set of customers, but they do not make as many different models at the same time as many other brands. They always build up the expectations before a new launch.

iPhone strategy:

Apple has market them self good, and to do this they have been using different specific techniques. Many people use a lot of money on PPC marketing, but Apple focused on product placement and positive reviews in media. They used celebrities (for example in the iPhone commercial), and they places their products in popular tv shows. If we think of how we can accomplish the same effect, it can be the same as you get on influencer marketing (not in the same scale of course).

Apple has never used the price to market them self. iPhone has always been expensive, and they are not hiding this. There is a new iPhone that comes out every year, and it tend to be three different types. One “normal”, one pro and one easier version. In this way they reach a wider audience. They are still exclusive, but there is an option for children or other people that just want a simple phone that is user friendly. The launch of the new iPhone is always big, and the expectations start half a year before the launch.

Apple wants to be an exclusive brand, and they represent this in all aspects of their brand. The products are elegant, simple and shows luxury. The packaging, stores, websites and more shows just the same thing. The accessories and programs for Apple products, are only ment for Apple products. It creates a community, and people tend to return to Apple products after trying it.

Research:

When Apple was creating the first iPhone they had to have done research on several aspects. They have to do research on the competition, because they was not the first to have a touch screen or email on the phone (the popular Blackberries for example was a hit in the business community). They had to find out what the competition did good, and what was missing. I guess they did research on what consumers with different geographic was missing. It looks like they wanted to sell their brand to the younger audience too. They wanted to put their other products into one, the computer and the iPod. They did research on what made their older products so successful. They had to do a lot of research on how to make a user friendly product.
There is a lot of research hours in making of an iPhone, that is something I am sure of.

3. Now take the same product as in question 2 and explain, in your own words, how the visual element (in this case, the logo) fits in with the brand identity.

First of all the company name is Apple, and the logo is an Apple. The reason for the bite of the apple is because it should not be misunderstood to be a cherry. It is known as “the apple of Eden”, which should symbolise knowledge.

The colours of the logo has changed, but for the last 20 years it has been neutral colours, like black, white, silver. The glaze of the logo gives it a luxury and high tech feeling. The design is simple, elegant and timeless. People associate apples as a healthy thing, and that gives positive thinking.

The Apple logo is so strong branded that it does not need any word mark or monogram to be recognised.