iPhone X will be criticized, but it will still be popular | On 4P and brand
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The iPhone is criticized every year, so why does it continue to make steady progress? Nokia and iPhone are both closed systems. Nokia was 10 years ahead in smartphones, but now it’s dead. Why didn’t the iPhone die as a latecomer? If the iPhone is the "winning general" because of its technological strength, why can't Samsung do the same? China's per capita income ranks 73rd in the world (2016), but iPhone sales in China exceed those in the United States, ranking first in the world. Why? Huawei has great local advantages, but is not as good as Apple in terms of sales volume or profit? In fact, the competitiveness, or profitability, of a product has no positive correlation with the evaluation of the people. This article has 2,600 words. Yesterday morning, Apple released the iPhone X. From iPhone 6 to iPhone 7, through a barrage of criticism, and then to another barrage of criticism. The screen is too big, the sides are too round and ugly, I don’t find it “cool”, and it’s not worth it... The same thing happened when I changed to 6s, “For the same price, it seems that Samsung and Huawei are better.” But in the end, I still chose iPhone, the reason was feeling. A product's competitiveness, or profitability, has no positive correlation with the people's evaluation. For example, for the iPhone X, a comprehensive analysis can start with the 4P theory. If you happen to be a brand officer or product manager , you will resonate with the following content. "Cool" and "Stunning" - Users have the final say. In this matter, users really have the final say. Many times, if you work hard on a creation but users don't buy it in the end, then it is not "cool". When users examine a product from the perspective of self-perception, if it exceeds/falls short of a certain self-perception limit, it will be considered weird, messy, and not “cool” enough. Of course, this does not include companies like Apple that have the ability to lead users. For example, when the iPhone 6 first came out, "What? It's thicker? Where's the glass back like the 4S?" Apple, Samsung, Huawei, and Xiaomi are striving to be the top three in smart products - From the product perspective, although Apple launched many "masterpieces" when Jobs was alive, there were no amazing works during the " Cook era", and its patent coverage and quantity were also lower than Samsung and Huawei, narrowly beating Xiaomi. The "new" camera, 3D touch , IOS10, and waterproof functions launched by the previous generation of iPhone seem a bit useless? The waterproof function was developed in Sony mobile phones long ago. If Apple has a perfect interactive experience, then among mobile phones priced at 5,000+, is Samsung that bad? Samsung has actually developed more features. For example, the iPhone 7 promotional video below is similar to other smartphones from large companies. The current iPhone does not have so many amazing works, but in the next few years, the iPhone will not go downhill. One reason is the brand inertia, and the other is that the iPhone’s UI is not as bad as Nokia’s back then. The second P – price. There is nothing to say. Judging from the cost perspective, Apple’s prices have always been ridiculously high. But great companies don't need to use "cost pricing". The Third P – Channels Compared to Samsung, Apple has a more precise product positioning and a more accurate user base, which limits their further expansion among giant companies. But mobile phones like Samsung do not have precise user positioning, and there are both high-priced and low-priced products. As a result, the iPhone has never surpassed Samsung's market share in recent years. Apple fell into "its own trap" in the international market, and when it came to China, it encountered channel disadvantages. Compared with Huawei Group, Apple has an inherent channel disadvantage in China. Maybe one day it will be gone like Google and Facebook. Another proof of Huawei's channel advantage is what Ren Zhengfei said: "We have not gone public in the past 29 years and will definitely not go public in the future." The fourth P – promotion strategy. Using the 4P theory, a full-angle model, to analyze products, the iPhone has no advantage at all in the first 3Ps, but as a result, its net profit in Q1 (the first quarter of 2017) ranked first in the world. There is only one reason: promotion strategy. "Companies use public relations, promotions and other means to deliver product information to consumers or users, attract their attention and interest, stimulate their desire and behavior to buy, and ultimately achieve the goal of expanding profits." Promotional strategies serve the brand. Brand premium, loyalty and stickiness all need to be maintained through the effective implementation of promotional strategies. So, just how powerful is a brand? Can you use 1 P to pry over other people’s 3 Ps? As we all know, Apple's brand power is indeed strong, as strong as those companies in mainland China with "China" in their names. The most important reason is that they occupy a certain unique resource. Look at "PetroChina", "Sinopec" and "State Grid Corporation of China". They occupy energy resources, which are unique resources. "Industrial and Commercial Bank of China" and "China Construction Bank" have the right granted by the state to "accept public deposits". Isn't that a unique resource? The fact that major luxury brands are able to maintain a high position and sell products with a profit margin of over 50% is also due to the fact that they occupy unique resources - a symbol of class division. Yes, people themselves do not have classes, but when things are used to reflect them, classes emerge. And people are actually very yearning for and fascinated by the "upper class", no matter what perspective you think about it from. And you are really great, but no one knows it, what’s the use? There is no "upper class" feeling. For example, thousands of years ago, we did not have brand-name bags or brand-name cars, but “upper-level” demands have always existed, so what should we do? "I am so powerful, but no one knows it." Well then, let’s establish a tribal system. I’ll be the chief, I’ll have XX rights, I’ll have the right of priority in mating, and the surnames will be extended according to my standards. Primitive tribes are backward. It seems that there is nothing more to do except sleeping, eating, mating and running. As time goes by to the modern era, people's thoughts become richer and the number of objects used increases. If I want to represent "upper class", or "young", "handsome enough", "rich enough", etc., I need one or even many symbols to reflect it. This logo is the brand. Today, the brand is not only used to identify the product, but more importantly, it is a symbol of embodiment. Furthermore, the logo must provide a unique resource to consumers/users. As mentioned above, "PetroChina", "Sinopec"... their brand logos mean that they can provide you with oil and petrochemical resources, and you can't buy them anywhere else except from these companies. "Industrial and Commercial Bank of China", "China Construction Bank"... Their brand logos mean that if you want to deposit money more safely and formally, except for our companies, no other place has this functional resource. Apple also has similar unique resources, like luxury goods and also like a "primitive tribe." The unique resource of luxury goods - the function of dividing classes. Even if other products are more beautiful and flashy, they do not have the function of dividing classes. The unique resource of iPhone is to embody such an image - the image of new urban elite star. In the smartphone world, apart from iPhone, no other company has the resources to produce this function. Suppose Alice is a financial analyst in Hong Kong who lives in the mainstream young people’s circle. She rarely watches movies or plays games on her mobile phone. Without the need for high performance and high-definition screen, Alice would also most likely choose iPhone as the preferred mobile phone. Because the iPhone user base, or Apple itself, all understand that the greatest function and value of "Apple" is to create a special image - the image of a new urban elite star. And those shortcomings, such as short battery life, inability to download software outside the App Store, and a system that is too closed and not powerful enough, are not fatal, unless a "Pear" comes along, which can more accurately and powerfully define this special image. All idol films and idol stars do not charge a penny and all use iPhones. In addition, the brand and movie logos must be displayed under the Weibo post. The only reason: to enhance the new urban elite star image. Finally, let’s look at a “face-slapping chart”. None of the Chinese banks with government-authorized resources are among the top 10 in the world. Perfectly crushed by supermarkets, car companies and technology companies. Fortune Global 500 list (updated on July 20, 2017) To summarize the horizontal comparison, you will find that when comparing Apple with Samsung, Huawei, and Xiaomi, the iPhone does not have the best advantage in terms of product research and development, price, and channels, but it is the "profit king." In the first quarter of 2017, the company's net profit was RMB 72,997 million, ranking first among similar companies worldwide and ninth among the Fortune Global 500 (July 2017). This is the power of Apple's brand. How powerful is it? You can refer to mainland companies whose names start with "China", and even Apple can crush them. Therefore, in the past few years and even in the next few years, even if the iPhone 9 10 11 is not "more innovative" or "more cool", it will still be able to lead the market with its unique resources of value symbol and brand inertia, until another brand of a larger scale emerges to compete with it. This article was compiled and published by @朱小磊 (Qinggua Media). Please indicate the author information and source when reprinting! Product promotion services: APP promotion services, information flow advertising, advertising platform |
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