Ch. 2 - Strategic Planning for Competitive Advantage

Apple is one of the most well-known companies in the world. But where can Apple Inc. attribute its popularity? Its success could not be attributed to anything else than to its strategic planning which the company implemented successfully the last few years in the competitive society we live in. Apple's Inc strategic planning has helped to set the company apart from other colossal ones in the industry. This is what we call in marketing, competitive advantage. That is to be able to provide the same value as its competitors but at a lower price, or to charge higher prices by providing greater value through differentiation. It's important to mention that up until recently Steve Jobs the CEO of Apple's Inc was announcing the new products to the public which I believe was a great strategic plan because just from watching the presentation you felt connected to the company. Apple’s CEO was making sure to differentiate its products on every presentation by referring to them with extreme detail there by showing why you should try Apple and why you should spend your money on one of its products. Steve Jobs was describing Apple's Iphone as a superior and unique product with better hardware, software, operating systems and support. He also emphasized how important it is for Apple to satisfy their customers. Unfortunately, we all heard about the death of Steve Jobs. People automatically felt that a part of Apple’s fame might be lost. In the end, Steve Jobs was the founder and heart of Apple's Inc. However, 2 years later Apple Inc keeps thriving as forecast show, and with the introduction of Iphone 5, and its new features and better CPU, Apple's revenues beat analyst's forecasts, with a 20% rise in iPhone sales in the latest quarter. Apple shows that the company can still be innovative, following a strategic plan that is far more elaborate than we ever thought.