Who’s marketing is really winning here, Apple or Microsoft?
This post was inspired by a conversation I joined regarding Microsoft gaining some ground back against Apple. The conversation continued on Twitter with a great tweet from Kara:
I hope this sparks a huge debate. Apple is regarded as one of the best marketing teams in Technology today, but I’m starting to have second thoughts regarding their efforts. Did marketing play a huge role in Apple’s recent success? Or was it simply disposable income? Please don’t mix the product with marketing on this – I realize that the iPhone is a game changer in the industry. My question isn’t whether or not Apple has great products, it’s how much of an impact did marketing have on Apple’s huge growth in sales?
Was it really Apple’s marketing that made the difference?
When times are rough and disposable income is down, consumers and businesses have to make more difficult purchasing decisions. Since Microsoft is winning back market share from Apple on items like laptops, it appears that Microsoft is winning the value war. That is, Apple’s marketing of cool, elegant design, ease of use, and less trouble… isn’t working.
That means that intelligent consumers do not believe that the cost of an Apple is worth it any longer. Apple is not making the case… and I don’t believe (nor does Kara) that snarky commercials are helping them. In fact, I think they may just be sounding like some spoiled kids bragging about their newest toy and giving the finger to the establishment (that’s me and you).
It may be time to kill the whole Mac vs. PC campaign.
A key element to great marketing is timeliness. It’s important that your marketing stay relevant to your audience… and changes in the economy are impacting people’s purchasing decisions. As a result, it’s key to adjust accordingly. It’s time for Apple to adjust.
