Today, technology has irrevocably permeated every section of modern society. It is difficult to imagine day-to-day life in the modern world without such devices as smartphones, laptops, and tablets, with numerous companies supporting the demand by regularly putting forward new versions on the market. This paper focuses on smartphones as a product category offered by various brands, including Apple and Samsung, as well as the companies positioning against their intended target audiences.
Apple and Samsung are top-rated brands offering their customers a wide array of product categories, such as laptops, tablets, smartphones, and wearable accessories. Thus, these companies are direct competitors as they operate in the same market. However, they market themselves and their products differently, each having a unique approach to presenting themselves on the market. For example, Apple positions itself as an innovative company that offers superior products (Yeung, 2021). In addition, the company’s pricing strategy helps to represent iPhones as exclusive luxury products that are highly functional and easy to use (Darbinyan, 2022; Yeung, 2021). Meanwhile, Samsung is positioned as a market leader with a particular focus on connectivity and innovation (Darbinyan, 2022). It should be noted that the brands position themselves as environmentally friendly companies to appeal to their target audiences (Darbinyan, 2022). Overall, Apple and Samsung can be considered leaders in the smartphone product category.
Furthermore, the brands are well-positioned to face challenges in the category under consideration. Thus, Apple efficiently utilized the de-positioning strategy after Siri was found to be inferior to other virtual assistants by highlighting the lack of security of other companies and focusing on consumer data protection (Irwin, 2023). Meanwhile, Samsung has the advantage of lower prices and the skimming pricing strategy as it tends to lower prices when its competitors release new products (Darbinyan, 2022). Personally, I find Samsung’s approach to positioning itself more approachable and relevant to the current market, whereas Apple’s positioning as an exclusive and superior brand is somewhat alienating.
In summary, Apple and Samsung are the most favored brands within the smartphone product category. The brands position themselves as innovative and environmentally friendly companies whose products offer the customers the best experiences. While Apple focuses on the exclusivity of their phones, Samsung highlights the sense of connectivity that their smartphones offer. Despite their differences, both companies are well-placed to face any industry challenges through pricing strategies and de-positioning.
References
Darbinyan, M. (2022). Positioning strategies of Samsung and Apple. The Social Grabber. Web.
Irwin, T. (2023). De-positioning: The secret brand strategy Apple and Starbucks won’t tell you about. Brandingmag. Web.
Yeung, N. (2021). The marketing strategy for iPhone. Profolus. Web.