Product Concepts

Preface

( In order  for a marketer to create a marketing mix the first thing they need is a product. There are different types of consumer products, they go from convenience products that are cheap everyday things like soda and toothpaste; to specialty products that you are willing to die for like a new car. Companies must determine the line the new product is going to be in so that they can figure out how they are going to advertise it, package it and what their target market is going to be. Companies most also determine when they should modify their products in order to meet the consumer needs more accordingly, or they should plan an obsolescing which means that they'll modify a current product and so that those that have already been sold become useless to the consumer before they really need a replacement. Brands are very important for a company because that's the way people recognize their products and buy them, people develop brand loyalty and that gives you frequent buyers. Trademarks are also important because they are the symbols that identify a product, for example we can all recognize a Yankees (NY),a Coca Cola bottle, and the Facebook logo from a mile away. The way Firms package their products is very important because the package not only protects the product but also advertises it and informs the customer about the product. You need to make sure that the packaging is the adequate one for the place the product is being send to in order to avoid any damage to the product, the package also needs to be easy to store, ship, and stock so that wholesalers and retailers can be as happy with your product as they can be. In conclusion even the best product in the world can't be sold if it doesn't have a good brand backing it up and an attractive package.)

iPod

Vinnie Chieco came with name based on the movie "2001: A Space Odyssey" in which Dave (played by actor Keir Bullea) tells the spaceship's computer to "open the pod bay doors."

         Introducing a new product to the market can be very risky for any firm no matter how big or small; but Apple hit the target when they 1st introduced the iPod on October 23rd, 2003. The 1st iPod was 5GB, $400, and only compatible with Mac, the advertising campaign that was in place was called "1,000 songs in your pocket. It's been just over 7 years that Apple introduced this magnificent devise and since, they have introduced 22 different iPods and I'm sure they are working on the next already. Apple's ability to keep on reinventing the iPod making the design more beautiful each time around and the amazing new features that they have pioneered in the mp3 player market that makes you want to go out and buy the new version before the old one is broken; that is a perfect example of how Apple makes a planned  absolescence work. The iPod is a specialty product, that's why people are willing to pay alot more for an iPod than a regular mp3 player and won't replace it with any other music player. There are currently four products in the iPod's product line, the iPod shuffle, iPod nano, iPod touch, and of course the iPod classic. The iPod's white ear-buds have become an iconic symbol of the 21st century; they are manufactured by the Fostex Corp. in Japan. Without a doubt they key to success is to have a great product backed by a very well know brand, Apple.

Brand

  

             Apple is a very well know brand not only in America but also around the world, the original apple brand mark was designed by co-founder  Rod Janoff. A picture of Sir Issac Newton, there is a phrase on the that reads “Newton… A Mind Forever Voyaging Through Strange Seas of Thought … Alone;” it only lasted a year. The second brand mark designed by Rod Janoffthey  is the iconic colorful Apple logo, that lasted from 1976-1978. The brand mark was a bitten apple that symbolized knowledge and lust, it was a contrast between the company's knowledge and the colorful rainbow that was not in order. Steve Jobs said that they just wanted the green on top "because that's where the leaf was." He also said that it humanized the company and gave it a playful look. The third mark brand is the Monochrome logo was adopted by the company in 1998, less than a year after Steve Jobs returned to Apple. the change was right because Mr. Jobs wanted to reinvent the company that was then falling apart. The new monochromatic logo gives the company a more high tech look without taking the globally recognize bitten  apple. There is an Apple logo printed in everyone of Apple's products, it gives their products the name and respect of one of the most universally know brands. It was only right that Apple changed their logo because the back of an iPhone would not  looked as great with a little colorful apple. Apple has develop an amazingly high brand equity so that's why it is important that Apple's displays it in all their products, if you see an Apple you know it'll work.