When someone thinks of a tech company one may often think about Apple and Microsoft. The two companies have had a long standing rivalry since Apple entered the market. Both companies were founded in Silicon Valley during the 1970s. However, by the 1990s Microsoft seemingly won the computer war. Apple then rang back in the new millennium with the first iPhone which began the new age of mobile computing. Today, they are not direct rivals with one not being more prevalent than the other. Their business models are both strong and Apple has differentiated themselves from the pack. I am going to consider Apple as the top dog and Microsoft as the underdog, because Apple entered the market first.
Apple currently uses an emotional branding strategy that helps them for deep and meaningful customer relationships (Simplified, 2023). Apple positions themselves with every effort being strategic. They foster a simple logo, remain consistent with brand values, sell emotions, create customer-centric experiences, and “GLOCAL’ marketing strategy. Largely, they are able to recognize their brand locally and globally. Their branding is designed to be used globally and locally making it versatile, while still sticking to their brand values. Microsoft has created quite the brand strategy as well. Microsoft has a much larger array of products and services. They have so many types of software, hardware, services, and systems with no brand focus (Distility, 2023). Microsoft uses slogans to help promote their various kinds of products. They use variety of promotional strategies to raise awareness and interest in their products and services. They utilize their relationships with partners and developers to promote their products through their channels (Startup talky, 2023). Apple strategically has honed in on specific specialties in innovating products, whereas Microsoft would arguably be known for their software rather than the product as a whole.
Recommendations to Microsoft to improve their brand strategy would be to utilize acquisition strategies. Since Apple has more market share than Microsoft, acquiring new customers would give Microsoft the boost that could get them ahead if that was their objective. Creating a demand for one of their products would help give them the edge they need. They could also create a whole new set of products or services that are differentiated so that they could gain a whole new set of customers. In addition to the acquisition strategies, they should consider a marketing campaign educating customers of the different offers and benefits of their products and services. Sometimes all it takes is educating someone about something they may not even know excysted or was possible. By taking those three steps, Microsoft could improve their market position in comparison to Apple.
When analyzing a brand, preferences vary at an individual level. However, one thing that Apples target market has in common is that they value durability. “Apple hardware used to arguably be more reliable than Microsoft Windows. This is because the Apple Mac operating system was written specifically hardware components which were optimized to work together and allows everything to run more smoothly” (SMY It Specialist, 2023). They also appreciate the simplicity that Apple offers and the sleek modern design. Apple has differentiated their products and chosen to make iPhones, iPods, Smart Watches, Air pods, the cater to their customer’s needs. They have truly built a large loyal customer base. They have garnered a reputation for quality, reliability, and customer service (LinkedIn, 2023). Because of that they have a high level of customer satisfaction increasing the likelihood of customers to purchase additional products. I personally prefer Apple, as they keep up on demands and changing trends in the industry.
Overall, there is a lot we can learn from the way Apple and Microsoft position themselves in the market.
Apple or Microsoft? here’s our comparison. IT Support – SMY IT Services. (2019, November 14). https://smyservices.com/news/apple-or-microsoft-heres-our-comparison/#:~:text=Durability,everything%20to%20run%20more%20smoothly.
Banerjee, B. (n.d.). Why Apple is a successful company. LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-apple-successful-company-bhaskar-banerjee
Distility. (2015, September 28). The Apple & Microsoft Brand Strategies – What do you think?. Distility®. https://distility.com/branding-evaluation/the-apple-microsoft-brand-strategies-what-do-you-think/
Karthikeyan, A. (2023, March 24). Microsoft’s marketing strategies: How they conquered the tech world. StartupTalky. https://startuptalky.com/microsoft-marketing-strategies/
Maline, L. (2023, February 21). Apple’s branding strategy & what marketers can learn from it. Simplified. https://simplified.com/blog/branding/apple-branding-strategy/
Randi Grody 
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