Critical Success Factors or enablers for the tremendous growth of Apple

brand since 2013.

Apple is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Cupertino,

California that designs, develops, and sells consumer electronics, computer software, and online
services. The company's hardware products include the iPhone smartphone, the iPad tablet
computer, the Mac personal computer, the iPod portable media player, the Apple smartwatch, and
the Apple TV digital media player.

Apple is one of the most successful communications technology companies in the world
and makes the word 'apple' in English no longer synonymous with fruit names. Apple has been in
tremendous growth since 2013 as being number one brand in Best Global Brands Report from year
2014 to 2016. This Steve Jobs's technology company, with a brand value of 178.119 million dollars
beat some other world brands, including Google, Coca Cola, and Microsoft in 2016 which
respectively sit in the second, third and fourth. As for the fifth position is occupied by Toyota with
a brand value of 53,580 million dollars.

With the application of meticulous strategic planning and supported by qualified resources,
Apple successfully achieved the position as one of the most successful communications companies
in the world. Although Apple has existed since many years before, it is the iPhone marketing that
successfully plug Apple brand in the minds of communication technology lovers. This might not
have occurred if Apple does not have a great strategy to achieve its success over the past 3 years.
In my opinion, these are some of the secrets of Apple's success to be the strongest brand on earth;

1. Focus on Brand

Since 1999, Al Ries has warned that if companies want a strong brand in the minds of
consumers, companies must narrow the brand, not expand it. According to the author of The 22
Immutable Laws of Branding, brand extension will increase sales in the short term, but brand
extension can be counterproductive to corporate branding efforts. When compared to Apple's
competitors from ginseng country, Samsung, which is known to always offer a more abundant
product variants, Apple is actually known as a relatively little company in issuing brand variants
for each product. This is what makes Apple still able to focus, and able to maintain customer
loyalty.

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2. Easy-to-use revolutionary products

Since the emergence of the first-generation iPhone, Steve Jobs has been convinced that a
revolutionary product should be made to facilitate consumers, not to complicate. Simplicity is then
the philosophy for each product. Steve Jobs's product, until now so popular, because not only
succeeded in making the product so advanced ahead of its time, but at the same time able to offer
the concept of simplicity, so that in each product so comfortable and very easy to use by ordinary
users though.

3. Innovation

Apple takes advantage of the already popular products of the iPod and mobile phones and
unites the two concepts. Backed by in-depth research and surveys and research, Apple is able to
create products that combine the two concepts of the product into a new concept that does not feel
awkward when operated. Even the first iPhone ads use the phrase "there's never been an iPod that
can do this" and instill the impression that potential buyers will get more when buying an iPhone.

4. Branding strategy in marketing

With its easy-to-remember logo and company name, Apple instills the idea that its products
are sophisticated and user friendly, as opposed to a common understanding that the more
sophisticated the tools, the more complicated the operation is. This is also applied in iPhone
features that use memorable icons in the main menu.

5. Maximum use of marketing media

Apple created an official website specifically for the iPhone where its users can go to the
site to explore all sorts of things about their iPhone, ranging from general instructions iPhone
usage, tips and tricks and updates the latest applications and series. The addition of top rated menus
on the list of apps has also proven to encourage iPhone owners to buy the app rather than if it lists
only the app list.

6. Potential marketing targets

Apple realizes that the growing number of young professionals (especially those who
succeed through online business) will become consumers of loyal, sophisticated communication
tools. Therefore, iPhone product marketing campaign since the first series always highlight things

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that will attract the attention of young and professional; Sophisticated, trendy and versatile
products.

7. Consistent price adjustments

The main principle in marketing strategy of Apple is 'the latest and the greatest' which
means Apple should continue to adjust the price of old products while making new products,
because people tend to look for trendy elements of communication technology no matter although
the old product still has many useful features. This is why Apple consistently lowered product
prices only after a few months before issuing a new series.

8. Community and Lifestyle

The presence of fanatical fans who are willing to queue up for days to get the latest products
from Apple, cannot be denied to help boost the popularity of this company. Not to mention the
benefits of publication through word of mouth is getting faster through a number of social media
such as Twitter and Facebook. With its high popularity, it shows that the company is able to be a
part of people's lifestyles, not only for tech aficionados, but also for lay people who want to get
products that are considered capable of expressing their personalities.

Until now, Apple has never stopped innovating and researching in order to continue to
create new iPhone series that can compete in the communications technology market; This should
indeed be part of a marketing strategy for any company that has started to have a wide range of
consumers.

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 Coca-Cola lost the top spot in the ranking in 2013. What Coca-Colas slide
down global brand rankings really tells us?

The Coca-Cola Company, which is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, but incorporated in

Wilmington, Delaware, is an American multinational beverage corporation, and manufacturer,
retailer, and marketer of nonalcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups. The company is best
known for its flagship product Coca-Cola, invented in 1886 by pharmacist John Stith Pemberton
in Columbus, Georgia.

Coca Cola has enjoyed an enviable stint at the top of several well-known brand valuation
league tables such as the Interbrand top 100 list. On the surface, youd be forgiven for thinking
Coca-Cola is still at the top of its game. However, it lost the top spot in Interbrands best global
brands list in 2013 and as 2016, the Coca Cola place number three after Apple and Google with a
brand value of 73,102 million dollars.

No matter how indispensable a brand seems, nothing is forever, and even the biggest names
must fight to stay relevant. Although we know that Coca Cola is known all over the world, it has
to strive to going concern of the company. Coca Cola has had to adapt to respond to the modern
world. On the one hand increasingly diverse consumer tastes, media evolution and the internet
have reduced the potential for a single brand and product offering. On the other, the governments
move to tackle obesity and health concerns by penalizing soft drinks companies is a major concern
for the likes of Coke.

Consumers expect a fully immersive experience that entertains multiple senses at once.
Although consumers are fond of traditional products, the success of Apple, Google, Facebook,
McDonalds, their resilience has been driven by their ability to augment the core with multiple
layers of experience. For example, Nintendos Pokmons Go concept blends a gaming experience
across the online and offline worlds as players move around an augmented reality powered by
Google Maps. Coca-Colas merchandise store and branded microsites expose a lack of ideas.
Theres only so much value consumers take from the deft placement of the Coca-Cola logo. The
brand struggles to deliver the scale of its open happiness promise through the small opening in the
top of its cans.

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 In today's increasingly tough business competition, the role of a brand is crucial to
becoming a market leader. Because, other competition attributes relatively easy to imitate
competitors. Brand is a distinguishing name or symbol. The brand signals the consumer about the
product or service it represents and protects the consumer or producer of the competitor attempting
to provide a product that looks identical.

Thus, a company must continually build its brand value as one of its intangible assets. A
prestigious brand is a brand that has a strong brand equity because it has a great appeal in the eyes
of consumers. In order to know the product on the product products owned by each company, it is
necessary to research the assets that make up the brand value. Companies can tailor marketing
activities conducted through brands that form in the minds of customers to increase the brand
equity of the company.

Companies need to do various innovations in order to maintain the brand value for the
company can continue to survive and customers do not switch to a competitor company. Brand
value must be built continuously. Now the company is no longer just making goods and then
selling it, but it has led to intangible assets whose value is higher than the physical assets it has.
Brand value must be maintained so that in the top of mind the customers. Innovation is an
important word here. It needs innovation, creating new things to constantly introduce the brand to
be a favorite of the customers and remain known to the public. Brand value is not listed in the book
in accounting. The value is invisible but identifiable. In fact, the brand value that can be a guarantee
of the survival of a company and determine the stock price of a company.

People think once a brand is made, it is done for a lifetime. However, this is incorrect as
even if you have created brand value or equity that can be monetized, brand value is a moving
index that changes with time. What makes things even more complex is that brand value as an
index is difficult to measure in real time. This also means a company or product can be a great
brand for one customer, but for someone else it may not. Therefore, brand value is not absolute
and companies have to appreciate that it is relative to each customer and even if it is high for one
person, it is not constant. If I have a good experience with a company, the brand value goes up a
notch. If the second experience with the company is equally good it may not mean a proportionate
rise in the brand value as I expect the same level of service from the company. However, if the
experience is not good, the brand value falls drastically. A company cannot take things lightly and

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has to ensure that you innovate and comply with basic rules of branding to keep the brand value
constantly high.

Cokes fall signals the long-term decline of the league tables and their brand valuation
concept. The way we think about the contribution of brands and branding must also keep moving
to stay accurate, relevant and useful to modern business. Brand valuation league tables need to
change their methodologies to reflect the changing world of marketing, where brands create value
in difference ways than the original methodology was designed to capture.

If Coke adapts successfully to the new regime of consumer needs, as Nintendo and Google
are doing, they will be rightfully rewarded for their creativity. And just like Coke, brand analysts,
advisers, strategy professionals and league table proprietors should look more broadly at an
organizations total stock of intangible assets to reach a judgment of their economic value; at an
organizations capacity for insight, at culture, at talent and process management as well as
marketing prowess and branding power. Nothing lasts forever, regardless of how confident and
indestructible it once seemed.

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Reference

Apple Inc. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved April 24, 2017, from

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc.

Best Global Brands Report 2014

Best Global Brands Report 2015

Best Global Brands Report 2016

Ries, Al.Ries, Laura. (2002) The 22 immutable laws of branding: how to build a product or service
into a world-class brand New York : HarperBusiness,

The Coca-Cola Company. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved April 24, 2017, from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Coca-Cola_Company