Companies can indeed produce similar products but each usually differentiates itself through marketing campaigns with specific ads. For instance, while both Lululemon and Athleta produce athletic apparel, each is distinctive because they target different customers. Lululemon uses broad differentiation where the objective is to create and deliver technical products targeting a diverse market segment (Camilleri, 2017). The company’s product line and its target market are broad and include both runners and multi-sport practitioners. Given this diversity, the company must adopt and implement different marketing approaches to distinguish itself from its competitors. For instance, the use of online classes and groups to motivate its customer allows the company to engage potential customers while making their target market feel good about staying physically active. On the one hand, these strategies enable the company to empower people to achieve their real potential through the provision of the right resources and tools. On the other hand, they allow the company to live up to its core value of creating healthy communities.
Athleta, conversely, distinguishes itself by solely targeting women and girls. The firm focuses on encouraging a healthier society and empowering girls in its marketing campaigns. The strategy allows the company to offer targeted products as it only needs to meet the relevant product aesthetics and style applicable to women. It also enables the company to ensure that it produces a wide range of products for its customers. For example, the company can produce apparels for young girls at high school, girls at college, and working women. Additionally, the company demonstrates that it targets women and girls who have different values and in different livelihoods such as work, school, or college (Athleta LLC, 2019). It wants its products to be relevant for every woman at all society levels.
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References
Athleta LLC. (2019). Shop Athleta for Women’s Yoga Clothing, Technical Athletic Clothing, and Athleisure . Gap.com. https://athleta.gap.com/
Camilleri, M. A. (2017). Market Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning. Tourism, Hospitality & Event Management , 69–83. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49849-2_4
Response 2
Apple and Samsung can be regarded as two companies engaged in aggressive competition because each produces identical products. In such a market, the companies focus on creating and sustaining the competitiveness of their products (Cole, 2014). Firms require ingenuity in the strategic approaches that they use to become market leaders (Taylor & Okazaki, 2015). They generally use different marketing strategies to remain competitive and penetrate new markets. Differentiation also applies to the two companies because they both offer similar products concerning smartphones. They must use unique marketing approaches to distinguish their products in the market (Taylor & Okazaki, 2015). For instance, Samsung differentiates itself through product diversification and low-cost products. The company often releases different products simultaneously and at a low cost to the market targeting different market segments. It also uses product differentiation to maintain its competitive advantage in the smartphone sector. For example, it produces phones with customized screens and Android OS (Cain, 2020). These approaches allow the firm to increase its revenues and attain a high market share. Besides, the firm capitalizes on diversification in which it maximizes the features of different technologies like displays and chips to outwit its competitors (Cain, 2020). In turn, this enables the firm to compete in the price segment by offering low-cost products.
Apple, in contrast, differentiates through innovation and manufacturing of exceptional products (Kim, 2017). The company maintains its market edge by implementing appealing features desired by its customers, which allows it to attract a specific consumer base. The firm focuses on preserving a high reputation in terms of aspects such as user interface and security to seek a premium price for its products. Its brand reputation is a key competitive advantage that permits it to attract a large segment of loyal customers. It develops its reputation by relying on innovation and high-end technology to distinguish its products from those of its competitors. The outcome is that the company stands out in its target market where it maintains a leading position concerning the quality of products.
References
Cain, G. (2020, March 13). Samsung vs. Apple: Inside The Brutal War For Smartphone Dominance . Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesdigitalcovers/2020/03/13/samsung-vs-apple-inside- the-brutal-war-for-smartphone-dominance/?sh=7158b0c34142
Cole, A. (2014). The implications of consumer behavior for marketing : a case study of social class at Sainsbury . Anchor Academic Publishing.
Kim, W. C. (2017). Blue Ocean Shift: Beyond Competing. Hachette Books.
Taylor, C. R., & Okazaki, S. (2015). Do Global Brands Use Similar Executional Styles Across Cultures? A Comparison of U.S. and Japanese Television Advertising. Journal of Advertising , 44 (3), 276–288. https://doi.org/10.1080/00913367.2014.996306
