The current business environment promises steep competition for both new and existing firms. As a result, major corporations continue to invest heavily in adaptive marketing techniques with particular emphasis on technological advancements such as social media marketing (Erdoğmuş, & Çiçek, 2012). Businesses that have been successful in this venture have created a unique identifier tied to the brand of the organization and managed to manifest it online. The quick and widespread dissemination of information helps to capture larger market shares. Remaining relevant in these turbulent times relies on creating an emotional bond with the customers, social media marketing provides a more personal relationship between the firm and customers (Castronovo & Huang, 2012). Their continued return depends on their identification with the brand in addition to the perceived value addition they receive from the products and services.
Apple Logo Analysis
Marketing techniques have evolved to become both a determining factor in the success of a business and identifying mark of individual organizations. The advent of social media has provided a cost-effective and highly efficient platform to use for marketing purposes (Hamid, Akhir, & Cheng, 2013). Businesses have created a robust online presence in a bid to interact with their customers at a more intricate level. Using logos as an identifying mark has proved to be a lucrative practice for several organizations such as Apple, known by the trademark bitten apple silhouette (Mediabistro, nd). The symbol has become synonymous with an almost exclusive cult of users whose identity revolves around using apple products. The simple and elegant nature of its design is an example of Apple’s exemplary product branding and marketing techniques that industry and on-industry peers alike emulate. However, the logo may, at times feel a little plain compared to competitors who use vibrant colors.
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The logo can be thought of as a visual representation of what an organization wishes to communicate. Its justification as an effective logo depends on how easily the target audience interacts with it and what message they receive from it (Seraphin et al., 2016). The Apple brand uses its logo to signify simplicity yet sophistication. Embracing the concept of less being more, the appeal lies in the perception of minimalism (Maria, 2019). The overall effect is that it exudes confidence from the customers who in a sense, feel more at ease. Apple uses its logo effectively in driving the message of the promise of a cultured, supportive community within the base of fellow users. Consequently, it has cultivated strong customer loyalty through specialized internal processes and marketing. Its logo has generated numerous attempts at replication as well due to its easily identifiable nature and widespread appeal.
Apple has had considerable success using its logo and branding techniques. This is because branding makes it easy to link their products to the company. Any modifications to the existing logo should be made in line with the desired company objectives. Identity-based branding can be used to highlight the key features of a product to make it more appealing (Kladou et al., 2017). Apple contains a diverse range of products and could employ identity branding as specialized depth marketing for individual products. Modified versions of the primary logo such as shaded versions could be designed for certain key sub-products to identify them better. Considering the iPod, for example, a musically related logo inspired by the original could go a long way in being a unique identifier for this product from other apple products. For products for which the younger demographic is the target, more vibrant colors, and shapes in the logo could be tweaked into the existing version.
Logos are an essential visual variable that creates a connection between customers and the brand. Given the widespread product differentiation in most household consumer goods, creating a bold, easily identifiable brand is vital in a market where approximately seventy-percent of purchases are conducted in stores (Iancu & Iancu, 2017). Rather than flooding the customer with visual inputs, it might serve the company better to provide minimalist, simple symbols. This logic would align perfectly with Apple's trademark of minimalism and consequently explain its widespread use in product marketing.
Adding to this, the hypothetical tweaking of the existing logo to fit its diverse product range could prove to be useful. Rather than create more images that might confuse the customers, Apple could build on what already exists. Specialized branding could create stronger and more targeted bonds between the customers and the brand (Iancu & Iancu, 2017). The current structure has had success in identifying Apple as a leading provider of cellphone and related products. However, the company boasts of a much wider reach that is grossly underrepresented. Modified versions of the logo could go a long way in attracting the interest of potential customers whose needs go beyond a cellphone. There is an entire market of technology enthusiasts that the company is yet to tap into effectively. Furthermore, it would be more cost-effective and less time consuming than creating new logos for each product.
A good logo is more than just eye-catching and aesthetically appealing; it also communicated a message to the audience. This cannot be rendered successful if the logo were not simple, scalable, memorable, versatile, and relevant (Paper Street, 2014). Apple is a perfect example of what difference investing in creating a wholesome logo can make in establishing strong brand identification and customer loyalty. The evidence lies in its continued success and continued impressive market share over an remarkable time, during which several formidable competitors have not survived,
Peer Review Response
Response 1
In this review, a comprehensive analysis of the Apple logo was performed. As stated, Apple has had widespread success in establishing strong customer loyalty, that consequently translates into large revenue sales. The logo is mainly famous among technologically adept users, more so the younger demographic. The symbol of an apple has become almost synonymous with the brand. The deliberate use of color in the logo has also contributed in spreading its message. The possible use of alternative wordmarks and technological slogans in the logo could avoid confusion among users that are not aware of the bitten apple image that might otherwise misidentify the brand. The use of color should be approached with caution; extremities might seclude the very class that Apple targets.
Response 2
The Amazon logo is also an example of the impact that simplicity can have in branding. The logo is large, simple, and bold, almost immediately capturing the attention of the customers. This continues to cultivate strong brand recognition by customers who can easily decipher the intended message. Furthermore, the vibrant nature of the logo draws the eye towards its products. However, the curvature of the logo has sometimes been misconstrued as offensive and warranted clarification in the past. In this review, an alternative of more vibrant colors is offered. Despite the intentions, given the already bold design of the current logo, the modification would better be suited in the geometrical form rather than making the brand more ostentatious.
Personal Logo
The attributes that I intended to present with my logo are that I am creative and passionate about writing. I selected the logo because it is a clear representation of my strengths and passion. The pencil symbol depicts my writing abilities, while the randomly arranged alphabetic characters are a manifestation of my creative brain activity. The logo depicts how I often come up with ideas and transform them into practical information or activities. There may be varied interpretations of my logo. The logo may be associated with high intelligence. This may imply that I like studying. This interpretation is close to the actual interpretation except that it inclines towards academic studies more than creativity. The article by Maria (2019) informed my selection of the logo because it explains how logos may be interpreted in the globalized world. The logo has to be as accurate as possible in the representation of the intended ideas to minimize misinterpretations. Also, it is important to select simple logos as complex ones may be difficult to interpreted.
References
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