Introduction
Apple Inc. is a rather smart company in terms of how it operates its communication strategy and delivers its messages to the customers (Cornelissen, 2014). It is worth mentioning that the company’s approach to communication significantly differs from what other companies commonly do. On a bigger scale, Apple Inc. is not afraid to implement innovations and do things that are not available to the majority of its competitors due to the conventionality of the latter (Cornelissen, 2014). There are numerous things that have to be taken into consideration when we discuss the external communication approaches of Apple Inc.
Analysis of the Strategy
First of all, the company pays close attention to the possibilities of improving customer service. It can be seen that Apple does a very good job aligning its products with the customers’ requirements (Zaremba, 2015). Nonetheless, some of the products are relatively imposed on the customers by means of eliciting messages that are designed to persuade the existing customers or expand the client base by generating new loyal customers. Second, the company takes its online presence rather seriously and does not hesitate to contact its customers via social media (Champoux, Durgee, & McGlynn, 2012).
The external communication strategy applied by Apple Inc. can be characterized as professional and all-inclusive because they tend to answer all the inquiries fast and do not leave their clients behind. The principles of the external communication of Apple Inc. presuppose that customers should be put at the forefront. As it was mentioned by Champoux et al. (2012), at Apple Inc, employees do their best to ensure that high-level communication is in place and customer satisfaction in terms of communication with the company representatives is maintained at an exclusively high level. These findings are also supported by Katie’s (2013) research as he claims that regardless of all the complications experienced by the company, it is able to engage in productive communication with the clients and provide the latter with all the necessary information promptly.
Peculiarities of the Strategy
One of the main peculiarities of Apple Inc. is that it takes into account the importance of sending out clear and vivid messages that advantageously stand out from the background of other rival companies (Katie, 2013). The rationale behind this is the utilization of short messages that are communicated by strong visuals. Apple Inc. makes the best use of social media and adheres to a rather official presentation style with rare cases of impressionism and more liberal exhibitions. This business-centered approach helps the company to keep the balance between the official style and the necessity to sell the product to millennials and the majority of the younger population.
Another important peculiarity of Apple Inc.’s external communication strategy is the fact that all the managers and employees are efficiently trained to communicate in a courteous manner. By doing this, the company ensures that its reputation is maintained at the highest level possible and all the customers are satisfied by the communication experience (Shamma, 2012). The code of communication at Apple Inc. presupposes that employees are expected to deal with all the transpiring issues in a calm manner and choose their vocabulary wisely regardless of the type of customer. This should be done in order to prevent negative repercussions of unethical behavior and incorrect comments from the company’s representatives. The code of communication in amalgamation with employee training is one of the key instruments that helped Apple Inc. to reach out to the global market and become so successful and recognizable (Shamma, 2012).
Another characteristic feature of Apple Inc.’s external communication strategy is the fact that organizational communication is tracked by the performance management system. In other words, Apple’s executives are in constant search of ways to improve company-customer communication and develop better relationships with the clients by means of external communication (Vallaster & Lindgreen, 2013). Organization communication practices employed at Apple Inc. are aimed at the creation of a friendly atmosphere and the development of a trustful client-organization association.
External Communication Strategy SWOT and Conclusions
Overall, the external communication strategy that is currently applied by Apple Inc. is rather effective from a number of perspectives. They are able to elicit certain emotions in their customers and extend the customer base by means of their gaudy messages that superciliously stand out and positively affect sales and client-company communication. Apple Inc. does a great job mitigating the weaknesses and making the most out of the strengths of their external communication strategy. The ultimate verdict that can be reached is that there is room for improvement, but the overall state of affairs can be characterized as gainful.
References
Champoux, V., Durgee, J., & McGlynn, L. (2012). Corporate Facebook pages: When “fans” attack. Journal of Business Strategy, 33(2), 22-30. Web.
Cornelissen, J. (2014). Corporate communication: A guide to theory and practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
Katie, J. (2013). Critical marketing audit: The case of Apple Inc. Munich, Germany: Grin Verlag.
Shamma, H. M. (2012). Toward a comprehensive understanding of corporate reputation: Concept, measurement and implications. International Journal of Business and Management, 7(16). Web.
Vallaster, C., & Lindgreen, A. (2013). The role of social interactions in building internal corporate brands: Implications for sustainability. Journal of World Business, 48(3), 297-310. Web.
Zaremba, A. (2015). Crisis communication: Theory and practice. Armonk, NY: M E Sharpe.