You wouldn’t think it would take a prophet to know that Apple’s hardware and software is a hit with consumers, but Apple has been declared a “hit” by one none the less. Prophet, the management consulting firm specializing in branding and marketing strategy has put Apple on its short list of business successes for 2003.
The firm looked at several companies who either hit or missed big time this year including Apple, Smith & Wesson, Puma and others. “Combined,” said Prophet’s CEO Michael Dunn, “they provide a very succinct lesson in the importance of understanding brand’s value to customers, how well the organization delivers on what the brand stands for, and how to make it stretch (or not) into new space to help the business grow.”
Prophet praised Apple for doing “a stellar job of expanding its brand into the digital music arena” with the iPod, iTunes software, and iTunes Music Store. “Playing off the anti-establishment roots shared by Apple and the digital music scene, the company has underscored its difference as a brand …”
The marketing firm cautioned that “the jury’s still out on how well [the iTunes Music Store] will traverse the PC space …” but feels confident that Apple will do well in the PC market, and may even encourage users to switch to Mac thanks to iTMS and the iPod.
The company also concluded that the interaction between Puma and the Mini Cooper is a hit, that Smith & Wesson’s clothing and home decor line is a miss , Swiss Airlines’ upscale branding was a miss and the computer repair company “The Geek Squad” is a hit.