Public Relations and PR plan Of Apple Inc †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Public Relations and PR plan Of Apple Inc. Answer: Introduction Apple inc. is a company that started as a computer manufacturer in the year 1976 (Lewis 2014). However, the technology giant has successfully entered and conquered most of the domains in the sphere of technology. Starting from iPods, which made it the most dominant player in the market for music players; the company entered the mobile industry in the year 2007 and instantly created frenzy among the consumer base. The company has been referred to as one of the most successful producers of mobile phones and they are known for unique and unmatched qualities. The premium build and quality of their products separate them from other competitive brands in the market (Ritchie 2015). Recently, there have been issues over a concern that the batteries of iPhone are slowing the phone down and leading to sudden shutdown of the device and lag in the performance. This was completely in opposite to the quality of products that the company has been manufacturing and selling for so long. Appreciation of the Problem The issue with iPhone batteries not working properly or slowing the phone down has been a major issue for the company, which has lead to creation of a negative image of the company in the market. The problem was that those with iPhone 6, 6 plus and iPhone SE received updates that intentionally slowed down the phone so as the user updated to a new iPhone tht was released in the market. In addition, to cover up this intention, the company initiated battery replacement at a reduced rate for the iPhones that faced such issues. The company reduced the price for replacement from $79 to $29 as an offer price (Apple 2018). This resulted in people having a negative perception regarding the company and the trust that Apple enjoyed in the market took a hit. This lead to people shifting to other brands those were in the market that promised premium products with better battery life and processor power. Apple face a dip in the sales during this period, as the people had apprehensions picking an i Phone from the counter regardless of all the previous brand loyalty that they had for Apple. New strategies had to be implemented to bring the trust back on company and its products. People need to be ensured that such practices will not be repeated and clear communication is necessary from the company spokesperson. Objective The primary objective for the PR team of Apple has to be the restoration of companys image in the public and to establish the fact that they are the most advanced and best in the market. The company has a huge brand value and people are brand loyal to the company (Steenkamp 2014). It provides the PR team with an added edge as their strategies can be implemented with better effect as they have the required consumer base. The PR team has to work in a way that the communication between the company and its consumer base is very clear and hence people are aware of the various strategies and actions that are taken by the company. Defining public The target base for the current PR crisis will be those who are affected with the battery issue primarily. The company has a huge consumer base and has a global reach for its products. The market that Apple enjoys is global and the fan base that it has for its various products is spread throughout the world. This dominant market share of the Apple products has allowed them to rule the domain for such long time. In light of the recent battery issue that the company has faced, it should target the people that have faced the issue and those who are in prospect of facing the same issue as they use the same iPhone models that have encountered the problem. It is seen that people did lose the trust that they had on the brand Apple due to their intentional slowing down of phones through the battery issues and processor lags. However, the defined public should be those who have faced the issue with the phone, it should be noted that the communication must address the entire consumer base as w ell as the potential consumers so that they feel assured while buying a new iPhone in their next purchase (Solomon et al. 2014). Selection of media and technique Following a crisis such as the battery issue in the iPhone, it is very essential for the Public relations department to work hard and restore the public image of the company. The public relation team must concentrate on making the communication between the company executives and the consumer base clearer so that the public is not kept in dark regarding the issue and the various steps that the company is taking to resolve the same (Protess and McCombs 2016). The common technique that Apple has used in the past was maintaining silence on an issue of concern and let it resolve. Previously the company has had software issues for which the PR team maintained complete silence and then they resolved the issue internally and provided an online software update to the users. This resolved the issue without much light to the issue but such steps do not work when the problem is as grave as the battery issue at present. The company PR team should come out and defend the position of the brand by o rganizing a press conference that will discuss about the battery issue and the various steps that will be taken to resolve the issue. The PR executives will need to send press release on behalf of Apple inc. so that the media is informed of the problem and steps that are being taken to resolve the issue. The target base is huge, segmentation based on age is not possible for a company like Apple, and hence the medium they should pick for conveying the relevant statements should be preferably the online media and the newspapers. The online media will pass the information widely to everyone on the web 2.0 platform as it has enormous number of people using the same platform every minute (John 2013). The newspaper on the other hand will give out the information to all those who religiously follow newspaper on a daily basis. Budgeting Every PR plan is considered successful in accordance to the budget that it uses in achieving the required target. The funds have to be acquired from the company to organize and implement the entire PR plan so that the right message is sent out correctly to the target group (Austin and Pinkleton 2015). The motive of a PR plan is to present information that sufficiently matches the requirements of a situation or crisis that took place. The current PR plan involves in having press conference, press releases and a strongdigital marketing for the company. The press conference and press release will need specific amounts to be allocated. The sector of digital marketing will need substantial budget because it has the maximum reach and the best results can be achieved with its proper use. The public feedback and responses can be achieved from the digitalmarketing section and the events that are arranged can be streamed live so that the people can witness the event virtually from anywhere in the world (Tiago and Verssimo 2014). The budget breakdown is provided in the table below- PR Materials Amount (in USD) Press conference/ Media events $50,000 Printed handouts (press release, backgrounder) $15,000 Digital marketing (websites, social media) $25,000 Total $90,000 Table- PR Budgeting Source- (Author) Evaluation The evaluation of a PR plan is the most important part that has to be done in order to effectively execute the plan. Firstly, the various media like the newspapers, television coverage or articles in other sources should be studied and analyzed so that a better understanding of the present image of the company is achieved and then worked upon that as per the PR plan(Dozier, Grunig and Grunig 2013). Surveys should be held and an analysis of the annual reports should be done so that the financial aspect of the current crisis is understood and then the plan is worked accordingly. After the plan is executed, it is essential to gather the various instances when the company has come up in the media and analyze those to understand the impact of the PR plan. As the PR plan has digital marketing incorporation, it is essential to understand the trend that has been created in the online sphere. Web stats should be counted in order to understand the reach of the posts and promotional campaigns a nd messages that have taken place for the company. Conclusion To conclude, the PR plan and its effectiveness will lead the company to better public image and regain the trust that has been lost due to the battery issue. iPhones are one of the most loved gadgets around the world and hence people who use it are very concerned about the quality that they get in their device. Moreover, the price of an iPhone is higher than that of any other in its competition and hence buyers will demand a value for money assistance from the company whenever they face any problem. References Apple. (2018).A Message to Our Customers. [online] Available at: https://www.apple.com/iphone-battery-and-performance/ [Accessed 8 Feb. 2018]. Austin, E.W. and Pinkleton, B.E., 2015.Strategic public relations management: Planning and managing effective communication campaigns(Vol. 10). Routledge. Dozier, D.M., Grunig, L.A. and Grunig, J.E., 2013.Manager's guide to excellence in public relations and communication management. Routledge. John, N.A., 2013. Sharing and Web 2.0: The emergence of a keyword.new media society,15(2), pp.167-182. Lewis, T.G., 2014. Booms. InBook of Extremes(pp. 51-67). Copernicus, Cham. Protess, D. and McCombs, M.E. eds., 2016.Agenda setting: Readings on media, public opinion, and policymaking. Routledge. Ritchie, R., 2015. History of iPhone: Apple reinvents the phone.Dosegljivo: https://www. imore. com/history-iphone-original. Solomon, M.R., Dahl, D.W., White, K., Zaichkowsky, J.L. and Polegato, R., 2014.Consumer behavior: Buying, having, and being(Vol. 10). Pearson. Steenkamp, J.B., 2014. How global brands create firm value: the 4V model.International Marketing Review,31(1), pp.5-29. Tiago, M.T.P.M.B. and Verssimo, J.M.C., 2014. Digital marketing and social media: Why bother?.Business Horizons,57(6), pp.703-708.