Comparative Branding Strategies Adopted by Apple and Matssoft

Marketing Research: Products and Brands

In the wake of globalization, business organizations have embraced different strategies aimed at increasing their competitive edge. Increased focus on quality management lays great emphasis on customer-oriented services and continual learning. As such, companies have embraced personal brands such as brand positioning and client's satisfaction. This study identifies the similarities and differences of strategies adopted by Apple and MatsSoft in terms of personal brand and positioning strategy.

Product branding plays a crucial role in determining the success of a business. Companies with established personal brands often boast of a loyal customer base. This ensures that the company sales remain at an all-time high by preventing them from purchasing competitor's products. According to Fournier (1998), a company's product brand acts as a business partner. This indicates that a company's brand personality is crucial to its success. A critical analysis of Apple's and MatsSoft's websites provides sufficient information about their services and products.

The websites also provide an insight into the company's branding and positioning strategies. For instance, it is evident that Apple's product brand is among the most successful brands in the world. Apple's brand has spearheaded its success by creating a large and devoted client base due to its ability to evoke human emotions. Additionally, MatsSoft has been struggling with its own brand personality because the company serves different targets such as IT leaders, CEOs, customer service managers, marketing teams and operational chiefs. In addition, the company could not fit singularly into any existing category such as business process management or workflow management (B2B Marketing, 2012).

The branding and position strategies of both Apple and MatsSoft

Apple Inc. uses the Apple brand to enhance a cutthroat benefit over other players in the industry (Marketing Minds, n.d). The brand involves its numerous products such as its Macintosh line of computers and software, Smartphones like Apple iPhone, electronic products such as digital music distribution, and the iPod. Apple's customers are loyal to the brand as depicted by Apple's persistent dominance in the industry. Customers often relate to this brand because it evokes human emotions. Apple products have a humanistic touch, unlike other products, thus cementing the relationship between consumers and the Apple brand. MatsSoft is an electronic manufacturing company.

Apple's and MatsSoft brand personalities

Apple's branding personality emphasizes on emotions. It revolves around imagination, lifestyle, hopes, aspirations and dreams, innovation, power to the people using technology, liberty, and passion. The brand personality also revolves around the removal of complexity from individuals' lives, simplicity, a product design that is people-driven, and a heartfelt connection with its clients.

However, MatsSoft provides web-based solutions such as Multi-Application Tracker System (MATS) that join up communication tools, real-time performance monitoring and workflow management (B2B Marketing, 2012). MATS is aimed at healthcare organizations, the public sector and financial services and aids in speeding up the completion of daily operations. Creating the company's brand personality was initially an arduous task since the company has different targets such as IT leaders, CEOs, customer service managers, marketing teams and operational chiefs. In addition, the company could not fit singularly into any existing category such as business process management or workflow management (B2B Marketing, 2012). MatsSoft's personality brand revolves on a story that would echo with its intended audience via bold graphics. The brand personality can be described as 'Happiness made easy', which highlights the possibility of the platform to make life easier for stakeholders, customers, and staff.

Similarities between their brands

Both company's brand personality compare with the sense that they are great and project their company's corporate culture. Additionally, both companies' brand strategies are customer-oriented. As such, they emphasize on their customer's requirements. For instance, MatsSoft focuses on the CEOs, employees, and marketing team needs while Apple targets rich people.

Differences between their branding efforts

MatsSoft's branding efforts differ from Apple's branding efforts in that it is largely depicted through bold illustrations presented in a comic-book style (B2B Marketing, 2012). The brand also seeks to inspire recognition of typical difficulties and open a dialogue with prospective customers. MatsSoft Company embraces the inbound marketing strategy and consistent communications as part of her personal branding. According to B2B Marketing (2012) the centerpiece of MatsSoft's rebranding entailed total redesigning of MatsSoft's website. This approach was echoed across PR department.

While MatsSoft's brand personality focuses on the platform that makes the life of stakeholders, employees and personnel easy, Apple's brand seeks to provide products that enhance the customer's emotions. For instance, MatsSoft's customers often purchase its products because they satisfy their needs, thus making their individual lives easier. Apple's customers, on the other hand, purchase its products due to their perceived connections with the products.