- Published: November 17, 2021
- Updated: November 17, 2021
- University / College: Newcastle University
- Level: Doctor of Philosophy
- Language: English
- Downloads: 11
As firms such as Apple continue to grow, one of the core considerations for that must be taken is with respect to how GDP impacts upon the future development that such a firm will seek to represent. Naturally, the goal is to sell as many units of Apple products/services to the most number of individuals possible. However, such a simplistic strategy cannot be so easily accomplished without understanding the unique dynamics that economic factors have with regard to purchasing power parity and the overall economic strength of a region. As Apple products and services are primarily a luxury good for individuals within relatively developed nations, the focus that Apple should take is upon representing the main focus of their strategy and advertising to those that can afford such products and services. Naturally, this will encourage Apple to take a broad overview of GDP and purchasing power parity that exists within many different economies as a means of understanding what socio-demographic sectors and regions will most likely represent their consumer base.
Taking the case of Europe as an example, one might be inclined to understand that the established and powerful Western European economies are the main areas in which Apple should focus its marketing. However, this is not quite the case. Due to the resurgence of Eastern Europe over the past decade, the overall purchasing power of these individuals cannot and should not be discounted. As figure 1 denotes, counties such as Latvia , Lithuania, Estonia, and Poland have noted some of the most drastic GDP growth figures over the past few years.
As such, Apple would be highly remiss if it did not recognize these emerging markets and seek to represent a strategic focus on selling products and services to individuals within them. However, with that being said, it should also be noted that the economies of Western Europe cannot and should not be ignored either. As figure 2 denotes, after the 2007/2008 financial collapse that saw most of the world’s economies slow down significantly, Western European nations have posted impressive numbers for overall GDP growth. As such, a dual strategy should be employed by the firm as can be engaged through a relevant understanding of the statistics that have thus far been represented. One such approach would be to offer lower price products and services within the Eastern European markets while offering higher priced goods and service offerings to those individuals within Western Europe. What is being described and defined is not a situation in which Western European consumers would have only high priced options; instead, the strategic approach that is being promoted is one that is conscious of the GDP and purchasing power parity divergence that exists between these two separate areas.
Rather than understanding that a singular strategy is the best approach towards understanding the complex economic dynamics that exist throughout Europe, and throughout the world for that matter, a far more reasonable approach would be for Apple to break the world into different markets and seek to represent its goods and products in that manner.
Figure 1
Figure 2