Bollywood Star Shah Rukh Khan to be Apple's Indian Ambassador

[2010mini]

I point out the market research quote because it showed the philosophy Apple used to have, which was to make products as great as they could first, and then let the demand for the product lead to success. That goes along with the way Apple products would "sell themselves" as I said.

It's not especially great that a company with that history (that already was and is known worldwide) is trying so hard to convince a market to accept them.

As great as apple is, even when Steve Jobs was still alive, they still needed advertising. Don't believe that farce "the product will sell itself"

Think back to their "Think Different" campaign...... Remember the all the people in those ads??? Non of those people had ANYTHING to do with Apple. But they cemented Apple's brand as a "different" company in our minds.

Brand ambassadors are just live versions of ads. They are not there to convince a market to buy Apple products or for market research. Ever wonder why you see one actor doing all the commercials for a perticular company? BRANDING

Now every time you see said actor you automatically think of the brand.

It's just ads. Unless you think Apple should never need ads.

 

[Chatter]

Fair enough...good advice mate.

However, it does make me angry all these preening bags of fluff who just because they are overpaid think they are worthwhile members of society (see, you set me off again......quick where's the dogs lead, time for walkies).

Hahaha. Ok, I do agree with you about the "overpaid fluffers".

 

[jimbobb24]

Selfies cheapen everything.

 

[accentaudio]

Hey Mr. Cook, why don't you spend more time on your products and less time on cheeky photos. Man I miss Steve!

 

[Sheza]

$10B in one year is not enough for you? While Tim is in India Apple has full time employees in dedicated R&D facilities in about 15 countries worldwide.

The monetary figure does not matter if Apple is not actually innovating..
[doublepost=1464992143][/doublepost]

Your comment makes no sense.
1. A brand ambassador can help you sell more phones (for ex) through your existing channels (in India and other countries). Its not always about lobbying for opening stores.
2. Apple can spend time on R&D and on lobbying at the same time. It's not exactly a 1-person company.

In summary, your comment makes no sense.
[doublepost=1464953737][/doublepost]

Or it could be the laws pushed by the country on all foreign entrants....but let's go with the "Apple is evil and the world is cautious" narrative. Makes much more sense that way.

Literally says 'Indian Ambassador' as in, for the Indian region.

As for R&D, see above.

 

[KaliYoni]

Tim Hardwick:

Sania Mirza is not a "Bollywood star" or merely arm candy. She is an accomplished professional tennis player who holds the #1 ranking in Women's Doubles with Martina Hingis.

 

[Digital Dude]

Stop swanning around with other rich people and start earning your salary you feckless, dull, waste of space. Check out the stock price occassionally and then do the decent thing and quit.

Nice to know I'm not the only one that feels that way.

 

[Moonlight]

I remember the good days at Apple when Guy was the brand ambassador (Apple Evangelist) and had knowledge about Apple and how its software and hardware worked. Not just some celebrity. Tim and Angela seem to be star.... well lets just say they seem to like famous people over smart people.

 

[bladerunner2000]

Thanks for reminding me to put people on the ignore list and avoid the forums like the plague.

Well, he's not wrong.

 

[Chatter]

The monetary figure does not matter if Apple is not actually innovating..
[doublepost=1464992143][/doublepost]
Literally says 'Indian Ambassador' as in, for the Indian region.

As for R&D, see above.

You "literally" dont understand how this works which is surprising as you are in the U.K. Ever picked up an Indian magazine with SRK peddling something in it? How about in Singapore or Dubai? We have SRK peddling Omega watches in Queens, NY as the "Indian Ambassador".

 

[merkinmuffley]

I have to assume Baloo wanted more money.

 

[Robert.Walter]

I remember back when Apple fans were proud of how the products could "sell themselves" unlike the competition that needed to beg you and try very hard to convince you to buy theirs instead.

http://www.netpaths.net/blog/steve-jobs-apple-doesn’t-do-market-research/

So yes. Apple now needs ambassadors to help sell product. And that's a shame.

So India has 1.3 billion people to help Apple grow even more? 60% (780M) of them are living on $4 a day. India only has a middle class of around 300 million, but Indian middle class is American poor. The Indian middle class makes $16 to $20 per day. That's 300 million people. There are another 600 million that make less than that.

Apple trying to manufacture in India with their well-known relations with Chinese labor sure looks great for the growth of India, right? Americans are clamoring for a $15 hourly wage while Indians making $20 a day are the Indian middle class, so we can be sure that Indian manufacturing workers making the iPhones will be getting that "Indian middle class" pay.

I can't quite follow your figures.

Somehow, the top down to 20$/day looks like 3-400M people. What do you figure is the size of the addressable market of folks with adequate disposable income to buy a new iPhone? What is their annual income?

Even if the market for a brand-new phone is 100M people, that's still huge. If the market for certified pre-owned is 1-200M more people (and the price-point is 150$/phone, assuming a profit margin of 30%), this too is huge.

Even if the addressable market is 1/3 the size of my figures above, and Apple captures 1/3 of that, the potential is 10M new and 20M pre-owned. Either one of these is a larger market chance than many 1st world countries Apple sees it worth doing business in.

(It would be amazing to see JLG do a Monday Note comparing Apple's entry into the Indian market today with its entry into France's/Europe's seemingly small, and Balkanized, addressable market all those years ago.)
[doublepost=1465050392][/doublepost]

Apple Evangelist.

Brand ambassador.

"Did you see our product placement in the hit straight to DVD Kumar Steals A Watch Band, yes, no?"

Although I am not keen on cleans as ambassadors, as long as he doesn't do a Michael Phelps "See Omeaga's Brand Ambassador Hit a Bong", or a "See Sharipova Cry Over Doping", it will be a net positive for Apple.

 

[Ulenspiegel]

Holy .... iPhones will smell like Curry....

 

[johnnyturbouk]

India is cautious of a company that seems to take advantage of every country it does business with.

Yes, so it deals with Coca-Cola, Starbucks, Yahoo,Walt Disney, and several tobacco conglomerates, as they are renowned for their ethics and morality, especially when contextualised to multinationals capitalising on developing nations which essentially equates to modern day slavery. Apple is certainly the worst in this regards.

 

[Crosscreek]

Yes, so it deals with Coca-Cola, Starbucks, Yahoo,Walt Disney, and several tobacco conglomerates, as they are renowned for their ethics and morality, especially when contextualised to multinationals capitalising on developing nations which essentially equates to modern day slavery. Apple is certainly the worst in this regards.

Can't say....maybe they pay their taxes or better bribes.....

 

[johnnyturbouk]

maybe they pay their taxes or better bribes

I'm inclined to believe the latter.

 

[Sheza]

You "literally" dont understand how this works which is surprising as you are in the U.K. Ever picked up an Indian magazine with SRK peddling something in it? How about in Singapore or Dubai? We have SRK peddling Omega watches in Queens, NY as the "Indian Ambassador".

Surprising as I am from the UK how?

 

[Carlanga]

Leo Messi should be an ambassador in Europe.

he is not european
[doublepost=1465157886][/doublepost]

Stop swanning around with other rich people and start earning your salary you feckless, dull, waste of space. Check out the stock price occassionally and then do the decent thing and quit.

so its okay if he eats w the 'regular' folk then?

 

[Mactendo]

he is not european

And Raheem Sterling is so European...

 

[Carlanga]

And Raheem Sterling is so European...

He is actually more European than many, he has played for the national English team since he was 16. He always represents England even in the World Cup.
Meanwhile, Messi always represents Argentina on international play.

 

[Mactendo]

He is actually more European than many, he has played for the national English team since he was 16. He always represents England even in the World Cup.
Meanwhile, Messi always represents Argentina on international play.

So what? Messi lives and plays in Europe since 13, has Spanish citizenship and of Spanish and Italian heritage. He's more European than many.

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

Tim once again snubbing women? Why not have the woman do it?

 

[frogger2020]

LMAO! Wish it would have been someone better.

Should have been Sunny Leone

 

[Carlanga]

So what? Messi lives and plays in Europe since 13, has Spanish citizenship and of Spanish and Italian heritage. He's more European than many.

lol you just described 95% of the heritage of any Argentinian. The reality is he plays for Argentina and not Europe in international matches and that is what matters, who he considers to be in the eye of the world. He thinks of himself as Argentinian only, he only got the citizenship to be able to play, he missed the beginning of la liga because of his legal status at the beginning.

 

[Mactendo]

The reality is he plays for Argentina and not Europe in international matches and that is what matters, who he considers to be in the eye of the world.

Doesn't matter. He loves his original homeland and has the right to play for it.