The Smartphone as a Subscription VS Sustainable Marketing

The marketing genius of Apple Inc. is an outstanding ability to create advertisements that are more like suggestions. They are well-written incantations that enchant users and make them change their smartphones every year or two.

However, not so long ago there was a time when purchasing a new phone was not of great necessity. Upgrading one’s cellphone system provided the user with new features, apps, and fixed system errors. As technology develops much quicker than one could imagine, there are fewer systematic bugs. The smartphone is good now. Main upgrades come from apps and software, not hardware. Most new phones have no noticeable difference from the old models. A new phone is a deeply expendable purchase. So, how long can this cycle of phone launches continue?

The production of new phones takes a shocking environmental toll on the planet. As Global ecological problems become more serious, consumerism becomes less and less appealing.  Huge corporations and companies do not want to risk their profit. Besides, Smartphone sales are already declining globally.

However, maybe there a possibility to develop a business model that would not pressure smartphone users to buy a new phone every year. VP and principal at the analyst firm Forrester Frank Gillett, suggests that there is another theoretical approach. If the user thinks of the phone as access to the digital world, mobile technology can be regarded as a service. Rather than buying a new iPhone, the consumer could enter a monthly, maybe $100-$200 a month, contract with your phone provider. For the cost, the buyer could get bundled apps, plenty of storage for videos, space for photos, and data services. The monthly bill would include all of the above, depending on the phone’s brand and hardware capabilities.

Marketing, Sales vs. smart consumerism

Truthfully, Apple has already started using this kind of trading method. Apple Store has iCloud. iCloud is a cloud storage and a new app subscription. In addition, iClouds entire App Store for which it takes 30% of revenue.  However, for smartphone makers, the subscription model may not be financially attractive, as it is not a stable revenue source.

Green marketing, also known as sustainability marketing, is becoming more and more popular. This is a type of marketing that offers consumers environmentally safe products. According to this idea, marketers should not overlook the importance of product attributes at the expense of ecological needs. It should improve environmental quality and customer satisfaction, by providing a product that satisfies both of these categories.

There is a problem of lack of eco-innovation in massive technological production and a phenomenon of people being more environmentally conscious. Huge corporations, like Apple, Google, Amazon Prime, etc., will have to cater to their customers’ needs. Moreover, when it comes to smartphones, it appears that neither Apple, Google, nor any other company, chooses to slow down and reconsider some marketing steps. They bet on consumerism, the marketing appeal of a new and shiny gadget thinking that it can last forever. However, rationalism and environmental conscience are increasingly growing nowadays, and lots of productions will have to reconsider their marketing strategy.