Brooke Markeson

I selected Apple as my company for this marketing research brief because of its strong brand equity, loyal customer base, and proven ability to successfully launch innovative consumer products. Apple relies heavily on customer insights, usability testing, and data-driven design to guide product development, which makes it an ideal company to apply marketing research concepts. In today’s competitive and fast-moving technology market, Apple continues to stand out by creating products that not only meet consumer needs but also shape how people interact with technology in their daily lives. Its reputation for quality, simplicity, and seamless ecosystem integration makes it well-positioned to introduce new lifestyle and wellness products.

The product I propose for consideration is the Apple Smart Hydration Bottle. This product would be a sleek, reusable water bottle equipped with smart sensors that track a user’s daily water intake and sync with Apple Health and Apple Watch. Key features would include automatic hydration tracking, personalized water-intake goals, and reminder notifications sent to a user’s iPhone or Apple Watch when it is time to drink. The bottle would also adjust hydration recommendations based on activity level, climate, and physical exertion. From a design standpoint, the bottle would maintain Apple’s minimalist, premium aesthetic so that it feels like a stylish everyday accessory rather than a piece of technology.

The Apple Smart Hydration Bottle is intended for health-conscious consumers who want to improve their wellness habits but struggle with consistency. This includes active individuals, office workers, and people who already use Apple products for fitness and health tracking. While many people track steps, workouts, and sleep, hydration is often overlooked even though it plays a major role in overall health and performance. This product fills that gap by making hydration tracking automatic, simple, and fully integrated into Apple’s existing ecosystem.

Research:

To evaluate this new product concept, I plan to use a mixed-methods research design that combines both qualitative and quantitative approaches. This allows for a deeper understanding of consumer behavior, motivations, and purchase intent.

The qualitative research will include focus groups and interviews with current Apple Watch users and non-users. These discussions will explore how consumers currently manage hydration, what challenges they face, and how a smart bottle might fit into their daily routines. This type of research will also provide insight into design preferences, usability expectations, and emotional reactions to the product concept.

The quantitative research will involve online surveys distributed to Apple users to measure interest, perceived value, and willingness to pay. Survey data will also be used to analyze demographic and psychographic factors such as age, lifestyle, fitness level, and technology usage. This will help identify the most promising target segments and estimate potential market demand.

Research Objectives:

The primary objectives of this research are to:

• Assess consumer awareness of hydration tracking and interest in a smart hydration product
• Identify key motivations and barriers that influence purchase intent
• Evaluate desired features, design preferences, and acceptable price points
• Determine how the Apple Smart Hydration Bottle would complement existing Apple health products
• Provide actionable insights to support product positioning, marketing messaging, and launch strategy