Microsoft is doing it the customer´s way

I have found an interesting article at betanews.com (the whole article read HERE).

Why is it brilliant? Because it describes the contrast of Marketing and Apple´s strategy today.

Where is the contrast? The strategy of Apple is much less about choice than customers being chosen for. They offer examples:

• Apple product development is secretive, rather than encouraging customer feedback and participation.
• Product choice is limited to the few computers that Apple releases, such as the same aluminum construction and design for iMac or MacBook Pro.
• Mac OS X is deliberately designed to discourage customization. There is one look for all Mac desktops.
• Apple sells only one computer -- the entry-level Mac mini -- for less than $999. Buyers must choose to spend $999 or more.

Apple's product and marketing approach is very much "Have it Our Way." Microsoft wants you to "Have it Your Way":

• You help Microsoft improve Windows to meet your needs.
• You choose the PC that looks and functions your way.
• You customize the desktop any old way you want it.
• You choose how much you want to spend on a computer.

Microsoft long has advocated this kind of choice and participation. The difference now: Microsoft is using these attributes to really sell Windows, in ways the company hasn't done for years and in other ways like it never has. Perhaps it's no coincidence that Burger King and Microsoft share the same advertising agency: Crispin, Porter + Bogusky. Some examples of Microsoft's Windows 7 participation marketing:

• The aforementioned TV commercials asserting that "Windows 7 was my idea."
• Windows 7 House Party, where real people celebrate the launch and share pics and videos online.
• Social Website that collects "What people are really saying about Windows 7" from blogs, feeds and social networks, such a Facebook, Flickr, Twitter and YouTube.
• Microsoft home page, which today rotates Windows 7 reviews and comments from real people -- mostly via Twitter -- rather than from bloggers or journalists.

How have we reflected this strategy here in Slovakia?

• Slovak beta testers significant contribution during product development
  
• Consumer campaign asserting that "Windows 7 was people´s idea."
• Social Website that collects "What people are really saying about Windows 7" from blogs, feeds and social networks, such a Facebook, Flickr, Twitter and YouTube.

The environment is changing and so is Microsoft. We have very good feedback from customers and from press so far. Our mission is now to let people try the product and with that the idea of "your PC, simplified".

BTW my MSI Eee PC with Intel Celeron processor took 14sec to start from hibernation this morning. This is what I wanted!

Peter

Continuous Partial Attention

On the blog of Linda Stone I have found an interesting article describing new behaviour of young people today called continuous partial attention. I am posting some interesting excerpts of this article:

What is continuous partial attention? Continuous partial attention describes how many of us use our attention today. It is different from multi-tasking. The two are differentiated by the impulse that motivates them. When we multi-task, we are motivated by a desire to be more productive and more efficient. We're often doing things that are automatic, that require very little cognitive processing. We give the same priority to much of what we do when we multi-task -- we file and copy papers, talk on the phone, eat lunch -- we get as many things done at one time as we possibly can in order to make more time for ourselves and in order to be more efficient and more productive.

To pay continuous partial attention is to pay partial attention -- CONTINUOUSLY. It is motivated by a desire to be a LIVE node on the network. Another way of saying this is that we want to connect and be connected. We want to effectively scan for opportunity and optimize for the best opportunities, activities, and contacts, in any given moment. To be busy, to be connected, is to be alive, to be recognized, and to matter.

We pay continuous partial attention in an effort NOT TO MISS ANYTHING. It is an always-on, anywhere, anytime, any place behavior that involves an artificial sense of constant crisis. We are always in high alert when we pay continuous partial attention. This artificial sense of constant crisis is more typical of continuous partial attention than it is of multi-tasking.

Is continuous partial attention a good thing or a bad thing? Like so many things, in small doses, continuous partial attention can be a very functional behavior. However, in large doses, it contributes to a stressful lifestyle, to operating in crisis management mode, and to a compromised ability to reflect, to make decisions, and to think creatively. In a 24/7, always-on world, continuous partial attention used as our dominant attention mode contributes to a feeling of overwhelm, over-stimulation and to a sense of being unfulfilled. We are so accessible, we're inaccessible. The latest, greatest powerful technologies have contributed to our feeling increasingly powerless.

More on the link above.

Let´s make fun of economical downturn!

This was obviously idea behind the new selfpromo of Slovak radio called Funradio.

Their management was fed of all those excuses made of their perspective clients.

What they felt in past few weeks?They are sorry for everyone who feels impact of the crisis on business, but they are not sorry for those, they just want to blame the crisis for their problems, based on personal incapability. The aim of their campaign is to show even in tough times it is good not to forget humour and there is always a solution. Solution that is more helpful than an excuse.

What is their response?

• launch a dedicated microsite
• collect all funny excuses, e.g. "sorry for being late for the meeting we were driving slowly all way long in order to save fuel", etc.
• show satisfied advertiser of Funradio supported by 4 facts from surveys, e.g. reach the young generation addicted on brands, etc.
  

I think this campaign is good at least from two perspectives:

• it showes that Fun Radio is able to handle three topics in one: drive for advertising revenue, tough times and humour
• they are not afraid to come up with proactive communications in time of tough advertising budget cuts. But this is good time for radio, online and printed media to win those customers, they cutted the most expensive media, the TV ad.

Product launch by buzz

A year ago when new product of new Customer Relationship Management 4.0 software was announced for Slovak market, we started to think how to introduce it in an unusual way.

We wen´t down to the core of the product which is to create and maintain relationship for business purpose. Of course, our CRM is not the only one on the market and that is why out of the box thinking was required.

It happened like this:

• What are most of people interested in? Gossip.
• Which is the most successful gossip media? Novy cas, part of Ringier publishing house.
• How could we connect our product with public attention supported by attractive content? By creating a network of well know local celebrities and map their past and current relations.

That is how Kto s kym (who with who) was created and made a huge halo on the market. It is today considered for another clear example of good cooperation of two brands with low cost and high impact activity.
Next step? In couple of day the site will be transformed in Silverlight technology which allows us even more funcionalities and better design. Besides this project has been taken completely over by Ringier publishing house and would like to start in all countries they are present.

Significant change of purchase funnel

We know the traditional marketing funnel called AIDA for years. Attention, Interest, Desire and Action were popular long years but with massive use of internet it has to be changed, especially two phases, says Cathy Clift.

She showes that consumers using internet:

• expand their consideration set
• take advantage of the experience of existing owners and users to help guide their choice

According to a comScore survey:

• 70% start their search query by a generic term ("LCD TV"),
• 20% with specific product term ("BestBuy") and only
• 10% with a specific term ("LG 42 LC 55"). This leaves space for producers to catch the attention of prospective early enough to be involved into consideration proces.

And be active and also open and honest on websites as BestBuy or Najlacnejsie.sk in order to have good reviews from current users of the product or brand.

What is a successful event?

As the indicators of successful event is mostly mentioned numbers of participants.

Yes, I can agree, but need to add: where is the quality? Where is the subjective satisfaction of those participated? How many perspectives did it bring?

Because people participated and particulary events itself, are in general only one of the marketing vehicles. The targeted ratio invested dollar vs revenue out of satisfied participants should be the infitite indicator of success for a real marketing manager.