Microsoft has taken a different approach to its advertising strategy on its new product, Windows 7.. While their advertisements for the new operating system have been entertaining, most industry-watchers have been confused as to the goals behind the program, questioning the target audience not just for the videos, but for the launch parties as well according to Dave Rosenberg at CNET.com
After thinking through things a bit I think this is a case of a good idea hampered by poor execution. (Watch the video here). The videos are well-done and professional and try to connect with consumers in a humanistic tone. The fact that it feels like you stumbled into a shiny-happy Windows world filled with sit-com throwaways is the problem. Even if this is a training video to show others how to throw a launch party, it's hard to connect with the vapid characterizations of party guests. This is the crux of Microsoft's marketing problems. It's not that they aren't good at technical marketing issues, it's that the brand itself is so voluminous, it's very hard for people to connect to specific products like Windows. And the efforts to persuade consumers isolate the tech media and confuse IT shops.
One of the biggest issues Windows Vista faced was consumer confusion as to why they should buy an upgrade at all. Microsoft did a very poor job of communicating why anyone should care and added such a complicated set of offerings that people simply couldn't figure out what to buy. Pair this with a very complicated pricing scheme and it all makes for one very big mess of a situation.
Microsoft and marketing just have not been mixing in the past few years. One reason could be that their ads just flat out aren’t that good. After Mac launched the Mac vs. PC campaign (Click here for some of that campaign) Microsoft tried to fire back with The “I’m a PC Campaign”, The Seinfeld and Bill Gates Campaign, and then finally the bargain hunters campaign. Unfortunately for Microsoft, none of these could rival Mac’s campaign and jus tended up making them look more stupid every time.
However, in defense of the computer Giant, Microsoft’s Windows 7 features stand in stark contrast to those of its precursor, Windows Vista. By carefully managing changes, ensuring application and driver compatibility with Vista and working to improve the resource utilization and performance of the OS, Microsoft has a version of Windows that many businesses will be willing to deploy -- particularly now that Windows XP is in extended support. In this podcast, Michael Cherry, research vice president at Directions on Microsoft, offers a Windows 7 review and outlines the features and benefits of the operating system most likely to interest the business.
Hopefully for its own sake, Microsoft can figure out a way to match its marketing campaigns to the quality of its newest product.
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