There is nothing like having a rumor mill churn amongst enthusiasts and then deliver such a revolutionary product.
Much has been and will be written about the phone itself, but what amazes me the most about finding out about it this week is the fact that nobody in the press or blogsphere had an accurate idea of the product. CNN ran an article on this today, and there is a good article in Time discussing the R&D that went in to this.
Also worth mentioning is the product’s demo page on the Apple website. This thing looks cool.
Zune. It’s supposed to be the iPod’s toughest competitor yet. It might actually be better than the iPod. Hell, there are probably a few mp3 players out there that are better that the one that happened to change our culture.
If you, as a marketer, had a device in your hand that could rival the best-in-its-class, would you release it to the market in a commercial like this:
or this…
?
I am not asking this to be critical. I am asking because I am not sure yet what to think about such casual advertising for what could be a very strong, and industry changing, product.
On one side, one could argue that the Zune will be one that will slowly gain market share via word-of-mouth and recommendations by those who purchase and enjoy the product. For one to move away from the iPod, or purchase something other than the iPod, they must be convinced that the product is absolutely better than Apple’s offering. The Zune, or any other mp3 device, simply cannot survive if its functionality and “cool” factor do not outweigh that of the iPod. So, I think it would follow that if a handful of people become fans of this player, they will help spread that to the others in the market. Since the Zune will have to gain market share through other channels than advertisements, one could conclude that subtle and casual advertising might be a good way to get people somewhat interested. By launching the product like this, Microsoft is depending on word-of-mouth and early adopters.
On the other hand, one could argue that Microsoft should take it’s television introduction more seriously. Can this product gain share during the holiday season? Sure. Can it become a formidable threat to the iPod? Possibly. Will it do either of these by showing a commercial of a dog scratching itself? Probably not. I think it can be argued that to create an initial buzz that revolutionizes the industry, a more mature and meaningful message needs to be delivered. Witness one of the most famous commercials ever:
This commercial, shown in the 1984 Super Bowl, announced the release of the original Macintosh computer. (Full story) In viewing this, and in viewing Zune’s initial campaign, some might wonder if Microsoft is doing enough to release a notable competitor to the iPod.
So, what is it? Is Microsoft being too casual about the release? Should they have taken this product to the next level by creating a commercial of “epic” proportions? Has advertising / marketing changed so much that commercials like the mac commercial can no longer be compared to campaigns of today? How much does tv advertising matter for a product like this?
My vote is that the game has changed. Microsoft is hoping it has a good product out there that people with disposable income enjoy. They are throwing conventional advertising out and just hoping that when they throw this player out there, it sticks to the wall.
There is a video on youtube that shows how Microsoft would have botched the iPod packaging. It is a poignant example of the difference between Apple and Microsoft.
Well, Microsoft is at it again. First, picture the new Apple spots. Geeky 30-something represents the PC, and a trendy 20-something represents Apple. We've all seen them, and we know they work for Apple.
With its most anticipated product release in its company's history (unless you are a gamer), Microsoft has a lot riding on Vista. One would think that Microsoft would take note of Apple's success with simplicity, but it looks as if they haven't quite gotten it yet. The Windows Vista demo gets it all wrong
Granted, this demo likely is targeted at IT professionals and system administrators. Microsoft is likely trying to drive corporate orders. However, even as a IT decision maker, I would not be overly impressed with the product.
The demo features a a salt an pepper-haired 50-something without a sense of humor. The bottom the screen is cluttered with various buttons, disclaimers, and icons. The bright colors draw the eyes every which way. The various windows that move about in a circle in the middle of the screen are more clutter than anything else and the site really isn't all that easy to navigate. The views of the actual Windows applications are moving endlessly and we never get to see the basic OS.
Plain and simple: it's just not cool.
I think the largest worry Microsoft should have though is this demo getting into the hands of casual computer users and those looking to maximize their home computing. If you think about the primary uses of a PC for home computing, it likely comes down to the following:
Internet connectivity
Management of songs, photos, video, and blogs
Secure data management
seewindowsvista.com does not address any of these needs. While it may be targeted elsewhere, one has to think that there is a lot of anticipation to see how Microsoft is going to address the things that have become important in our daily use of the pc.
