3 Lessons Microsoft Taught Us all About BrandingPosted by Chambers Sparks on May 17th, 2021 For years now, Apple using its "I'm a Mac. I'm a PC." campaign has essentially established Microsoft's marketing position in the minds of consumers. In actual fact, Apple has "positioned" the complete PC world, but Microsoft, being synonymous with PCs, is just about the greatest victim in that campaign's wake. Most everyone appears to enjoy Apple's ads. The casting is brilliant, the ads are entertaining and the messages hit any sore points about Windows from Vista to tech support, and Indeed, these ads have grown to be culturally iconic. The Wrong Thing To Do Just what exactly has Microsoft done through the years? From a branding standpoint, virtually nothing. They recently hired the super-hot agency Crispin Porter for a reputed 0 million+ ad campaign. Additional info used Jerry Seinfeld with Bill Gates in what were an effort at humanizing Mr. Gates and Microsoft. Ad critics grimaced. This ad premiered with the tag line, "Life Without Walls" which became a punch line for Mac enthusiasts and beyond. Mac-loyalist blogs commented, "In a life without walls, who needs Windows?" Ouch. The Wronger MOVE TO MAKE Then, Microsoft delivered a series of ads where the position these were trying to dislodge made up about 90% of its commercial copy lines. The "I'm a PC." campaign was created with very loose, amateur-styled video techniques, again to humanize. The most obvious goal was "Just how do we become cool and relevant?" Only problem is that it directly played into Apple's campaign. It's impossible to see one of those ads and not think of Apple. get more info could understand their thinking, however they were bringing nothing new to the table. It had been all defense, with no strategic offense. Nonetheless, the Microsoft stores are increasingly being compared to the Apple stores. What Have We Learned? So, if the deep-pocketed Microsoft machine can make these missteps, will there be anything we can learn from this so we can spend (waste) less marketing dollars available on the market to market our brands and our own businesses? Yes. In 3 easy steps. The 3 Branding Lessons Microsoft Taught the Technology World: 1. Don't play the role of something you are not. Pick your sweet spot and embrace it. Don't make an effort to simply follow the lead of others because (even though you're Microsoft) if you're following, you're not leading. Just look at Zune (and its own lackluster market share) as a case study. What to do: Don't fake it. Elaine on Seinfeld once told Jerry that she'd "faked it". Totally shocked, Jerry asked, just how many times? Her response was, "each and every time." Jerry compared Elaine to Meryl Streep for her incredible acting skills. When it comes your brand, be real. Don't try to fake it. Find something you may get passionate about and something your brand can perform remarkably well. 2. To do nothing is branding death. Saying and doing nothing or too little leaves your customers to get elsewhere to achieve the facts (or any ideas if facts don't exist). read more 'll take whatever information there's unless better, smarter, more thought-provoking information comes along to supplant it. If you don't like your fate being dictated randomly, then you've got to speak up. Then improve everything you say. Then increase how many people hear it. Because the business guru Peter Drucker said, "You can't shrink your way to greatness." What to do: Something. Anything. Give a regular blast of information that's informative, educational, interesting, engaging, and preferably, new. 3. If your branding is defensive, you're promoting the war, not your individual brand. Branding has often been compared to war on the battlefield. I like this analogy better: A brand is like a person. A person can engage someone or bore them. So can your brand. You could be genuinely interesting or you can test to be interesting (just like a brand). You will be passionate or monotonous. Inventive or ho-hum. In each case, your brand can embody those qualities aswell. Here is a good acid test: If your brand were a person, would you want to go out and hang out with on your time off? If the solution is no, then the it’s likely that others will have an identical response, leaving your brand as something one buys when it's needed versus being something that is passionately sought out.Like it? Share it! More by this author |