Every few years, Microsoft launches a new operating system and computer users move en masse to upgrade their computer systems. The latest OS, Vista, which was launched in January 2007, however, ran into some technical and marketing problems. Several customers and commentators complained about issues ranging from driver issues to DRM and what Vista Capable labeling meant, resulting in an overall negative impression about Vista. In fact, PC World listed it as one of the biggest tech disappointments of 2007 here. It also didn’t help that the previous Microsoft operating system XP was a winner, resulting in less incentive for consumers to upgrade.
Unlike a company in a weaker competitive or financial situation, Microsoft gets the chance to fix its problems. It is instructive to see how it has gone about it. First, the technological complaints regarding Vista should be taken care of by its Service Pack updates. Service Pack 1 has been released and 2 is likely to be released soon. So the remaining question is, what can marketing do about the negative perceptions regarding Vista?
Here is some of what Microsoft did, and I leave it to readers to assess if they should have done anything different. An ad campaign starring Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld was run. See the video link here to Microsoft’s own site. Another ad campaign called “I’m a PC” aimed to improve the competitive positioning of PCs versus Macs. Finally, “the Mojave Experiment” was Microsoft’s attempt to use blind tests to persuade customers that Vista is a good OS .
Tags: Advertisements, Software, Vista
December 13th, 2008 at 2:55 pm
It would be helpful if you can also give an idea of what you think might be a good idea. That would provide a point of departure for discussion. Also what you think is good or bad about Microsoft’s efforts.
January 10th, 2009 at 3:39 pm
Here is an interesting update. The CNN report on the CES 2009 this week says CEO Ballmer is pitching Windows 7, the successor to Vista. They’re releasing the Beta version for download. According to CNN, “The news suggests the world’s largest software maker may be giving up efforts to rehabilitate its often-maligned Vista operating system, which was released worldwide in January 2007.”