Microsoft case
Microsoft, is one of the companies that has maintain his status or position in the market since it first years, is also well known as one of the top 5 technologies organizations In the world and also a good example of a company that knows how to maintain It status In the market regardless the economic situation. Some of the marketing strategies that Microsoft used In Good economic times are: Identified a potential market and taking advantage of it to enter in the market.
Microsoft understood the potential market that existed after their successful in the reaction of DOS operating system for IBM computers, and started to sell software to other manufactures, becoming a major playing in the industry. This was a smart but also quick strategy that Microsoft used to enter a market, they realized that there was a latent niche and population that could be Interested on Microsoft’s products, and quickly used this In their advantaged, launching and selling software, letting the population know that Microsoft had arrived to the market.
2. Innovation and launching new products.
After it successful entering in the market, Microsoft launched Excel and Windows, unified as “Microsoft” look. This strategy helped them reforming and showing their consumers, the products that they had to offer, teaching them and letting people know about he company trough some advertising. This strategy was perfect to reinforce and educate people about the company and their products trying to win some space in the market.
3. Launch of new products and marketing alliance Windows 3. 0, first operating system to be preinstall on certain PC’s, marking a major milestone in the industry.
Microsoft not only kept innovating and launching new products it also made alliances tit strategic PC’s manufacturer to become the first operating system to be pre installed, so they were basically pushing people to get their products which had an amazing result. 4.
Magazine Advertising and launch of the campaign: “Where do you want to go today’ Microsoft kept pushing It name In the market throughout advertising strategies, such as the campaign “Where do you want to go today’ they at this point not only wanted to sell but also let consumers know, that Microsoft was not only a software seller but with the company. . Overtake the competition. This one was one of the most aggressive strategies implemented by Microsoft, it was clear that the company wanted to be the first if not the only one in the market, so Microsoft first combined the products Internet explorer with Excel, Word and power point, so the costumers that wanted Microsoft became internet explorer users as well. This was a very pushing strategy to sell the new product Internet Explorer.
Also, Microsoft partnered with AOL, to win more costumers, which is an strategic alliance, with very successful results. And last but not least it ensured that Interned Explorer was free, cutting off Netscape air supply. In my opinion these 3 strategies were very aggressive, but very accurate for the time that Microsoft was living, however they were very risky strategies, because not all the consumers like to be pushed so much to choose a brand or products. 6. Diversity.
The last strategy from the good times that Microsoft implemented was to finally offer a new product in order to broad it branch of product to, launching the OXBOW. Which once again was a huge successful. Marketing Strategies in the Poor economical Times: Microsoft kept successful, unstoppable and almost monopolizing the market until 2007, when Apple came back to the market with new and innovative products, however they kept creating marketing strategies to overcome competition and poor economical times. 1 . Promotion.
Microsoft launched advertising campaigns in order to promote it products, promoting how cost effective computers with its software were and also launched the new commercial “l am a PC” attaching Apples commercial. For me these two strategies lost mom of the focus that Microsoft had, giving too much importance to the competition. 2. Opened Retail Stores. Microsoft opened retail stores with the intention of have a better contact or relationship with its costumers and better understand them to satisfy their needs. Campaigns.
I personally think that these three last strategies were affected by Apple new appearance in the market, I think they changed and lack of the aggressiveness that characterize Microsoft’s strategies before the recession. Even too, some of them, like promoting and opening new retail stores are very good strategies. On the other hand, advertising attacking Apple’s products and shifting strategies products, makes us see that the competition is definitely making Microsoft change it strategies and understand more its costumers more than pushing the brand and its products as it was used to do in the past.
Is definitely an strategy in response of the Apple’s commercial attacking the PC’s products, were both companies are trying to differentiate one from the other in different positions. Pros: By this commercial, Microsoft could remind how important could be a PC for different people it doesn’t matter the race, or the age, reinforce ring it message of inclusion, everybody can be a PC.
Microsoft knows of the existence of the competition and used what apple saw as a “Weakness” characterizing a PC owner with a boring, old fashioned individual and used to change the message, saying that anybody could be a PC and showing how what they stated in Apple’s commercial is not true by showing different famous young interesting characters as PC’s users. Cons: It can show that was “moved” or that Microsoft cared of Apple’s opinion creating a usage in response of a Apple’s commercial.
It gives too much importance of what Apple’s thinking. It could have make it loose some market. I personally think that what Microsoft did wasn’t good, I think the commercial was made in order to respond a critique of Microsoft products specifically from Apple more than to promote a message.
This commercial showed that Microsoft was vulnerable to the critics made by Apple, and even too when nowadays this tactic pr this case, this strategy reinforced the message made by apple making consumers more interested in what Apple had to offer for them.
