NEW WORKSHOPS ADDED

PHIL SIMON

THE WORLD’S LEADING INDEPENDENT WORKPLACE COLLABORATION & TECH EXPERT

Microsoft, Marketing, and the Age of the Platform

Is fixing the company just a matter of some new marketing?
Feb | 24 | 2012

   
Feb | 24 | 2012
}

Check out this interesting article by  on Mashable on how to fix Microsoft, a company whose stock price has stagnated over the last decade . Short answer: change the company’s DNA and focus on what it’s good at.

Goldfayn seems like a smart guy, but I don’t buy his argument for a minute.

In the Age of the Platform, marketing is best done organically, from the ground up. Spending millions trying to get people to “Bing it” won’t move the needle with search.

More broadly, think about the energy of Microsoft products:

  • Are you excited about Microsoft products?
  • Do you use Office or Windows because you have to or because you want to?
  • Do you know anyone who has switched from a Mac to a PC? I don’t.

Maybe your kids are psyched about Xbox (arguably Microsoft’s one strong consumer brand). But teenagers don’t spend as much money as adults.

Simon Says

My advice for Ballmer et. al: Make a great product. Build a great platform. Make your planks exciting. The marketing will take care of itself.

Feedback

What say you?

Receive my musings, news, and rants in your inbox as soon as they publish.

 

Blog E Platforms E Microsoft, Marketing, and the Age of the Platform

Related Posts

Thinking Differently About Collaboration

Introduction The fulcrum of my new book Reimagining Collaboration: Slack, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and the Post-COVID World of Work 1 is a new model of collaboration: one based upon hubs and spokes. Short version: Slack, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and others serve as...

Don’t Be Evil by Rana Foroohar

Building upon books such as World Without End and Weapons of Math Destruction, Don't Be Evil: How Big Tech Betrayed Its Founding Principles -- and All of Us makes the case that Big Tech is doing more harm than good. Rana Foroohar proves her central thesis in spades. I...

Platform Lessons From Microsoft’s Smartphone Surrender

After two largely unsuccessful years, nearly $8 billion spent, and an inconsequential market share, Microsoft has finally thrown in the towel on its smartphone ambitions.File this under predictable. (Couldn't resist.) Much like with search, the Internet,...

Summer Reading

I've been reading about a book per week this summer and few stand out. Specialists vs. Generalists Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World by David Epstein looks at the need for generalists in a specialist-driven world. Should someone...

0 Comments

 

Blog E Platforms E Microsoft, Marketing, and the Age of the Platform

Next & Previous Posts

Related Posts

Thinking Differently About Collaboration

Introduction The fulcrum of my new book Reimagining Collaboration: Slack, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and the Post-COVID World of Work 1 is a new model of collaboration: one based upon hubs and spokes. Short version: Slack, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and others serve as...

Don’t Be Evil by Rana Foroohar

Building upon books such as World Without End and Weapons of Math Destruction, Don't Be Evil: How Big Tech Betrayed Its Founding Principles -- and All of Us makes the case that Big Tech is doing more harm than good. Rana Foroohar proves her central thesis in spades. I...

Platform Lessons From Microsoft’s Smartphone Surrender

After two largely unsuccessful years, nearly $8 billion spent, and an inconsequential market share, Microsoft has finally thrown in the towel on its smartphone ambitions.File this under predictable. (Couldn't resist.) Much like with search, the Internet,...

Summer Reading

I've been reading about a book per week this summer and few stand out. Specialists vs. Generalists Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World by David Epstein looks at the need for generalists in a specialist-driven world. Should someone...

0 Comments