14 DAY TRIAL // On September 4, 2008 Microsoft has kick-started the rebuilding process of the Windows brand. The new Windows marketing campaign started along with less Wow than the original marketing effort associated with the Windows Vista consumer launch, and was focused exclusively on a video advertisement/teaser featuring Microsoft Co-Founder Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld, which debuted to mixed reviews. However, the Redmond giant strongly emphasized that consumers are getting just a taste of what is to come. In this context, Microsoft is also planning a more intimate, hands-on connection and is preparing Windows gurus to assist customers.
"We must deliver a world-class shopping experience that aligns with the brand promise and our online presence," stated Bill Veghte, senior vice president, Online Services & Windows Business Group. "That is why we are working with our key retail partners to make the process of evaluating, selecting and purchasing PCs with Windows as simple and informative as possible."
Together with its retail partners, Microsoft is cooking a new experience for Windows buyers. According to the software company, the focus will be not on selling the Windows operating system, or Windows-powered computers, but on offering information and support to customers. In this context, the Windows Gurus will offer their services to potential clients ahead of and throughout the holiday season, while trained in the art of Windows Vista Service Pack 1, but predictably not in that of Windows XP SP3 or Windows 7.
But Microsoft has also committed additional resources on top of the Windows Gurus and the $300 million campaign put together by advertising agency Crispin, Porter + Bogusky. Via the Retail Experience Center on the Redmond campus, Microsoft plans to research the way that consumers experience Windows and the Windows brand.
One of the last details that evolved along with the advent of the new Windows marketing campaign is the redesigned official Windows hotspot on Microsoft.com. In the end Veghte revealed that Microsoft is only committed to kicking the Windows brand to the levels it once was at.
"Windows has always been about putting the power of computing in the hands of people. All of these efforts are designed to reconnect and re-ignite our customers’ imaginations around the value of Windows in their lives today, and the promise of Windows in their lives tomorrow," Veghte added.