On Wednesday, March 21, WOMMA turned the stage over to Brian Marr, Group Marketing Manager for Windows Vista, Microsoft, who detailed how Microsoft used word of mouth marketing to drive the debut of its new operating system -- Windows Vista. Vista launched on Jan. 30, 2007 -- more than five years after the launch of Windows XP, Microsoft's last major release.
Marr explained in depth how the company used word of mouth to create -- and live up to -- the hype, as well as how the Windows Vista team sold both consumers and upper management on buzz, viral, and blog marketing techniques.
Featured Speakers:
- Brian Marr, Group Marketing Manager, Windows Vista, Microsoft
Marketing challenges:
- Microsoft is high in brand recognition, but low in brand trust
- Customers don't differentiate between Microsoft and Windows
- Microsoft has hundreds of marketers, each with different budgets and agendas
- "Buzz" means different things to different people
- Selling traditional executives on non-traditional marketing tools
Marketing opportunity:
- A big product launch is an opportunity to try something new
How Microsoft approaches word of mouth:
- Needs a dedicated team focused on word of mouth excellence
- Requires a deep knowledge of one's customers
- Engage customers on their terms: Create content they'll like and enable them to pass it along to their friends
- Educate customers on your terms: Create tools with which to educate and engage consumers
- Raise awareness and improve brand perceptions
Key points:
- Word of mouth starts with influencers
- Blogs enable your brand to create and join conversations
- Measuring word of mouth is key
Download slides presented during the call here (1.41 MB PDF)
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