ORLANDO: Microsoft, the software and technology group, plans to place greater emphasis on its parent brand than in the past, a move offering enhanced consistency and reflecting high levels
Chris Capossela, the firm's evp/cmo, discussed this subject at the Association of National Advertisers' (ANA) 2014 Masters of Marketing conference in Orlando, Florida.
And he reported that the company – which makes hardware like phones, tablets and games consoles, plus software such as Windows – is taking advantage of the favourable shopper sentiment its name enjoys.
"When somebody knows a product is built by Microsoft, their purchase intent goes up 14 points, even if they know nothing else about the product," he said. (For more, including further details of the firm's six marketing priorities, read Warc's exclusive report: Climbing deep inside the Microsoft marketing machine.)
In acknowledgement of this fact, a recalibration of its strategy "will lean into that brand much more than we have done in the past."
That approach also promises to bring enhanced efficiency across the huge array of categories in which the organisation plays.
"We're renaming products, from 'Windows Manager' to 'Microsoft Manager'; from 'Windows Intune' to 'Microsoft Intune'," Capossela said.
"Soon our devices, our phones, won't say 'Nokia' on the back; they'll say 'Microsoft' on the back and the front of them. So the Microsoft brand will play a much, much bigger role."
As a challenger in sectors like the smartphone market, and a category leader in other areas, Microsoft's messaging must also be extremely nuanced.
In pursuit of this aim, Microsoft has identified a positioning ensuring it stands out in a crowded marketplace.
"Our brand is an empowerment brand. It's not really about the cool gadgets that we build; it's about the cool things you get to do with what we've created," Capossela said.
"We help you be successful … That's the big distinction between us and some of our key competitors."
Chris Capossela, the firm's evp/cmo, discussed this subject at the Association of National Advertisers' (ANA) 2014 Masters of Marketing conference in Orlando, Florida.
And he reported that the company – which makes hardware like phones, tablets and games consoles, plus software such as Windows – is taking advantage of the favourable shopper sentiment its name enjoys.
"When somebody knows a product is built by Microsoft, their purchase intent goes up 14 points, even if they know nothing else about the product," he said. (For more, including further details of the firm's six marketing priorities, read Warc's exclusive report: Climbing deep inside the Microsoft marketing machine.)
In acknowledgement of this fact, a recalibration of its strategy "will lean into that brand much more than we have done in the past."
That approach also promises to bring enhanced efficiency across the huge array of categories in which the organisation plays.
"We're renaming products, from 'Windows Manager' to 'Microsoft Manager'; from 'Windows Intune' to 'Microsoft Intune'," Capossela said.
"Soon our devices, our phones, won't say 'Nokia' on the back; they'll say 'Microsoft' on the back and the front of them. So the Microsoft brand will play a much, much bigger role."
As a challenger in sectors like the smartphone market, and a category leader in other areas, Microsoft's messaging must also be extremely nuanced.
In pursuit of this aim, Microsoft has identified a positioning ensuring it stands out in a crowded marketplace.
"Our brand is an empowerment brand. It's not really about the cool gadgets that we build; it's about the cool things you get to do with what we've created," Capossela said.
"We help you be successful … That's the big distinction between us and some of our key competitors."
Data sourced from Warc
