How does Microsoft need to go about improving their marketing strategy? Is it a bad strategy? Is there one at all?
I believe releasing a bonus program for salesmen at stores (at&t and such) would give salesmen an incentive to learn WP and help stop the bias it receives due to the common practice of bonuses on other makes keeping salesmen pushing other makes. Second train salesmen on how to use WP and create dummy accounts for the phones so Salesmen and customers can actively use the phones by customizing and adding apps and playing around on the phone. The first gives the incentive the second allows salesmen and customers to engage in the WP experience.
MSFT needs to start with acknowledging WP's competitive advantages and the consumer target for the platform.
I personally percieve WP as being the most beautiful, straight-forward and fluid platform with bright and classy design and great camera experience. Having said that, the platform is best suited for:
1. Entry-to-smartphones consumer. They nailed it with straight-forward OS design, great pricing and great hardware optimization.
2. Those who need a second handset for corporate/travelling. They kinda nailed it with Office, beautiful mail app, VPN, offline maps and decent cameras.
^These categories are not profitable and do not establish brand value
3. Mobile photographers. Great camera and premium materials (L930 is good but not enough, more effort should be put on apps such as VSCO development and fixing their cams white balance
4. People making a bold decision to stand apart. WM achieves this with unique features, wireless charging, vivid colours and beautiful design and their ad campaigns ('i'm not like everybody else').
However, they need to fix the basics - key apps. They should invest in key developers (facebook, pinterest, whatsapp) for bringing best quality apps that take advantage of WP itself.
Sadly this has been discussed ad nauseum, and from day one Microsoft has not shown the will to advertise to the level that Samsung and apple do, despite the billions they make. Till they actually prioritise WP and get behind it 100% marketing will always be half hearted.
I think they need to compete with Samsung and Apple directly in the flagship phone market by developing a brand name phone and consistently updating it. This business that Nokia had with a plethora of models identified by numbers was confusing to say the least. Create a true flagship, give it a name (not a number), make it available on all carriers, and market it aggressively. Microsoft needs to build brand recognition for Windows Phone. Even if most don't buy the flagship, its existence and the brand recognition it creates have an effect on their buying decision.
You say that but I'm an advanced smartphone user and I switched and I know others that did or are going to as well. Yes android has a ton of apps there is no denying that. But not since I had my D2 could I make it through a day without having to find a charger, I don't have enough fingers to count how many times the beta, for what 5 years now, mapping app sent me way out of the way to get somewhere or just completely the wrong way all together. I never did find a keyboard, paid or free, that seemed to know what I was typing. They half the time would correct words that were perfectly fine and at nearly the same time completely refuse to correct misspelled words regardless of settings. Me personally I didn't like the android FB app, it would routinely not show the same things that were on my desktop version, peoples posts would disappear even after commenting on them and with the last update it would just up and decide at random to scroll in the opposite direction I was scrolling in seemingly just because. These are just a few of the niggles. The basic thing though is the ton of stuff I COULD do with android but didn't because any of it would lower my already terrible battery life.
Thats all on a phone that I probably ran 15 different ROMs on and none of them didn't anything to improve any of that, sometimes even making it worse.
I haven't found any apps that I need that WP doesn't have, granted I don't use a ton, I know there is a gap. Fact is there is a stigma with WP that they need to shake...yes more apps will help....probably a lot. When I went into the store that's what the salespeople always said..oh windows phone is great....but it doenst have a lot of apps. They also need to let people know that this isn't what windows phone used to be...its pretty viable now, but its going to be very difficult to get that point across with the domination that android has on the market now. A lot of people, including the salespeople, just simply aren't going to try it and thats sad because they should.
It's not about marketing at this point any more. I know that's contrary to popular belief around here, but people know what windows phone is now.
The problem is people just don't want them. No marketing can change that.
It's a conundrum. How can you make people want what they don't want?
It's not about marketing at this point any more. I know that's contrary to popular belief around here, but people know what windows phone is now.
The problem is people just don't want them. No marketing can change that.
It's a conundrum. How can you make people want what they don't want?
Quite honestly I doubt consumers know about WP. That's the main problem, and then when find out what it is, they then find out it does not have the apps they use. Then they don't want.
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That's another conundrum. A long time ago I learned that most people don't care about apps. To us that may be hard to believe but most people really don't know or just don't care about apps.
There are a few must have apps but most of the time people are fine with just firing up the browser and searching. (That hurts me to say)
Perfect example my friend has. GS5 he doesn't know about the specs he doesn't even know you can change the Keyboard all he knows is that "it's the best phone out". Seriously.
He wanted to know what the game score was last night, so he pulled out his phone and did a Google search. I'm sitting back like Wow.
Same goes for my coworkers.
Now some people may love apps and crave them but that's actually the vocal few.
People do know about Windows Phone. Their friends don't have one, nobody they knows has one.
Ask people about it, and they'll usually know what it is.
No. Candy Crush, Pet Rescue Saga, Clash of Clans, Don't tap the white tiles etc. There are millions of people who play these games and won't get a WP based on that fact alone.
My mom is prime example she spent $50 on Candy Crush and Pet Rescue Saga two months ago. There may be some smartphone users who don't use apps like that but what particular reason should they use a WP?
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