January 21, 2005
simple? playful?
When I think of Apple, I basically think of two things– the Mac and the iPod. Sure, there are many kinds of Mac– big ones, wee ones, desktops, laptops, colorful, not-so-colorful, but somewhere in my mind I have this platonic idea of “The Mac”. And same with the iPod.
But with Microsoft when I think of what they make, what they stand for, I’m all over the place– XP, video games, Longhorn, CE, Windows this, Windows that… more than 30 seconds trying to piece it all together makes my head ache.
Earlier I suggested that Microsoft needed to be more “playful”. Would it be out of line to suggest that Microsoft brand also needs to be more “simple”?
Simple and playful. Anything wrong with that?
No, I’m not saying their product or brand needs to be more like Apple’s. However, I do think they need to better articulate what it is that’s GOOD about the company. And what is good about a company, any company, is never complicated.
Sure, I think Robert Scoble is doing a better job of selling Microsoft– telling folk what’s GOOD about working there– than anyone.
Frankly, I think he’s doing a better job of selling a large company than anyone alive, ad agencies included.
I just hope he’s the future.
Microsoft aims to make objects of USE. Apple tries to create objects of DESIRE that happen to be useful (or maybe “easy to use” is a better term) at the same time.
There are a ton of companies out there that make objects of use. They can do a lot of cool things, but they’re all over the place and not aesthetically inviting. There are a ton of award-winning designers out there that make objects of desire. Sleek lines, minimalistic. But the result is that they end up being impossible to use.
When it comes to combining the two, nobody does it better than Apple.
Remember, microsoft is a platform company, mainly, not a products company.
There are very few ‘objects’ they make, like the Xbox etc. The Windows this, Windows that is meant to be deployed by /other/ companies, which dilutes their brand a bit. But at least they rake in the cash.
Well, as a branding exercise Apple interests me less, simply because it’s so UTTERLY defined already.
And it has a very clear idea about what kind of “experience” they want their user to have.
Short-term this is a strength, long-term this is a weakness.
Hugh, when are you going to start podcasting? My guess is that you will be a natural and take off very quickly. I don’t have the background in sound but I’m trying to get up to speed.
I would love to hear you play the Sax.
ssd
I think MS company’s strength is its reach, rather than the quality of its products and services. MS doesnt represent to me a broad array of products but rather as a leveraged position.
Sure, MS has good people in the compnay, all companies do. But democratic mechanisms or sense of humour will continue to pall in the face of their actual main asset — dictating choice through market dominance. Its doubtful that democratization of messaging, or enthusiasm will let us forget the shadow MS has cast on innovation. So a thousand flowers wont necessarily bloom at the feet of Scoble and other MS bloggers.
MS probably has to break into smaller pieces, and adopt a business model other than ” your money, our passion” — which is tough to do for a widely held publicly traded company. Apple’s not necessarily morally superior, it just doesnt have the baggage that MS as the computing superpower has. Maybe Im pessimistic, but I think that MS is a company whose presence is avoided, and whose products are put up with, not loved. Tough sell.
MSFT has a fantastic hold on a huge developer and VAR community which has, in part, helped them get to where they are today. You could say they have fantastic “targeted conversations” with this group and will continue to do so.
We do business applications using Open Source tools, even in a climate when Open Source is all the rage, it is still a very hard sell in the corporate environment to do anything non-MSFT.
They have no need to have their brand mean anything in particular to the average “consumer”.
Hugh: Ithink you just gave Robert his best b’day present for the weekend party !!
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YOu nailed it down on the dot — “I think Robert Scoble is doing a better job of selling Microsoft– telling folk what’s GOOD about working there– than anyone. ”
I think Ad agencys should create a new title for within their sphere of oeprations. i.e. “Product Evangilest” and let them have a blog away !!
Hugh, do you really think Microsoft can postion itself as either “simple” or “playful?” They have 20+ years of history that doesn’t resonate with either of those words.
Customer experiences to overcome: scary, difficult, unforgiving, mystifying, intimidating, impenetrable.
Tom,
Yes, and that’s just what I feel after playing Halo 2!
/PD: it’s the second best birthday present. Someone else gave me tickets to the Seattle Sonics basketball game tonight. They were seats almost on the floor. Check out the picture from my seat: http://scobleizer.textamerica.com/?r=1955521
It was awesome.
Oh, while we’re talking about fun and games these guys sure weren’t having fun playing basketball. You’ve never seen more serious or intense people in your life.
If you can’t play around on the basketball court, I wonder how those of us in more boring businesses are supposed to cope.
Hugh, I think the problem is that if Microsoft simplified there brand (like XP and MSN and bring everything under that) it wouldn’t do their image of being a monopoly any good. Apple can do it because of their small market share, they need to do it. Microsoft can’t afford to be a 2/3 product ‘brands’ company.
I get the Halo 2 part, Robert, and damned if you’re not doing wonders to change those 20+ years of experiences customers had before you got there. But, those years mean lots of frustrated folks who’ve spent hundreds of hours in Customer Support support conversations which all too often ended with the phrase, “well, looks like you’ve have to re-install Windows,” to have the words “simple” and “playful” come to mind when they see the name Microsoft. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not an “Evil Empire” guy, but that’s a lot of miles to travel.
How ’bout the speed of those guys on the court?
Hey, that graph is precisely the W.L. Gore org model I referenced in an earlier comment re: MSFT becoming more playful…
You’re on the right track, Hugh…
See http://www.opportuniTV.com for some of the key details you are missing…
Excerpt:
Toward ‘Land of OpportuniTV’
The making of a startup comedy about making America the Silicon Valley of customized lifelong learning and career services, the global market that Peter Drucker says will be the biggest over the next 30 years