Microsoft is banking on the power of top brands to give its own brand a boost. In a new ad campaign, reportedly costing $150 million, Microsoft has tapped both customers and corporate leaders to espouse the benefits of investing in software and technology during an economic downturn and claiming that investments in technology today can actually save companies money.
Up first, according to The Register – executives from Coca Cola and Quicksilver who declare that the, “right enterprise software in the right places can help entire companies come together to drive business results.”
Of course, the ad campaign is somewhat hypocritical considering that Microsoft is in the middle of a hiring freeze, cutting expansion costs and considering a hiring freeze – at least that’s the rumor. But that’s another story entirely. Or perhaps not.
How effective can Microsoft’s message encouraging companies to spend more money on technology be when Microsoft is cutting costs? It makes the message seem fake and illogical. Conversely, I think the use of corporate executives from other top brands could give Microsoft’s message more authority within certain business circles.
The bottomline, however, is that most companies just don’t have the money to invest in technology right now, which inherently brings far more than just tangible equipment costs with it. I think a “me too” or “don’t you want to be like me” message is weak given the state of the economy and business overall, even if the “me to’ers” are the heavy-hitters from Coca Cola and Quicksilver. What do you think?
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Susan Gunelius is the author of 10 marketing, social media, branding, copywriting, and technology books, and she is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc., a marketing communications company. She also owns Women on Business, an award-wining blog for business women. She is a featured columnist for Entrepreneur.com and Forbes.com, and her marketing-related articles have appeared on websites such as MSNBC.com, BusinessWeek.com, TodayShow.com, and more.
She has over 20 years of experience in the marketing field having spent the first decade of her career directing marketing programs for some of the largest companies in the world, including divisions of AT&T and HSBC. Today, her clients include large and small companies around the world and household brands like Citigroup, Cox Communications, Intuit, and more. Susan is frequently interviewed about marketing and branding by television, radio, print, and online media organizations, and she speaks about these topics at events around the world. You can connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Google+.
