So imagine my suprise when Microsoft came out with the Windows Phone, the so called "anti-smart phone". It really appealed to me! Microsoft has the audacity (and the sheer brilliane) to target a segment of consumers that don't already have a smart phone and aren't already loyal to their iphone or their droid or their blackberry. They realize that trying to persuade an iphone user out of their 2 year contract is idiotic! That trying to convince someone that they don't need their crack-berry is product suicide! Instead they are going after people like me, that want to be able to reach our friends and family, but don't want to get sucked into the world of all smart phone, all the time. They targeted a completely ignored and untapped segment.
Here are a few of their commercials - what do you guys think? Is this marketing strategy brilliant or a little too out there? Can they really convince me and all the other non smart phone users to switch to the dark side? I guess we'll see ( :
It's a great idea for Windows, but I don't believe this marketing plan will work in the long run. Regardless of their message that they are the "anti-smart phone", it is still a smart phone and will consume life the same way any other smart phone would. Why buy a smart phone if you do not need or want all these functions? I think somebody who doesn't have a cell phone would still find it fairly complicated even though it might be made more simple than an I-phone, Droid, and especially a Blackberry.
ReplyDeleteThe fact is, this is a highly competitive industry and once Microsoft has one successful smart phone established, they will have pressure to extend their lines and this will lose significance as the anti-smart phone. The same thing happened with Droid. They were also marketing as the anti-smart phone and anti I-Phone, but now that it is an established smart phone that brand image is becoming diluted. It's hard to maintain the rebel image for very long.
That's just my opinion though. I'm excited to see how the Windows Smart phone will do against its strong competition and hope I'm proven wrong.
The more a phone can do the better. I've been carrying Swiss Army Knives around for years. Sure I don't need everything on it. I just like to know, if I need I have it, the same with my phone.
ReplyDeleteI think we all get what they are trying to convey but it's not really very clever at all. If a phone can do tasks faster I really don't see the point in "anti-smart phone" branding it. They need a better long term plan. They can't just ride off the Windows brand and "anti clever" not cleverness.
I love the point about Swiss Army knives ( :
ReplyDeleteNever thought about it like that before.