As a self employed person, I am more than aware of the constant input of time and effort required to market your services to new and existing clients. At times it can feel that this constant drive is simply the fate of the freelancer, so I read with interest that even the producers of one of the world's most successful consumer products is launching "the biggest marketing campaign in its history".
Microsoft Windows, according to an article in the FT, is one of the world's most neglected mass-market brands and, although it has 95% market share, it is often seen as "unstable, exposed to security threats and exceedingly dull".
As most of the 1bn people who use PCs that run on Windows are business customers, Microsoft has no or very little direct relationships with consumers. Windows has possibly become a victim of its own success, becoming like 'wallpaper' to its users (no one thinks about it "except when it goes wrong").
So now Microsoft want to 'create an emotional connection with its users' by, among other things, humanising its founder, Bill Gates, in a US television ad featuring him and comedian Jerry Seinfeld. Althought the 3 year marketing push will also involve direct Microsoft presence at electronics chains and representatives in retail stores, I wonder if Apple have already pipped them in the retail market?
