This article presents a very intriguing idea about a marketing strategy for Windows new OS, Windows 7. It is obvious to most people that Windows previous OS was a complete failure in Vista. There are many things that led to its poor public perception from the system having too many bugs to Apple's clever commercials poking fun at it, however Windows can redeem itself.
As the article points out, everyone that has seen Windows 7 has proclaimed that it is heads and shoulders above Vista. For Windows that is the first step. They can have all of the clever marketing in the world, but without a good product none of it will matter. If Windows 7 lives up to its expectations than the writer of this article has a great idea - give it away for FREE. When you think about it it makes a lot of sense. There is no denying the popularity of Apple not just in notebooks, but in desktops and obviously in mp3 players. I do not have the exact numbers, but I would imagine that the amount of users switching from PCs to Apples grows everyday. I would even go as far as to say that if it were not for the dominance that PC created in the business world and many people simply needing the Windows only software there would be many more switchers.
So, how then does giving away Windows 7 revive Windows? Simple, it brings people back. From an economic standpoint there is not way that Microsoft could give away every copy of Windows 7, however they could offer it to current users of Vista for free. The writer of the article suggests that Microsoft allow Vista users to upgrade for $49 or less. That is a good idea, but why not just give it away. Here is the thing, PC was dominant. Until the past 10 years or so no one used anything but Windows. I think that a lot of people still want to believe in Windows, but Vista hurt that. So , by giving away Windows 7 to Vista users (the people who are still loyal) you restore their confidence in Windows. In business there is a rule called the 80/20 rule where 80% of your sales come from 20% of your clients. This rule is based on the fact that it is 5 times more expensive to go out and get a new customer than it is to keep an old one. Therefore, Microsoft needs to do everything it can to keep its current Vista users and giving away Windows 7 will not only fix Vista, but will also restore, in their minds, some faith in Microsoft.
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You make a good point about focusing on the already loyal customers by giving those with Vista a free version of Windows, or at least a deep discount. Then if they're happy, others may follow. It'll be interesting to see if Microsoft can still compete or if Apple has stolen enough of the market away that nothing Microsoft can do will make a difference.
ReplyDeleteAs a Vista user, I thought this article was interesting, and I'll definitely look for updates on updating my operating system. It'll be interesting to see if Microsoft can afford to give away the new system or sell it at a discount.
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