The effects of oversteering.
In the news today is word that a Marketing Manager at Microsoft is trying to steer the computing industry away from the word “netbook” toward something more…how shall I say…higher end, all encompassing and pricier sounding.
Product marketing is not the art of taking something that’s popular and going against the tide. Product marketing is about either setting the direction of the tide or going with the flow.
It’s going to be difficult to near impossible to replace an essentially organic and entrenched term such as “netbook” with something entirely artificial. MSFT doesn’t have the best product marketing track record to boot either. Have you seen Microsoft get embarrassed by Apple’s ads? Can you name something Windows Mobile is known for?
But please don’t take me for a Microsoft hater. In fact, I consider Microsoft Office the single greatest software suite of all time. I just take offense to much of their product marketing. They need to stop having more flavors of Windows than a Baskin Robbins. They need to convince computer makers to stop marketing primarily on MHz and long lists of tech specs. And they shouldn’t try to perform invasive surgery on the fledgling netbook industry just as its taking off. MSFT should think of netbooks as the most exciting thing to happen to them since virtualization (which, incidentally is another example of a force they reacted to with hostility at first in terms of Windows licensing before finally embracing.)
In summary, MSFT Product Marketing Managers, please listen up. Stop trying to fight the world around you for a moment just because it wasn’t conceived of in Redmond. Go with it. Be one with the people.
