Microsoft educates users on benefits of products

BY RUBY ANNE M. RUBIO/BusinessWorld The Philippine subsidiary of software giant Microsoft Corp. wants to make sure the launch of the widely anticipated operating system Windows Vista and Microsoft Office 2007 is well communicated not only in terms of product benefits but also on branding and awareness. Microsoft Philippines, Inc. plans to achieve this through a five-year road map, consumer marketing manager Ivan M. Franco told BusinessWorld. "The road map of Microsoft is to establish the key pillars: Office and Windows. You have to build first the brand before you engage them (the consumers) with several products," he said. He said that as a marketer, Microsoft has to penetrate the consumer with products they are very familiar with. "You don’t want to clutter them with several products in the market and you don’t provide the communication that will help them improve their lives. Eventually, we will introduce other consumer products on how the consumer will benefit. We will introduce products when the market is mature enough," he added. Just last week, Microsoft launched worldwide its latest products: the Vista, Office 2007 and Exchange Server 2007. In the Philippines, the products were launched over the weekend. For the fully packaged products, the suggested retail prices on the day of the launch at Mall of Asia last Saturday are the following: Windows Vista Business, P19,710; Windows Vista Home Basic, P13,360; Windows Vista Home Premium, P15,830; and Windows Vista Ultimate, P26,430. Mr. Franco said he believes that talking to the average Filipino consumer should be on the emotional level not on the technical level. "You don’t talk to them about the hardware but the emotional benefits they will get. We have to redefine the meaning of digital lifestyle and the user’s experience with the new and emerging technologies from Microsoft and its partners. It is not only going to be introducing new products but evolution of existing products," he added. DIGITAL LIFESTYLE To usher in the digital lifestyle, Microsoft Philippines has stationed 25 Microsoft Experience Centers in leading computer stores. Each Experience Center houses a desktop powered by the next-generation operating system, Windows Vista and the 2007 Microsoft Office system. This Experience Center will give the consumers the feel of the new wave of digital living at the point of sale. "Microsoft Philippines is targeting the upgraders as well as the additional PC purchasers for these next-generation products. The enhanced capabilities and features of Windows Vista, the 2007 Microsoft Office System and Exchange Server 2007 are meant to empower home and business users alike, in the comfort of their houses, offices or even on the go," said Chay Mondejar-Saputil, Windows client product manager. "For home users, the new products will be the hub of digital living. Business users will see the value in these innovations as the work-place becomes more demanding and globally competitive, thus presenting a need for a powerful and updated IT infrastructure," she added. Microsoft said its Windows Vista operating system is targeted at "empowering business users and IT professionals to be successful in several critical ways" as it delivers value for business customers by helping to reduce IT complexity and cost through enhancements to security, application compatibility and deployment. "Improvements in mobility and collaboration simplify communication with co-workers, and enhancements to search and organization capabilities make it easier to find information through innovative search and organization capabilities. "With Windows Vista, Microsoft Corp. has focused on improving the experience, reliability and overall quality of the operating system, providing a more complete and productive business environment for customers," it said. INTERFACE Meanwhile, the 2007 Microsoft Office System presents a redesigned user interface (UI) to "make it easier for people to get better results faster." The new UI substitutes traditional menus and toolbars found in previous releases of Microsoft Office with a results-oriented design that enables people to focus on what they want to do rather than how to do it. New UI features will "help organize and more effectively present application tools and capabilities." As a result, customers will find it easier to quickly discover and use more of the capabilities that Microsoft Office applications offer, enabling them to produce their best work more efficiently. The decision to redesign the Office application user interface was based on usability studies and extensive customer research, the company said. "As the Office applications have become more powerful, it has become more challenging for many users to find and figure out how to use the full range of features the programs offer. Customer input helped make it clear that a new user interface was needed to empower people to work more productively with the powerful Office tools at their disposal," Microsoft said. DESIGN This led to four major design goals for the new UI: make Office applications easier to use, reduce design clutter and user interface interruptions, make it easier to browse and find tools and features, and support the creation of great-looking documents. Taking into account that educating the public is a major project for the company, Mr. Franco said Microsoft has to identify and satisfy the needs of the consumers. "We cannot do it half-baked or else your consumers won’t listen to you again. You have to establish that credibility as you go to the market with the proliferation of gadgets and other technology products. That is how we look at and believe in the market. We have to make them realize the benefit of technology products as simple as possible," he added. HUMAN RESOURCE In a separate interview, Microsoft Philippines product manager Ferdinand Macatangay said the company, together with its partners, recognizes that the primary business asset is the human resource. "Microsoft is focusing on the people-ready aspect of businesses. It is committed in empowering individuals to reach their full capacity and potential through the use of technology. Software will amplify productivity of the individual. We are very excited to come out with the next generation of products to enhance user interaction with technology," he told BusinessWorld. Delivering value for business customers and consumers alike, Windows Vista simplifies communication through mobility and collaboration improvements.