Because it sure advertises like one!
Surface came out of nowhere, didn’t it? I’m in the tech
industry and even I didn’t see it coming!
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Now that it’s here, Microsoft is laying down dollars to
promote the hell out of it.
Have you seen this
commercial yet?
It seems to pop up during at least three of the four commercial
blocks on my Hulu.
I’ll admit, I like
it.
The ads are stimulating, bright, and, dare I say, ‘snappy?’
But when you’re up
against the iPad, that doesn’t cut it.
When the guy to beat holds 55% of the user base (and that’s down 14% from Q2 ’12), you have
to be more focused in your approach.
Now I know what you’re thinking – part of demand stimulation
is intrigue! You can’t lay all your specs out there if you’re depending on a
bit of mystery to drive store traffic and conversion.
Fine. So run the flashy, catchy, say-nothing-about-the-product
dance number UNTIL product launch.
Not after.
After, money would be better spent using the sixty seconds
to explain WHY Surface is the better buy.
It should be a direct
appeal that proactively quells doubters.
“We
know your love your iPad – we’re quite fond of it too.
Here’s
where Surface comes in to play and here’s
why you need it.”
When you lead the market, preside over a band of cult-like brand advocates and show no sign of stopping, then you can blow your commercial spots dancing around.
Until then, you have to make a harder case; you have to show
features. You have to grovel for the opportunity to convince.
