Editorial: Microsoft Australia…it’s your WP7 move.

Windows Phone in 2012 is beginning it’s surge in Australia. With new handsets, new manufacturer’s and a growing level of interest that has begun moving out of its Year1 tight-knit community of enthusiasts and early adopters and is ready to make the leap to mainstream. At this pivotal time, it’s worth asking the question…and what about Microsoft Australia? Sure, behind the scenes they are undoubtedly working stoically to build and improve Carrier partnerships for Windows Phone, deploy and execute on Retail training for carriers and work with OEM’s for device launches in Australia, with Nokia being a natural priority. However where is the public face of Microsoft and Windows Phone Down Under?

Last week, WPDownUnder exclusively launched Telstra’s new – and Australia’s first – Generation 2 Windows Phone handset (thanks to the Telstra Social Media Team for this honour), the Samsung OmniaW. With this “Pocket Rocket” kicking-off the range of Windows Phone “Mango” handsets, this announcement was quickly followed by the confirmation of Nokia’s Australian debut with its exciting new Lumia range of WP7 devices from March. Rumours of HTC’s imminent arrival with new devices – and the lure of 4G/LTE Windows Phones before the middle of the year auger well for device availability here. The drought is finally breaking.

Casting our eyes over the horizon, we have seen exciting major events across US markets for Windows Phones. From competitions via Twitter, the US official Windows Blog and at industry functions – right through to public promotional activities – even social “inner circle” or “Spend the Night with Windows Phone” parties featuring popular indie bands or celebrity guests across the USA. The States have also seen the launch of the “Retail Insider App”. A sales persons take on the WP Insider App, this has been designed to complement the Retail partner training of Carrier staff and help drive better customer purchase experiences in store. This is presently only available in the US WP7 marketplace.

US EVENTS/ACTIVITIES FOR MANGO GEN2 DEVICE PROMOTIONS:

The 6-storey Windows Phone (Source: WP7 Blog.)

click for pdf (6Mb)

Moving to the UK, Microsoft’s efforts there to promote and market Windows Phone have often been innovative or unique over the past 12 months. From their early App promotion, via online and in-store magazines, to their Mango Facebook Demo of Windows Phone, grabbing your Facebook contacts to fill-in an interactive experience on your PC. In late 2011, they even launched a Windows Phone rewards program. This was accompanied by the “Into” App, which allowed WP7 owners to register activities such as viewing the Blog pages, showing friends the phone and other activities to go into prize draws as more points were accrued. Accrued points could also trigger access to partner rewards such as shopping discount coupons. Very innovative.

The UK “Ambassador” for WIndows Phone is Blur bassist, Alex James. Here he is in a MS UK feature video linked to the “Into” App and a promotional event. For something a little more awesome, check out his “day job” with this amazing Blur performance of one of their greatest hits live from Hyde Park in 2009 (LINK).

Microsoft describe the “Into” App in the UK marketplace as:

What is ‘into’ by Windows Phone? ‘into’ by Windows Phone is a social rewards programme for Windows Phone owners, their friends and family and indeed anyone who wants to discover more about Windows Phone and help spread the word by tweeting, sharing or liking via the ‘into’ app on Facebook or mobile. You’ll get into hand-picked offers, money can’t buy experiences, content and articles from top UK contributors and have access to really unique events. To get into even more rewards, offers and content, go to www.intowindowsphone.com on the Windows Phone Facebook UK page and click ‘Like’. Source: WP7 UK Marketplace

With a dedicated App, Blog, Twitter and Facebook accounts – along with initiatives like above, the UK official Microsoft Marketing efforts have been differentiated and substantial in promoting Windows Phone in their market.

Back here in Australia, Microsoft have no dedicated Windows Phone Twitter account or Facebook page. The official Australian Microsoft Blog section for Windows Phone section had a total of 6 posts in 2011. Here, Microsoft has focused on major industry events (TechEd, The Big Picture etc), with little direct marketing focus on Windows Phone itself. Developer Evangelist events aside, it’s hard to remember a specific public promotion, event, competition or advertising activity for Windows Phone by Microsoft since the “MS” sponsorship of the TV show “The Block” in 2011 or Telstra’s Free movie Tickets with a HTC Mozart (if MS were even involved with this). There was of course the very significant recent “Edge of the Internet” competition in Australia – with a massive $20K prize for the person that could track down “Dave”. This received some strong MS local promotion, however with just over 500 people registered for entry, and a predominately IE9 focus – it unlikely Windows Phone saw much benefit from this initiative.

WPDownUnder reported back in NOV 2011 Microsoft’s advertised Channel Marketing Role for WP7, which had a specific focus on Carrier and OEM Marketing, promotion and training efforts to bring about improved retail experiences for Windows Phone. However, aside from this role, this site can only speculate on the number of specific dedicated Marketing roles for Windows Phone. WPDownUnder is only left with questions over the resourcing and/or budget Microsoft globally have set aside for the Australian business and market.

Obviously, there would be an expectation of Nokia to lead a concerted promotional effort for Windows Phone, tied to their new Lumia device range launching here from March. The strategic and financial partnership between Nokia and Microsoft globally has delivered Nokia hundreds of million dollars each QTR in Year1 to cement their WP7 strategic platform decision, and to bring their considerable consumer marketing experience to the table for this OS. However, based on the Marketing events and activities Microsoft in the UK and US have been able to deliver, especially since the launch of Mango and the debut of Gen2 devices, the obvious question is where is Microsoft Australia in all this?

Nokia is almost here. Australia’s first Gen2 phone launched here last week and LTE/4G devices are rumoured to be in test/evaluation for this market. Any critical assessment of the performance of Carriers and OEM’s in this country over Windows Phone must extend to reviewing the public Marketing and promotion efforts of Microsoft on WIndows Phone in Australia. All WPDownUnder can say is that it has indeed been a soft, soft launch.

Microsoft, it’s your move.

Sheeds.

Sheeds' Blog
USA [email protected]

http://twitter.com/StefEBear Stefan

Great article Sheeds.. and very much to the point.
It’s as though MS doesn’t want to put any effort into Australia – Has there been any Zune Pass advertising? I think NOT. same with WP7. Microsoft Australia is very lacklustre in it’s advertising efforts down under.

Pull that proverbial finger out MS Australia and fight for some market share.
Anonymous

You need to understand that Australia is a tiny market – 22 million people vs 280 million in the US. There is simply not enough mileage in spending up big here, as cracking the Australian market won’t help WP7 one iota. Its just the way it is. For WP7′s long term success, they need to be successful in bigger markets. If WP7 remains our little secret at home, that’s fine by me.

That said, I’d still like a decent Sydney public transport trip planner and a good TV guide, so a little local success might be a good idea. In the end, though, I think it is Nokia who will sell WP7, not MS. If they only spend as much on the Lumia 800 as they spent on the N9, then everyone in Australia will know about it and it will be the first phone anyone sees when they walk into any telco store. But we know they will spend even more, so I don’t think there is much to worry about. The other reason Nokia will do the job is that they are smart enough to be able to sell the Lumia 800 cheaply, which will get both telcos and retailers interested. I bought one today for under $500 which is cheap as chips for what it is (Focus cost me more than $700 a year ago).
- Anonymous
  
  It may not be as big a market, but you need to show up to the party not just rock up to the front door and turn around.
  
  I don’t think MS can really depend on Nokia/Sammy/HTC/Carriers to do all the leg work here for them. Nokia is selling their phone not WP7/8 and will have ads based towards that. Look at the N9 ads, there’s nothing really to do with the OS and everything to do with the glossy this is what it does features I doubt that would change. Half the world thinks MS is the Devil so why would they do advertising of a phone with an MS OS?
  
  IF MS is selling WP at $20+ per unit (if you believe that rumor) they have as much a reason to push the OS with their own advertising as anyone else.
  - Anonymous
    
    OK, so let’s say MS want to get to a 10% marketshare in 2012, which seems like an attainable goal. Let’s also say, for the purposes of discussion, that this figure equals half-a-million new users in Australia (which also seems reasonable). So you’d be looking at $10million in revenue. Normally you’d spend something like 10% of your revenue on marketing, but MS need to be aggressive, so let’s say they spend 30%. That would be $3million, which would buy you a couple of weeks of prime time TV ads nationally, supported by press, web and maybe outdoor advertising, which is probably close to what they spent last year for almost zero result. They are gonna need to do 10 times that to get a foothold, i.e. reinvest every cent of revenue and forget about the losses. A lot of effort will also need to come from leveraging handset manufacturer’s relationships with telcos and retailers. You can spend all the money you like but if customers walk into a store and can’t find your product, it is all for nought. Then, after you’ve spent all that money and achieved your goal, it won’t add 0.1% to your global revenue for the year. That’s why it makes much more sense to invest in the big markets first, to get some revenue coming in and momentum so that the smaller markets are easier.
- Dazza
  
  What about tripview for the transport app?, pretty decent if you ask me
  - Anonymous
    
    I don’t like it, it really only shows timetables. Go to 131500.com and see what it has to offer by comparison. Transhub is better (and more expensive) but still nowhere near good enough. I always end up in my browser when I want to use public transport, unless it is just a matter of going to/from the city. e.g. What if you need to go and pick up something you bought on Gumtree from a residential address in a suburb you’ve never been to? Neither app is of much use in those kinds of situations.
- http://twitter.com/AdrianJSClark Adrian Clark
  
  For the Sydney public transport trip planner have you looked at Transhub? http://www.windowsphone.com/en-AU/apps/1f65be58-26ad-46b2-b7ee-6cf673fc1aba
BigChaps

I don’t think the “tiny market” argument is so valid anymore. The Mobile market penetration per capita in Australia is far above so many of the international markets and we still have a comparatively strong economy. This presents a big opportunity for smartphones. It is amazing to see how many “dumbphones” and feature phones are still out there that could be upgraded to the next level. Apple have proved that there is enormous rewards for success in this area.

Mobiles are also now a major path into ecosystems nowadays. This is where so much success of the #SmokedbyWindowsPhone campaign was able to simplify the message. I’m sure the cost of that program wasn’t particularly high yet it was able to cut through and really show the advantages of Windows Phone 7. The article describes a number of low cost options that have been successful in Europe that could just as easily done here.

Until then, it is us,the entusiasts that can effectively demonstrate the benefits ton Windows Phone. I know I have been able to successfully convert a number of people as well as have people express their regret that they didn’t listen to me.
- MotorMouth
  
  Of course it matters. Per capita means nothing when your market is 1/12th the size of the US. If MS can get to a 10% market share in the US, it would be the equivalent of more than one phone for every man, woman and child in Australia. A 10% share here wouldn’t even register on their quarterly earnings globally. So what do you do? Try and get 5% of the world’s biggest market or 60% of a tiny one? I’d also suggest that I saw just as many people with smartphones on my recent US holiday as I see here and a helluva lot more people with tablets.
  
  As an aside, for the very first time, I saw someone else with a WP7 phone today. Guess what? He works for MS so I am still the only civilian I have ever seen with one, either here or in the US. MS’s job is absolutely massive if they want to make headway.
  - BigChaps
    
    But Australia has phones for every man, woman and child, well at least they did in 2007. I’d suspect the sales of phones may have outpaced the birth rate since then.
    
    If I were of the Sales persuasion, I would be aiming for both 5% of the large market AND the 60% of the small market. That in then drives customers to the Marketplace for music, videos and apps. It would also tie into Xbox & Xbox Live and all those offerings as well as the reverse path.
    
    The spend should be in the areas of getting the phones into peoples hands, to show people the capabilities first-hand… Sure, it’s a massive job bit that doesn’t mean they should ignore a complete market. It won’t be easy. After all, everyone said that XBox wouldn’t amount to anything..