Brace yourself for my longest post in a some time.
This topic has been something I’ve been stewing on for a while and finally was motivated to write about when I read Sean Ammirati’s post entitled My Recipe for Microsoft — Act More Like CP+B.
He references the recent Fast Company article Can Alex Bogusky help Microsoft Beat Apple? with CP+B being Crispin Porter and Bogusky – the agency who reportedly has $300m to help overhaul the Microsoft brand. I have no idea on those numbers or indeed any of that sotry but I have a lot of sympathy with Sean’s suggested approach. I’d like to mix that approach with another ingredient – Microsoft people. Sit back. Here’s how it goes
Sean says we should take more credit for the things we do well. There is a lot of synergy with the ethos of The Blue Monster here but lets set that aside for the moment too. What I think Sean has touched on is getting Microsoft people to talk about Microsoft stuff could be a strategy. At the same time, perhaps we should make some heroes out of Microsoft staff. With all due respect to the Heroes Happen Here campaign, my biggest IT heroes all work in Microsoft. Some of them you know, some of them you will never have heard of. Almost intuitively there is one (or more for every audience). I don’t know if I’m being clear here so let me use an example.
Last week I was in Newcastle chatting with Tara Hunt. We talked about this exact topic and she said exactly what I was thinking. Make the Microsoft guys the rock stars. She said “I love The Gu”. I was embarrassed to say “who?”....she replied "Scott Guthrie". Evidently he’s something of a hero in the developer community. Tara is no Microsoft fangirl but she made it pretty clear to me that we don’t make the most of people like this in our company.
In addition to Scott I’d add Major Nelson for the gaming community. I know a guy in Zune I’d add - he exudes passion when you talk to him. From other parts of the business I’d add J Allard, even David Cutler (a legend) and from Live Labs, Blaise Aguera y Arcas is a legend in the making from his TED demo and his un-Microsoft approach. Get someone from the Surface team - not some stock actor who will never have the passion for a product but a guy or girl who spent 3 years of his life building the product. Add Joe Cheng from the Windows Live Writer team who have hands down one of the most stunning software products of the last 3 years (for me). We’re literally scratching the surface here and haven't even looked beyond Redmond to the 40k or so other employees.
This “use your own” approach all sort of dawned on me as a few pieces came together over the last few weeks
So what am I saying here? Nothing revolutionary and something that is as old as advertising, branding, management or whatever you want to call it.
A company's biggest assets are it's people
No shit sherlock....but isn't it time we started using those people? That's what some guys did 4 years ago at Microsoft and they nearly got fired for it. Now look where they are.
So go ahead CP+B, make my day :)
You're not wrong about Blaise. I spent TWO HOURS with him last year talking about SeaDragon and Photosynth - he even bought me lunch :-) Best 2 hours of my 3 year career at Microsoft easy!
I steve, i was also at thinking digital conference, as well the codeworks guys done good! It was great to have so many tech heros in Newcastle / Gateshead, tara and yourself included.
I'm an it manager in an art gallery and prior to that worked as a graphic designer for a very large cosmetics company, so i've always been paid to do, what i do as a hobby - great isn't it.
I have a couple of people to add to your list microsoft technet evangatist team, steve lamb etc pretty cool guys, as well and are very well also. They have help us out a few time with some problems we've had.
The unsung tech hero's are the growing number of techies on the getsatisfication network. i have recently posted a few comments and concerns and have had fantastic responses.
I finally i have a confession as a one time mac evangalist, contrary to the fashion i am now beginning to becoming more and more of a microsoft fan. The educational discounts your give are fantastic, you seem to listen more than Apple and you prvide lots of free services hotmail, live, skydisk etc
good job.
Steve,
It is almost a year to the day when I had the pleasure to interview you for my MBA dissertation.
http://www.thewebpitch.com/interviews/steve-clayton-and-his-blue-monster
I quote the following:
"Having spent over an hour with Steve on Monday, I truly believe that he is a hidden gem at Microsoft UK. In fact, in my opinion he is Microsoft UK’s answer to Robert Scoble.
Of course, he is passionate about technology. However, his passion strives further. He is equally passionate in helping SME’s and Partners to be more successful. In an open message to Microsoft UK’s Managing Director, Gordon Frazer. Can we have more bloggers like Steve Clayton please?
Almost a year on, I've since had the please to meet James Senior, "The Office Rocker" - Darren Strange and Ben Tamblyn. Sure, you guys are great at what you do. But, you all add something special. You 'connect' with the public.
in a most compelling way.
These 'connections' are changing the way we all view Microsoft. But we need more of you guys out there.
Creating great products is only part of the story. Allowing and supporting Microsofties to express their passion with the public on a direct level, is something the company needs to embrace more.
http://www.microsoft.com/heroeshappenhere/default.mspx
The above campaign refers to customers. I think it's about time the company formally acknowledged its own "heroes"
Digital Rockstars, we salute you. May you continue to share, delight and provide valuable insight. Not only on Microsoft products but also on your own voice and your views on the digital economy of today and tomorrow.
Jas - "Passionate about People and still obsessed with Technology"
Are you kidding?!! Building brand around personas is a recipe for disaster. Think athlete's sponsors scrambling after a publicly reported faux paus to control the damage to their brand. Think celebrities. Think Scoble. Once someone gets a bit of notariety, it is often the case that they lose site of why they have it. Then they leave, taking your company's "branding" with them, but none of your company's guidance or restraints. That's how you end up with a Scoble; wilding racing from new web 2.0 property to the next, desperately in search of something that will give him the "tech cred" he had on Channel 9. He has the mannerisms of a six year-old yelling "me too, me too, I was there first" and bragging about how many people read his blog or become his "friend" on his social network de jour. I feel sorry for the guy. He'll never have what he did at Channel 9 and he has become an embarassment not only to himself, but to Microsoft as well.
I love Channel 9 and other venues that give us an inside look at Microsoft. I wish there was even more content and interaction with the developers. I love meeting the people and hearing about their work inside Microsoft. Channel 9 is definately one of the best things that Microsoft has done in a long time and dramatically changed my attitude about the company, even though I am an executive and no longer do much development. It gave Microsoft a personality that was radically better than any their marketing department could have created. I "love the Gu" too, and several other people who are regulars on Channel 9. But celebrities? Bad idea.
Selling picks and shovels when a gold rush is going on isn't nearly as sexy as hitting the big strike, but it's where the money is. Microsoft sold picks and shovels during the digital gold rush. They own the market. Now you want them to act more like the guys racing through the middle of town screaming every time they find a nugget? Those are the guys who celebrate by... dropping it in the jar at Microsoft's "store".
My company is built largely on the back of Microsoft software. It couldn't exist without it and I depend on the innovations within Microsoft, as well as the innovations we build on top of Microsoft software, to stay ahead. If you want sexy, rip your jeans and head over to Apple where you can be as sexy and irrelevant as you want. When they can't compete, a favorite tactic of the opposition is to embarass you into surrender. When you start feeling embarassed that Microsoft is not perceived as "cool", I suggest you ignore what losers are saying about your company's victory. You won. How cool is that?
thanks David - good to hear someone is coming back this way rather than over to Apple :) and yes, Mr Lamb is definitely one of the good guys!
http://www.macworld.com/article/133293/2008/05/consumer.html Fixing Vista includes fixing the OEM channel
As my old lecturer once told me - Fine words butter no parsnips. The last thing Microsoft needs is more people talking about how cool something is that they no connection to, it lacks context and substance. It's the New Labour of Software Evangelism.
The people that should be telling the story are those responsible for the story - the PMs, Testers and Developers themselves. Where is the interest in a voyeur's spin on the story?
They may be able to spin a yarn, but they lack the ability to give the tale any depth or meaning. What MACH graduates think of Microsoft is of no interest surely - is this the price of "Cool"?
disagree with you on the MACH grads piece Fritz - they bring a fresh and often more honest view of the world and connect with an audience other folks (aka older folks) sometimes can't.
I do agree with PM, Test and Dev being involved though and hadn't discounted those. Many are already doing this on C9 of course.