Microsoft has just released it’s new operating system: Windows 7. It seems to be getting good reviews and many are stating that it is almost as good or as good as Apple’s latest effort: Mac Osx Snow Leopard. While reviewing the operating system could be interesting, I’d like to focus on something that I deem much more important:  Their latest advertising campaign and the fundamental shifts in strategy that they have demonstrated recently.

Microsoft had one big problem: They weren’t listening to their customers. While this model could work in the past (because nobody could really express their anger efficiently), this has changed. In this day and age, it has become more important than ever to listen to your customers. The social networking & publishing tools of the internet let anybody publish their opinion and talk about their brand experiences to the rest of the world. As Jeff Jarvis brilliantly states in his book “What Would Google Do?”: Today, when you lose a customer, you don’t lose just that customer, you risk losing that customer’s friends. And thanks to the internet and blogs and consumer rate-and-review services, your customers have lots of friends all around the world.”

Not listening to their customers meant that they weren’t satisfying their needs, expectations and desires. If your product doesn’t meet the customers needs, they will stop buying your products and eventually all their friends will too. The important thing to remember is that it’s all about the customer: At the end of the day he is the one that will be buying your products, so it seams logical to try and please him. Unfortunately, many companies still haven’t understood this idea. Fortunately, Microsoft finally has.

Their previous product (Windows Vista) was a blatant failure. How did they attempt to make this one better? They listened to their customers and added the features they wanted. Jeff Jarvis states that “Your worst customer is your best friend”. He is quite right. Today’s publishing tools have given your customers the power to tell you what you are doing wrong. All you have to do is listen. Your product will inevitably get better and this will help you in the long run. Remember, that your customers have a lot of friends, and if they like your product, they’ll spread the love. This is a two way model, so embrace it.

More importantly, Microsoft finally understood that in our present market you can’t compensate for a bad product with more advertising. A bad product will inevitably lower you reputation and will definitely have negative impacts on your business. Advertising is of no use until you product meets expectations. If the quality of your product isn’t there, don’t waste your money on advertising, invest it in developing a better product. Once you have a good product, then start promoting it. Furthermore, a good product becomes advertising in itself. People will eventually become so loyal to your company that they will embrace it and spread the love. Don’t believe me? Look at Apple. They understood all this a long time ago.

Microsoft’s latest advertising campaign demonstrates all these ideas brilliantly. I firmly believe that these changes in their brand strategy will pay off. It took them a bit of time to adapt but they are finally moving in the right direction. Now, all they have to do is keep it up.

Check out their latest campaign here:

Windows 7 Collaboration Campaign

Tags: Advertising, Apple, Customer Satisfaction, Jeff Jarvis, Microsoft, Windows 7