Microsoft has been in the news the last couple of days because they are rolling out a new operating system for phones. Supposedly, this is a “start over”, as opposed to a revision of current software. But how did they start over? They brought in Todd Peters. A technology guy, right? Not so much.
More than two years ago, Microsoft started plucking top executives from companies in a variety of industries, hoping they could revitalize its mobile software group. Mr. Peters brought some marketing muscle from Staples, where he helped to create the popular “Easy Button” campaign.
Other executives arrived from Procter & Gamble and Nike, as Microsoft sought to find a new way of talking to consumers, since about 86 percent of phones running Windows are sold through retail outlets.
While studies show that consumers tend to react favorably to the Windows brand, they’ve been less enamored of how Microsoft’s phone software works.
“We need to have a degree of humility as we go about our business,” Mr. Peters said. “It has been painful, but it’s getting better.”
People don’t like your products because they are clumsy to use and your first hire is a new marketing guy. Not a human factors person. I get it. Convince people that the crap you are selling is actually good, not just more crap.