The SA flavour of the Microsoft Windows XP launch

On 25 October 2001 Windows XP, the latest operating system from Microsoft, was launched worldwide with a global spend of $250 million. Some 63 launch events were staged simultaneously across the US and another 50 took place worldwide. Microsoft South Africa developed a campaign with a strong local flavour to accurately target prospective users.

"Feedback from focus groups conducted earlier in the year confirmed that the South African market is less sophisticated than that of its western counterparts with very few South Africans appreciating the differences between an operating system and an application and even fewer homes having more than one computer," explains Cindy White, product marketing manager at Microsoft South Africa.

"So our strategy and marketing initiatives needed to be adapted to suit local conditions. We had to generate broad reach and create general awareness, touch on some of the new features and, most importantly, demonstrate the benefits that suit the needs of the end-user."

Our home-based and small business markets have further to travel on the learning curve than their counterparts in North America and Western Europe making executional changes essential.

In most developed markets, XP excitement was led by television advertising featuring Madonna`s "Ray of Light" as the brand anthem underscored by the pay-off line "Yes You Can". In contrast the South African audience was entertained by an advertisement filmed specifically for our market with an expressive rooster and an addition to the pay-off line, "Yes You Can ... Express Yourself Like Never Before". This execution was a successful extension of the previous Microsoft ad for Office XP featuring an ostrich taking flight.

During the launch in SA, Independent Newspapers carried front page coverage on the product, 20 000 leaflets were distributed at intersections and to business parks across eight cities, the TV ad launched, the Big Brother and radio competitions finaled and a Windows XP eXPert live chat was hosted through MSN.co.za. In addition, Windows XP teddy bears were given away to children suffering from life threatening diseases along with 5fm and Reach for A Dream.

By contrast, Australia had a Windows XP hot air balloon fly by, Canada unfurled the biggest XP banner, in London there was a Robbie Williams concert to welcome Windows XP to the world and in New York Sting held a free live concert.

The marketing mix used to ensure a successful launch included: TV, radio, print, direct marketing, online via MSN and Big Brother end-user sampling, shopping centre promotions, PR sales and partner training as well as an exclusively attended launch event at Monte Casino. One of the more notable elements of the launch was the effective use of the Windows XP wallpaper known as the "bliss screen". This icon appeared across many mediums.

MSN South Africa was the dedicated Windows XP Web site for the duration of the launch. The portal carried in-depth information on the product and hosted a number of valuable competitions. The results of this online campaign were remarkably successful with a hit rate and database numbering in the hundreds of thousands, far more than originally planned. It is too early to say what the effect of the XP launch will be as marketing activities continue into February 2002 but various yardsticks will be used to assess the success of the launch and thorough post-campaign research is planned.

"It will be several months before we can measure the success of the campaign. In this market evaluation is not simply a matter of sales but of awareness and consumer education," says White.