Microsoft
Challenge
Research showed that the public lacked an understanding of the Microsoft brand and was at best apathetic towards it. Meanwhile, Apple’s brand metrics skyrocketed. Microsoft’s leadership contributed much of this boon to the Apple store and believed that having a store of its own could boost its brand. Our challenge was to transform them into a premier retailer.
Strategy
Our insight was that consumers felt overwhelmed by the software industry’s jargon, endless list of features, and pace of change. Companies encouraged consumers to do the amazing, but most people were stuck on a more basic issue: they didn’t know where to begin. The Microsoft store, we believed, should be the place to begin. It should “Kick start a billion adventures.”
Solution
Inside the store, shoppers found an environment where channels, brands and products converged into a seamless Microsoft experience. The technology was presented in a manner that encouraged engagement and provided product information in layman’s terms, void of the ‘speeds and feeds’ jargon that confused consumers.
Results
Microsoft has expanded the model to 89 locations across North America. CNet wrote: “Yes, a Microsoft Store wows a Naysayer.” The company’s COO, Kevin Turner, publicly stated that the store had given the company tremendous insights into customers. “It helped us transition from thinking about our customers,” he said, “to thinking like our customers.” The store also earned several awards including the Jay Chiat Award for Creative Use of Technology, Jay Chiat Award for New Media, the Print Annual Selection, and the AIGA Best Work of the Year.
Team
- Kevin Brainard
- John Fullbrook
- Timothy Goodman
- Lee Maschmeyer
- Lindsay Ballant
- Paulina Reyes
- John Custer
- Brian Collins
- Gensler
- The Martin Agency
- Digital Kitchen