This article discusses the marketing mix of Microsoft, including its product, price, place, and promotion strategies. It also explores the macro environment of Microsoft through a PEST analysis.
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Running Head: MANAGEMENT0 MARKETING MIX
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MANAGEMENT1 Table of Contents Introduction................................................................................................................................2 Marketing Mix of Microsoft......................................................................................................3 Macro Environment of Microsoft..............................................................................................6 Conclusion..................................................................................................................................8 References..................................................................................................................................9
MANAGEMENT2 Introduction The rise of technological advancement in society has a major impact in today business scenario. Various major development in this area changes the way an organisation operate in relation to its structure of business, practices, marketing and communication (Payne, Storbacka & Frow, 2008). One of the biggest and dominant technological company i.e. Microsoft was founded in 1975 that builds many support software product and services across the domain. The company offers varieties of products includes their Windows Operation System, personal and business solutions applications, Microsoft suite of office products like Excel, Word and PowerPoint. The company also offers various products in mobile market and software games market. In the fourth quarter of 2018, the revenue of the company stood upon $30.1 billion increased at a rate of 17% (Sparks, 2018). During their business life cycle, Microsoft acquired many big companies such as LinkedIn, Skype technologies, Mojang, Hotmail and GitHub. Figure 1 – Biggest innovation of Microsoft Source: (Sabri, 2013)
MANAGEMENT3 Marketing Mix of Microsoft Marketing mix is a series of activities that work together and are part of the marketing process (Day, 2011). There are various ways by which an organisation can satisfy the needs of targeted customers. In the same way, Microsoft is serving a diverse target market with its differentiation pricing strategy. All of their products are readily available to the customers even on the e-commerce platform. In addition, the company also do aggressive promotion to boost their sales of the products and services and thus increase brand recognition. Explicit marketing mix of Microsoft in United States is outlined below in respect with the four Ps – Product, Price, Place and Promotion. Product– The original Microsoft juggernaut product, the Windows desktop is considered as one of the important Microsoft product in terms of solutions deliver to the customers, clients and business partners. All computer programmes need an operating system and from a long period of time, Microsoft is offering one of the most popular operating systems provides a graphical user interface helps in simplifying user experience. In January 2019, the global market share of the Windows operating system range stood at 75.47 per cent. Moreover, in US, it stood at 67.38% (statista.com, 2019). With the advent of Windows 10 in 2015, Microsoft brings most notable features in extension with universal apps, an expansion of the Metro-style apps. This Operating system was built to run on various Microsoft product families including PC, tablet, smartphones, Xbox One and other embedded systems. It unveils new innovation with more of its edition and versions. Microsoft made available Windows 10 in 138 languages with a new platform that reinforces identity protection, data protection, threat resistance and device security (ebiztown, 2018). In addition, there are also various subsidiary software applications introduced by the company such as Office 365,
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MANAGEMENT4 Skype, One drive and many more. Windows 10 is now active on nearly 700 million devices around the globe. Price- Microsoft uses a different pricing strategy for its Windows 10 product as the company is offering free operating system updates over previous platforms like Windows 7, 8 and 8.1. In US, Windows 10 Pro is available at a price of $199.99 (Hachman, 2018). This edition is built for businesses with features like more security, remote desktop, Windows Ink and Windows Hello. On the other hand, Windows 10 Home is also available to the user who wants to use it on a personal computing device at a price of $139.00 (Hachman, 2018). It offers more safety in comparison with previous Windows platform and also brings more creativity and productivity. In addition, it also enhances gamers experience including Broadcast and Game Mode. In some of its segment, Microsoft has a premium pricing due to its popularity and increasingly useful Operating system. However, the company is proving basic set of services for free and thus captured major portion of the market due to mix of strategies. Source: (Microsoft Website)
MANAGEMENT5 Place– Microsoft Windows 10 is available in 190 Countries and the company various lines of distribution depends upon the type of products (Chowdhry, 2015). Almost half of the revenue comes from US which gives Microsoft a strong financial position at global level. Along with their online presence, the company also made available their Windows 10 product through E-commerce stores where the software can be bought or download online in form of CD or DVD. In US, Microsoft retail stores are available aims to enhance customer experience by proving the access to latest version of enterprise product. Microsoft stores are available in different cities around the world as well as through authorized dealers. Moreover, Customer and clients who are running their official preceding version can upgrade to Windows 10 without going any place as Microsoft provide inbuilt up gradation which simplifies the process to the user. Promotion– The Company is using its promotional strategy in the marketing mix very focused and comprehensive. Their major promotional expense is on the premium products and has a large market share. Microsoft reportedly spending over $1 billion to promote their Windows OS to the various customers, clients and businesses. The company use less than traditional approach to surface its advertisements such as number of ads are shown across subway stations and walls. In the 2018 fiscal year, Microsoft spent 17.47 billion U.S. dollars on sales and marketing (statista.com, 2018). The company also announces various offers regarding Windows 10 upgrades. One of its updates is depicted below in the picture.
MANAGEMENT6 Macro Environment of Microsoft The external environment of Microsoft is being explored with the help of PEST analysis which includes four parameters i.e. political factors, Economic factors, Social factors and Technological factors. Political Factors– Corporate participation in public policy process and political contributions is one of the political aspects through the company is being proudly recognised as an engaged leader in accountability and transparency. Microsoft needs to engage with government in US on public policy issues that are vital for the business. This will help the company in building strong corporate governance. In the United States, the company is supporting government affairs programmes related to key public policy issues, spending their corporate funds in political engagement and forming membership in industry and business trade associations. The company also need to comply with local legislation as its prime product Windows 10 is already been in various controversies. For instance, Microsoft was sued by Multiple Illinois residents due to Windows 10 upgrade programme. This lawsuit against Microsoft claims more than 100 members jointly seeking $5 million in damages excluding cost and interest (Hruska, 2017). Economic Factors– Microsoft benefitted from the considerable economic stability of the majority of developed country. Moreover, their products and services are also boosted due to change in H-1B visa program overhaul by Trump administration (Jha, 2019). Economic factors that may impact the units’ sold and potential revenue are volatile behaviours of the foreign exchange rates. Alterations in the exchange rates of the US dollar (i.e., strengthening of the US dollar) could negatively affect. If the US dollar is strengthening, the cost of the Microsoft Windows 10 OS will increase within the foreign marketplace segment. This
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MANAGEMENT7 increase would reduce the potential number of units sold. Hence, it is important for Microsoft to strategically address such opportunities in the industry environment. Social Factors– This domain of PEST analysis considers how the social situation impact macro environment of Microsoft in extent with customer expectations and behaviours. One of the social issues that need to be considered by Microsoft is shortage of skilled talent in STEM field as it directly impacts local US recruitment. Below is the glimpse of these particular statistics – Source: (Bott, 2017) It is important for Microsoft to differentiate themselves through non-transactional relationships and deep technical expertise as their success is built on innovation strategies in relation to evolving trends (Berry et al, 2010). The company also need to act in the local community to help to boost participation in STEM education, especially among women and minorities. It will indirectly help the company to boost sales of its products and thus increase revenue.
MANAGEMENT8 Technological Factors– In this domain, it requires an organisation to use their full technical capabilities and in the same way, Microsoft also have enormous opportunities through which the company can attain a distinct position in the market. For instance, the company need to integrate their OS with AI capabilities in order to enhance customer experience and also make their life easier (Sicari et al, 2015). This might also help the company to outperform over its rivals. Moreover, the company is also doing well considering their major R&D investments allowing Microsoft to bring better product and upgrades every time. Conclusion Microsoft is growing significantly since its inception and is proving number of products and services in the global market. The company is already adopted its vision effectively by assessing their business dynamics in timely manner. Hence, it can be said that Microsoft is subject to drastic changes in the industry including new legislation, deregulation, technological innovation, or globalization which can change industry structure, business model, and market share globally.
MANAGEMENT9 References Berry, L. L., Bolton, R. N., Bridges, C. H., Meyer, J., Parasuraman, A., & Seiders, K. (2010). Opportunities for innovation in the delivery of interactive retail services.Journal of Interactive Marketing,24(2), 155-167. Bott, E. (2017).Microsoft quietly announces end of last free Windows 10 upgrade offer. Retrieved from https://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-quietly-announces-end-of- last-free-windows-10-upgrades/ Chowdhry, A. (2015).Microsoft Windows 10 Will Be Available In 190 Countries And 111 Languages By This Summer. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/amitchowdhry/2015/03/18/windows-10-190-countries/ #1bd946a3368c Cusumano, M. (2008). Technology strategy and management The puzzle of Apple.Communications of the ACM,51(9), 22-24. Day, G. S. (2011). Closing the marketing capabilities gap.Journal of marketing,75(4), 183- 195. ebiztown. (2018).laptop wont start after windows 10 update?. Retrieved from https://www.ebiztown.com/questions/laptop-wont-start-after-windows-10-update Hachman, M. (2018).Microsoft has added $20 to the price of Windows 10 Home, but there are sales elsewhere. Retrieved from https://www.pcworld.com/article/3311869/windows-10-home-price-increase.html Hruska, J. (2017).Microsoft faces new class-action lawsuit over its Windows 10 upgrade policy. Retrieved from https://www.extremetech.com/computing/246587-microsoft- faces-class-action-lawsuit-windows-10-upgrade-policy Jha, L. (2019).US to Change H-1B Visa Programme to Attract 'Talented Professionals': Donald Trump. Retrieved from https://thewire.in/world/us-to-change-h-1b-visa- programme-to-attract-talented-professionals-donald-trump Payne, A. F., Storbacka, K., & Frow, P. (2008). Managing the co-creation of value.Journal of the academy of marketing science,36(1), 83-96.
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MANAGEMENT10 Sabri, S. (2013).Microsoft teases new Start Screen Innovation plans for Windows Phone in 2014. Retrieved from https://www.windowscentral.com/microsoft-teases-new-start- screen-innovation-plans-windows-phone-2014 Sicari, S., Rizzardi, A., Grieco, L. A., & Coen-Porisini, A. (2015). Security, privacy and trust in Internet of Things: The road ahead.Computer networks,76, 146-164. Sparks, D. (2018).Microsoft Corporation's Impressive Growth in 5 Metrics. Retrieved from https://www.fool.com/investing/2018/07/20/microsoft-corporations-impressive- growth-in-5-metr.aspx statista.com. (2018).Microsoft's expenditure on sales and marketing per fiscal year from 2000 to 2018 (in billion U.S. dollars). Retrieved from https://www.statista.com/statistics/506534/microsoft-sales-marketing-expenditure/ statista.com. (2019).Global market share held by operating systems for desktop PCs, from January 2013 to January 2019. Retrieved from https://www.statista.com/statistics/218089/global-market-share-of-windows-7/