Microsoft’s Brand Problem

I was checking out this cnet piece on Microsoft’s brand problem - in some crazy brand ranking list, Microsoft was at #59 - down from #11 in 2004. That’s a pretty hefty drop. I’m not really sure how they pulled the list of companies they ranked, but Apple isn’t in the list so you can’t see how Apple did in the same period using the same measurement standards.

So the guys who published that study put forth the notion that Microsoft’s image was hurt by Apple’s Mac vs. PC ad campaigns. I mean, that may have had some effect on the brand, but really it was just exaggerating problems that people generally were already aware of with pc’s. I think, you have to stop the buck squarely in Microsoft’s own hands for their problems.

I think it’s true that Apple’s rise in prominence has definitely affected Microsoft’s brand - prior to that there was nothing to compare a desktop OS to, so defacto, the experience Microsoft provided was the standard - you didn’t know that there was an alternative that might provide something better.

But look at the Vista problems, Microsoft’s long touted response to OSX. The massive delays, the cutting out of key features, the lack of compatibility and the general dissatisfaction of the user base - sure they sold a ton of ‘em - it just isn’t that hard when every new windows machine sold has to have it on them (oh wait, no they don’t, but you know what I’m saying). I haven’t tried Vista personally, not being a Windows guy, but that’s exactly the problem - opinions of the net and friends who’ve tried it have been at best neutral but more often negative. Instead of installing Vista on any of my secondary boxes, I simply stuck with XP.

It isn’t just Microsoft’s fault, though, just look at the experience you get buying a machine. PC vendors big and small load up your machine with trialware and generalized bloat to take up disk and slow down the machine. So there’s all those decrapifiers that come out to clean off all the stuff you didn’t want in the first place. Now in an even bigger slap in the face you have Sony charging your $50 to remove all the stuff that they put on in the first place! And to rub insult into injury they’ve named the program “Fresh Start” - really? So what am I getting otherwise when I buy a brand new computer from Sony? What kind of start is that, when I don’t give you $50 for the fresh option? Stale Start? Old Start? Even Sony couldn’t figure that one out and called the option “No Fresh Start”. Awesome.

It’s this combination of fumbles by Microsoft combined with the customer hating qualities of its vendors that combine to put the hurt on their brand. Sure there’s problems with Apple’s ultra-proprietary business model - but you have to admit that when you control the whole stack from hardware all the way through user level software, you can really focus on the end user experience. Of course Apple is certainly not averse to getting dirty most recently evidenced by their sneaking a Safari install onto windows with their “software update”. Not cool, but notice they do the deed on someone else’s front door. I certainly haven’t heard that awful old saw of “Apple is stupid for not getting rid of their hardware business and operating just like Microsoft” in a heck of a long time. What do you think? Is MS’s brand tarnished for you?

UPDATE: Found this one in Dom’s Google Share feed - it turns out that after the bloglashing it received over Fresh Start, Sony’s relented.

So, now instead of having the option to pay $50 for a nice, clean windows install you can pay $100 and have a nice clean windows install. Yay for the consumers! Keep in mind that the two models this is available for is already on their high end line where there margins are fattest. Sigh. The rest of you will have to get your own decrapfication process going. Or get a mac. :)

Mar 21st, 2008 · Comments RSS · · · · · Tags: apple · microsoft