By afaqs! news bureau
Digital

Microsoft experiments with mobile marketing

Mobile2win has created an SMS and WAP mobile campaign for Microsoft to promote original software

Microsoft recently launched a mobile campaign as part of its larger media campaign for the promotion of original software, Are You Ready for the Big Game?

Microsoft experiments with mobile marketing
The mobile game
The campaign was developed in association with mobile agency Mobile2win and used the SMS, WAP and video platforms. Mobile2win developed a cricket game on mobile in which players have to answer a quiz. An ad screen was placed as a pop-up screen in the game, informing people about Microsoft’s original software. An online version of the game was also created.

On the WAP site, visitors could play the game and also watch videos on the subject. The videos were sourced from CNBC-TV18 and featured experts from Quatrro, Milagrow Business & Knowledge Solutions and the Ministry of Labour and Employment. The videos could be downloaded and rated as well.

SMS was used to inform people about the WAP site and videos. The message was sent according to the profiles of the subscribers.

Microsoft experiments with mobile marketing
The WAP site
A spokesperson at Mobile2win told afaqs! that Microsoft is targeting three groups for the campaign – students, businessmen and technical professionals in companies.

The Are You Ready for the Big Game? campaign was launched in October 2007 across print, TV and out of home, and was created by McCann Erickson India. The company has a blog on which it has uploaded some videos and postings. Microsoft has also redesigned the site of its previous campaign, www.askfororiginal.com.

The mobile campaign is one of the first such campaigns that Microsoft has experimented with in India. This is part of its emerging media trials (EMT) strategy across the world where it experiments with new media such as bluecasting and interactive OOH.

The test campaign was carried out in Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Delhi and Bangalore.

Speaking to afaqs!, Vineet Durani, OSI, marketing, at Microsoft India, says, “We selected the mobile medium because the mobile population is huge in India. The learning we get from this campaign will be shared worldwide. We may incorporate mobile in the next phase of the campaign, which will begin in August.”

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