Marketing Communication for Microsoft Surface Pro 6

Table of Contents

  1. CAMPAIGN MESSAGE. 3
  2. SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS. 3

2.1      Digital Technology. 3

2.2      Personal Computer Market 3

2.3      PESTEL Analysis. 5

2.3.1       Political Factors. 5

2.3.2       Economic Factors. 5

2.3.3       Sociocultural Factors. 6

2.3.4       Technological Factors. 6

2.3.5       Environmental Factors. 7

2.3.6       Legal Factors. 7

2.4      Interview Summary. 7

  1. TARGET AUDIENCE. 8
  2. THE BIG IDEA.. 9

4.1      Approach. 9

4.1.1       Creating Awareness. 9

4.2      Measurement 9

4.3      Expected Outcomes. 10

  1. TIMELINE. 11
  2. BUDGET. 11

References. 12

 

 

  1. CAMPAIGN MESSAGE

Marketing Communication for Microsoft Surface Pro 6 Microsoft is a reputable technology company that designs, develops, markets, and sells a wide range of technology products such as personal computers, hardware, software, hard discs, and tablets among others. One of the outstanding products that has been designed and developed by the company is Microsoft Surface series of touchscreen- based personal computer. The product is highly demanded in the market due to its quality features and technology based. This report focuses on the Microsoft Surface Pro 6 which is one of the latest series that has interactive whiteboards and running the Microsoft windows operating system. Microsoft Surface Pro 6 is a hybrid tablet that has optional detachable keyboard accessories as well as an optional stylus pen. The product’s competitive advantage is long battery life and high speed. Marketing Communication for Microsoft Surface Pro 6

The campaign message: Microsoft Surface Pro 6 is strong and powerful function and light tablet easy to walk around with.

  1. SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS.
    • Personal Computer Market

The digital technology market is characterised by the increased use of the personal computers such as laptops and tablets. The Australian personal market is dominated by HP Inc, Dell Inc, Lenovo, Apple, Microsoft, and Acer Group among others. HP Inc leads with 27.7% market share followed by Dell Inc (18.4%) and Lenovo (16.7%) (Statistica 2019a).

Fig 1: Leading PC companies by market share in 2017

(Source Statistica 2019)

A report by IBISWorld (2019) indicated that the Australian computer industry has varied over the years and its growth opportunities are influenced by increased demand for tablets and the dynamic nature of the digital technology. However, the industry’s profit margins have declined following growing competition from online only players, volatile consumer sentiments, and weak discretionary income growth. There is a growing demand for tablets in the Australian market which are used for personal, gaming, and business purposes. The business purpose surpasses gaming and personal use as illustrated in Fig 2.  Marketing Communication for Microsoft Surface Pro 6

Fig 2: Australian tablet market revenue share by use in 2017 (%)

 

(Source IBISWorld 2019)

The Australian tablet market is dominated by Apple and Samsung. Apple had a market share of 89.8% while Samsung had a share of 8.44% of the market (Statistica, 2019) with other players such as Google, Microsoft, Lenovo, Asus, HP, and Sony Ericsson trying to compete in the market. Over 1.65 million tablets were sold in the Australian market in 2017 representing a marginal increase of 1% from 2016 (Statistica, 2019). Majority of the tablets sold (46%) were iOS followed by Windows (29%), Android (24%), and others (1%). This shows that the iOS market is very prime in Australia but Windows and Android are considerable rivals. The report by Statistica (2019) found that Android- based tablets have continued to fail in the market declining with 16% in 2017 as compared to 2016. Marketing Communication for Microsoft Surface Pro 6

Fig 3: Tablet unit sales market share in 2017

(Source Statistica, 2019)

 

  1. TARGET AUDIENCE

After the research, the target market can be set as; business professional living in Australian major cities, gaming companies, individuals interested in games (16 to 22 years), and individuals interested in using the tablet for personal uses such as education and social networking. The three market segments were developed in the study because they formed the best target market for the product based on their desires, preferences, uses, and lifestyles.

Marketing Communication for Microsoft Surface Pro 6

For instance, Jane is a young university student aged 23 years and working part time as a business consultant in Adelaide City. Jane earns around $50,000 annually, to effectively perform her duties (combining learning and business), Jane has to read notes online and conduct research online, keep a track of activities and document the services needed and offered in the market. Jane likes working out of office as she still wants to balance between work and learning as well as social life. Jane is unfamiliar with tablets as she uses his smartphone but considers if she could have a devise used for his official duties only. Jane likes learning a brand online and shopping online.

After the search, the following insight was made; People desire separating their official, personal, and social work from their smartphones but are concerned about the speed of tablets and their battery life. Therefore, they are consistently looking for a devise that could create a difference to satisfy their needs.  Therefore, this report gives such people an opportunity to separate their social, personal, and official duties from their smartphones by presenting to them a tablet that has very high speed and long battery life. Microsoft Surface Pro 6 targets working females aged between 24 and 45 years working and college students. The product targets customers with more than $50,000 annual income. The product targets females who can work from anywhere and who like working outside their workplaces.  Marketing Communication for Microsoft Surface Pro 6

  1. THE BIG IDEA

Our big idea of the campaign is: “Microsoft Surface Pro 6 is easy to go everywhere”

The product is light and easy to carry hence allowing customers to move around with it therefore, strong function people can work without the workplace conditions. Working females can walk around with the device hence they can work even outside their workplaces. Microsoft Surface Pro 6 gives consumers and opportunity to enjoy high speed and long battery life whereby consumers can enjoy 67% speed boost and 13.5 hours battery life on a single charge.

  • Approach
    • Creating Awareness

We shall create awareness in the market by using the internet and social media. Through social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and blogs the benefits of Microsoft Surface Pro 6 will be intensively communicated. Social media will be used because it can reach a wide range of customers. Social media will be used because most of the young people seek information from their friends, relatives, and social media friends before making purchasing decisions. Social media will mainly target college and university students aged between 20 and 24 years. University students especially female students are heavy users of social media and hence the tactic is the best for this market group. According to demographics in social media usage in Australia, there are about 15 million monthly active social media users and 88% of them are aged 18 and 29 years. Therefore, social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter will target female college students aged between 20 and 24 years who are heavy social media users.  Marketing Communication for Microsoft Surface Pro 6

Google Ad will be used to reinforce the idea of speed and long battery life. Google Ads was used to generate awareness by targeting specific users with special interests. Google Ads will be used to target working females aged between 30 and 45 years and inform them about the tablet. Google Ads were placed on major channels such as Sydney Morning Herald and the Australian Financial Review. More than 15.7 million Australians read newspapers online through their mobile devices (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2018). Majority of people reading newspapers online are aged between 20 and 45 years. Therefore, Google Ads have high possibility of attracting the target market reading newspapers online.Marketing Communication for Microsoft Surface Pro 6

Additionally, paid media will be used to build the brand image. As such review articles will be done on the trusted mainstream media channels such as The Age, The Australian Financial Review, and the Sydney Morning Herald. In this case, the paid media will focus on the benefits of the product as compared to smartphones and desktops and its price.Marketing Communication for Microsoft Surface Pro 6

  • Measurement
Activity Measurement
Social Media Site -Out of 14 million social media users, 2 million young Australians use social media to seek information. At a conversion rate of 0.71, 1.42 million social media users will be converted to potential buyers.

-Number of customer traffic per day

-Number of conversions

-Number of items purchased through social media referrals

-Number of likes

-Number of comments aimed at understanding the product and its functionality

Google Ad -Average conversion rate (CVR)

-Monthly readerships

-Average click- through rate (CTR)

Paid Media -Average click- through rate

-Average conversion rate

-Monthly readerships

 

  • Expected Outcomes

Following the marketing strategies employed, it is expected that the rate of brand awareness in the market will be very high. The table below gives a summary of the expected outcomes Marketing Communication for Microsoft Surface Pro 6

Marketing Activities Expected Outcomes
Social media (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and blogs) -An average of 5000 followers in each of the social media sites identified

-100,000 views in YouTube per month

-10,000 likes in Facebook monthly

-2000 comments in each of the social media site identified

-Increase brand awareness in the target market

Google Ad -Reinforce the brand awareness in the market

-1000 customers visiting the physical retail store per month

-200,000 views per month

Paid Media -More than 500,000 impressions for a period of 3 months

-Reinforce brand image and reputation in the market.

 

The expected outcomes of the approach used indicate that the brand will have a high brand awareness and strong brand reputation and image in the market within a period of three months. As a result, Microsoft Surface Pro 6 will compete stiffly with Apple’s iPad and Samsung’s Galaxy tablet which are the main rivals in the market. The main competition advantage is its high speed and long battery life and hence customers can use it even for a long period of time without any worry. Marketing Communication for Microsoft Surface Pro 6

  1. TIMELINE

The suggested approach will be implemented within three months (12 weeks) starting from December 2019 to February 2020. The activities, as indicated below will be performed effectively and within the right time periods. The first step is campaign conception and initiation which will be initiated in the first two weeks. The second step is campaign idea and planning which will be implemented in Week 3 and Week 4. This step comprises of four activities: Communicating the scope and goal of the project (Week 3), work breakdown schedule (Week 3 and 4), preparing the budget (Week 4), and risk management (Week 4). The third step is campaign launch and execution which will be implemented from Week 5 to Week 8. This stage comprises of activities such as; status and tracking the progress of the project (Week 5 and 6), Measurements (Week 7), performance forecasts (Week 7 and 8), objectives (Week 8), deliverables (Week 8 and 9), cost tracking (Week 7 -10), and performance (Week 6-10). The last step is closing (Week 9-12). The closing step comprises of; posting report (Week 10 and 11) and campaign and evaluation (Week 11 and 12).  Marketing Communication for Microsoft Surface Pro 6

  1. BUDGET

The estimated total budget for the project is $100,000 distributed across three months. The budget will cater for all the marketing and promotional activities for the product in the Australian market in order to create and increase brand awareness in the market hence stimulate buying.

Activities December ($) January ($) February ($) Total ($)
Campaign Planning
Human Resources 8,000 10,000 12,000 30,000
Tactic Implementation
Social Media 2,000 2,000 4,000
Google Ad 500 30,000 26,000 61,000
Paid Media 2,500 2,500 5,000
Total Campaign Budget 104,000

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

Akhter, S., Rahman, N. & Rahman, M. (2014). Competitive strategies in the computer industry. International Journal of Technology Diffusion, 5(1), 73-88

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2016). Social media presence. Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved from: https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Previousproducts/8166.0Main%20Features52014-15?opendocument&tabname=Summary&prodno=8166.0&issue=2014-15&num=&view=

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2018) Household internet access. Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved from: https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/8146.0

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2018). 70 years of inflation in Australia. Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved from:  https://www.abs.gov.au/websitedbs/D3310114.nsf/home/ABS+Chief+Economist+-+70+Years+of+Inflation+in+Australia

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2018). Household internet access. Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved on October 20, 2019 from: https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/8146.0

Australian Government, Institute of Family Studies. (2018). Digital technology use in the child youth and family sector. Australian Government, Institute of Family Studies. Retrieved on October 20, 2019 from: https://aifs.gov.au/cfca/publications/digital-technology-use-child-youth-and-family-sector

Campbell, S. & Withers, H. (2017). Australian productivity trends and the effect of structural change. Canberra: Roundup Paper, Australian Treasury

IBISWorld. (2019). Computer and software retailing: Australia market research report. IBISWorld. Retrieved on October 20, 2019 from: https://www.ibisworld.com.au/industry-trends/market-research-reports/retail-trade/other-store-based-retailing/computer-software-retailing.html

Markman, G. & Phan, P. (2011). The competitive dynamics of entrepreneurial market entry. London: Sage

Statistica. (2019). Market share of leading traditional PC companies in Australia in 2017. Statistica. Retrieved on October 20, 2019 from: https://www.statista.com/statistics/757924/australia-market-share-leading-traditional-pc-companies/

Statistica. (2019). Market share of tablet vendors in Australia from April 2017 to 2019. Statistica. Retrieved on October 20, 2019 from: https://www.statista.com/statistics/861596/australia-tablet-vendors-market-share/