Full Disclosure
So this is a bit outside of normal for me. If you’ve taken the time to read the about section of the site you’ll know I’m a Product Manager at Microsoft in the CE group. Given that, I try and stay about as far away from Microsoft topics as I can in a sort of separation of church and state sort of concept. It’s just usually bad news to cross your personal blogging efforts with your company. 

That being said, I try and be somewhat relevant to what is going on in the world, and well Windows 7 on October 22nd 2009 will be one of the biggest stories of the day. So here’s my take which is not in any way representative or endorsed by Microsoft. This is only my own personal view as a user of the product, a consumer, and someone who loved the new advertisements.

A New Breed of Advertising

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Windows 7 arrives amid a mix of the A-Team, a little girl, ponies, kittens, and awesomeness. Commercials dedicated to the fun, often random, whimsical desires of a diverse group of customers; who use their machines in any way but what is predictable. Finally the marketing for this product has caught up with the internet age; where people watch dogs on skateboards via YouTube or unfortunate pictures of failure at failblog and peopleofwalmart.

A Product That Fits
I’ve been using Windows 7 since it came out in beta and have loved every minute of it. One of my earliest memories of a Windows 7 “WOW!” moment came when I had a fellow Product Manager who wanted to get a second screen working with his Lenovo laptop so he could keep an eye on March Madness (NCAA Basketball) while he continued to work on his other screen.

Here’s how the scene played out (almost commercial like in its ability to pitch a product feature):

PM 1: He guys do you know anything about ATI drivers? I really need to figure out how to get this second monitor working, I’m missing the Michigan game.
PM2:Oh you actually don’t want to go to ATI’s website its more of a Lenovo issue you should head to their website, and look through the available drivers for that device.
Me:Or you could just click the Windows Update button, the Windows team understood how bad of an experience it could be to have to jump around all over the internet, and worked with their partners to get the drivers delivered via a Microsoft download.
PM2: Oh yeah…….
PM1: Let me try that.
<90 seconds pass> and PM 1 comes rushing back to my office.
PM1: It’s working and I can watch the game now. That was great.

The best thing I can say about the product is it works around your life. There are lots of features designed to make the places you were already going to that much easier to reach. That’s why I love the random and totally bizarre commercials with a little 5 year old rocking out on her PC, because that’s honestly how the product feels to me. 

Conclusion
As for the marketing, I love the little girl she humanizes this giant product, sells the right message (it really is that easy), and looks like she’s having a ton of fun doing it. Then you throw in some A-Team song and I’m all about it. Sure the ad is random but so are consumers, and that’s who needs to cuddle up with Windows 7.

Only concern I have with the advertising is I’d like to see more features outlined. That has been one of the showcases of the iPhone commercials which have been so successful. They show you how to use the product in a 30 second spot every time, and it’s something Microsoft should also be doing.

Out of last week’s discussion centered on Sony’s battery issues and the impact it could have on branding and customer relationships came a very interesting question from Mike a frequent commenter:

“In your opinion, do you feel these quality issues have anything to do with globalization of the workforce?”

My Take
Globalization and outsourcing absolutely has an impact on performance and reliability of a product. That’s not to say that a product cannot be a quality product when you introduce these factors just that the potential for issues goes up dramatically.

Some risks that globalization and outsourcing bring in:

Disparate systems: And I’m not just talking metric to the standard system conversion. We’re talking the back-end systems that each branch is utilizing, different production methods, quality control etc.

Methodologies: I’ve done enough training in my life to see the difficulty in introducing new methodologies to groups that haven’t been properly introduced to it (bought in). They may nod their heads, and get the right answers in the classroom environment but once back on the job all knowledge gleaned is quickly discarded. Different management styles also create additional barriers to change as well.

Cultural differences and values: This might just be the biggest issue that you’ll face. In the book Outliers Malcolm Gladwell shows how cultural differences increase the expectancy of an airplane crash exponentially, this is a lesson for any industry. How people treat authority, view their own autonomy, think critically, and address issues; are all directly impacted by their society and its social norms.

Specialization: Compartmentalization is not without risks, it breeds an environment where very few people have a clear view of the entire process. On top of that people who work on the smallest widget may not have a clear idea of how it will be implemented into the final good. This robs the entire system of the ability to leverage the human capital of those working throughout the entire chain of supply.

Distance and Logistics: The more barriers you put between a manager and their subordinants the worse the impact on the product. Management is all about communication and visibility into the work flow. No matter how good of a manager you are, without seeing the conditions of the plants and staying on top of those you delegate work to will cause an impact on the finished good.

Incentives: While the end goal may be to produce XYZ product outsourcing production leads to a variety of different goals and incentives for each player. All it takes is one link in the chain to prioritize a different way than the customer company is expecting and problems could result.

Conclusion
Go in with open eyes outsourcing is a risk to your brand. Anything from quality of materials, to working conditions, or even illegal activities from your partners can become a black mark against your brand. The reality is most companies that manufacture goods don’t have an option but to outsource, but through rigorous planning and management of your product as it flows through all stages of production will minimize the damage that could be done.