View all newsletters
Receive our newsletter - data, insights and analysis delivered to you
  1. Technology
March 16, 2006

New $500m sales pitch from Microsoft

It's not just about software, it's about software and the people who use it. That's the elevator pitch for Microsoft Corp's new $500m marketing push, which the company is calling "People-Ready".

By CBR Staff Writer

Microsoft’s calling it a vision. People-Ready is essentially an umbrella position statement for Microsoft’s business segment, which will be used to drive sales over the company’s busy next 12 months of software releases.

Businesses are based on people. Software is a tool that can empower those people. I think Microsoft software is fairly unique in the way that it can do that, Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer said at a conference in New York.

There are four core principles behind the campaign, he said. Each plays into Microsoft’s strengths as the world’s dominant software developer, and none are especially surprising.

The first is familiarity. Most people are accustomed to using Microsoft’s software. The second is broad use and support, another area Microsoft can rightly claim to be strong. Third is ease of integration, to both Microsoft and third-party software.

In this era of the web and web services, and new technologies, there’s many more opportunities to integrate and connect with systems from our partners, our competitors, and many, many others, Ballmer said.

The fourth is innovation, a loaded term if ever there was one, and a tricky concept to define simply. Ballmer chose instead to give examples in the form of current and forthcoming Microsoft products.

The company is pushing People-Ready as the theme for the forthcoming 2007 versions of Office and Sharepoint, with the integrated search capabilities of Vista and Sharepoint.

Content from our partners
How businesses can safeguard themselves on the cyber frontline
How hackers’ tactics are evolving in an increasingly complex landscape
Green for go: Transforming trade in the UK

It is also talking up mobility, with vice president Chris Capossela demonstrating the new voice-control and unified messaging features that will come with the next version of Exchange .

Microsoft is also using the People-Ready marketecture to cover new product areas where it is less well-known, such as customer relationship management and business intelligence.

Websites in our network
Select and enter your corporate email address Tech Monitor's research, insight and analysis examines the frontiers of digital transformation to help tech leaders navigate the future. Our Changelog newsletter delivers our best work to your inbox every week.
  • CIO
  • CTO
  • CISO
  • CSO
  • CFO
  • CDO
  • CEO
  • Architect Founder
  • MD
  • Director
  • Manager
  • Other
Visit our privacy policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.
THANK YOU