Jan 07 Case Study: Microsoft Zune

Karen D’Silva
Let’s take a look at one example from the new Microsoft Zune campaign. Notice anything different about this ad?  It almost looks as if a teen took the image.  The image is spontaneous, slightly reckless, and captures a feeling of freedom. In fact, the image could  easily be mistaken for an  image you might  find on a myspace.com page designed by a 15 year old. Most teens (when asked) say they don’t relate to today’s marketing specifically targeting them.  The images are not real.  They don’t represent their lifestyle.

In order to market to teens, you must enter their world.  Many companies have found that the best way to win the hearts of a teen consumer is to let their product take a backseat and figure out how to cross brand these 4 things (music, fashion, sports, and technology) most important to a teen to their company. Understand how to express a teen’s passion, and you’ll have created a photograph that speaks their language.

Zune’s ad is a valiant attempt in solving one of today’s biggest marketing dilemmas, shooting teens for technology companies. Teens do not see technology as the rest of us do. They were born in the digital age and don’t see technology as any different then… the air they breathe. It’s important to remember, you can’t photograph a teen using technology as an adult would. They are completely different, and no body knows that better than the tech companies themselves.  Tomorrow’s tech advancements are now being based on the imagination of teens rather than the practical applications of business travelers.  Photographers can learn a valuable lesson from the tech companies.  Take note of what your teen is doing with their technology and apply it to the adult you are shooting.  You will be ahead of the curve.  It’s all about trickling up when it comes to technology.    

Meg Asaro
With the Zune, Microsoft is attempting to accomplish the same task it did with the X-box in the gaming industry, challenge a market leader.  First it was Sony’s Playstation, now it is the behemoth iPod. Apple has sold more than 70 million iPods since its introduction in October 2001, and the iPod now commands more than a 70% share of the U.S. market for MP3 players.   

Therefore, the Zune must capitalize on something that differentiates them from the pack: the social aspect of the player.  Unlike the iPod, the Zune can “squirt” a song, playlist or photo to a passerby via Bluetooth technology.  The recipient can either reject or accept and use 3 times in 3 days after which, the content will disintegrate.  This impermanent nature of technology is the type of relationship Microsoft hopes will attract the younger set who are prone to love the new, the different and mostly the cool.  Hence the tagline, “Welcome to the Social”.  The other in this campaign is “Beam your Beats”.  With this player, they can share songs and images with their friends, wirelessly and instantaneously.   Zune even hopes they will become little moguls, pushing their friend’s new rap song to their ever growing social network of friends.

Don’t be mistaken, teens are a tough crowd, their chatter spreads like wildfire over the net, cellphones etc.  Microsoft is well aware that they have to hit the ground running.  There is much skepticism that Microsoft can make a dent in this market.  Regardless, the goal of this ad (and their on air ads, some of which can be found on youtube.com), is to sell the “Cool Factor.”  If they can take up precious teen mindspace and penetrate a few in a group, they have a chance of taking some of that marketshare from Apple.  By using a visual style similar to what they would shoot themselves or more importantly, an aspirational fun loving moment they would love to experience, Zune has a chance of being found on their hip and in their ear, squirting songs among one of the most challenging demographics out there.

Meg Asaro & Karen D’Silva are the Principals of Spark Visual Research. For more information about the authors visit the bios for Meg Asaro, Karen D’Silva, or www.sparkvisualresearch.com. D’Silva and Asaro also publish their own newsletter for professional photographers seeking highly applicable market research presented specifically for use in conceptual planning for commercial photography productions.