Zune vs. iPod: New ad campaign makes it personal
One year after introducing its Zune music player with the slogan “Welcome to the social,” Microsoft is going to Plan B.
The emphasis on the Zune’s primary advantage over Apple’s iPod – its ability to “squirt” songs to another nearby Zune wirelessly – turned out to be a poor sales strategy for a new product trying to break into an established market. That the songs expired shortly afterward didn’t help, either.
Microsoft built an ad campaign on a function most Zune owners rarely were able to use. It’s hard to be “social” when you’re the only one at the party.
While Microsoft has publicly stated it’s pleased with Zune sales, the product nevertheless sits in fourth place with less than 3 percent of the total MP3 player market It trails Sandisk, which has 10 percent of the market and Creative Labs at 4 percent. The iPod, of course, dominates with over 70 percent.
So on the cusp of the arrival of the new Zune models on Nov. 13 as well as the crucial holiday buying season, Microsoft has decided to bag the old campaign for a fresh one from a different ad agency, according to an Advertising Age article published yesterday.
The new campaign is more than a fresh approach; it essentially inverts the message of the original. From the AdAge piece: “Zune is dropping its original strategy, which painted the iPod as an isolating device and Zune as more social because its tunes can be shared among users. Now the campaign is centered on the individual and tagged ‘You make it you.’ ”
Hmmmm ... probably not a contender for next year’s Clio Awards. It may be worse than “Welcome to the social.” And then there was Vista’s underwhelming but costly “The Wow starts now” campaign. You’d think Microsoft would use its bloated bank account to hire better talent.
Microsoft’s only chance at taking significant market share from the iPod is to promote features of the Zune that are different or better. At least the first campaign tried something along those lines, no matter that it was ill conceived.
But a campaign to convince people the Zune is more personal than an iPod? In what way? In both cases, the user personally chooses every song and video he or she loads on the device. There’s no difference. The campaign makes absolutely no sense.
The Zune is a decent product, but it doesn’t particularly stand out in the crowd of portable media players. As the underdog in this category, Microsoft needs to show consumers why they should buy a Zune over not just an iPod, but over any music player.
The “it’s good enough” strategy only works when you have a monopoly.
Finally, I’d like to point out one more priceless tidbit in the AdAge article. Mike Harris, partner-strategy for T.A.G., the ad agency responsible for the new campaign, derided the iPod as “a superficial status symbol” as he praised the Zune as more personal.
Thus, the objective of Microsoft’s new campaign is to get the ignorant hordes to realize that since they bought an iPod only to impress their friends the only thing to do is to toss their Nanos sheepishly into a trash bin before rushing out to buy a Zune.
Good luck with that.
in Taunting Microsoft, iPod
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Comments
More important than the slogan is the redesigned product. With low cost flash based product this year I would imagine Microsoft will fare much better. It is here in the low cost offerings where Microsoft has the advantage over iPod. Lets hope they make the public aware of these advantages. The new campaign does nothing to help in this regard.
Posted by: bob e | November 6, 2007 10:31 AM
I respectfully disagree with your comment, "Microsoft’s only chance at taking significant market share from the iPod is to promote features of the Zune that are different or better."
One of the first things you learn in advertising is that you should "Sell the sizzle, not the steak." Your comment focuses on the steak.
For the Zune to take "significant market share" they have to establish an "emotional link" to the product so consumers feel they must have a Zune to be "cool" to themselves and in the minds of others.
When the iPod came out it was (and remains) higher priced and had fewer features than other MP3 players. However, Apple's advertising was able to create an emotional link to the iPod. So far, nobody else has been able to do this with an MP3 player.
Posted by: Don | November 6, 2007 12:42 PM
Biased article? Yes.
little truth + obvious biases = this article
The Zune isn't breaking records, but it is breaking into the marketplace and people's pockets.
And the Zune is far less "ill conceived" than this very webpage, would makes me paste the letter it wants me to type into Microsoft Word to tell whether it is an "I" or and "l"
That is an upper case i or a lower case l.
Posted by: Jimi | November 6, 2007 12:44 PM
Zune is already dead already because MS is on a 13 year losing streak with consumers and will continue on that same loser streak. Xbox? Bwhhaha - $21 BILLION spent to make $6 BILLION - shareholders should wonder why that money isn't in their pockets. It took MS about 400 days to sell 1 million Zune. Apple sells 1 million iPods in about 9 days ... you can chart that out ... the Zune will NEVER catch up to the iPod, the Zune can't even catch Creative or SanDisk ... Zune is dead.
Posted by: jbelkin | November 6, 2007 6:08 PM
How many days did it take the iPod to sell a million though from day one on?
Like 500 days? SO THE ZUNE IS BEATING THE IPOD! Infact, the Zune isn't even available in most places, and is enterting a market already dominated by apple, so the zune beating the ipod to a million sold shows how much BETTER it is. The iPod might be selling well now, but then it cam out it sold worse than the zune is now.
Posted by: Truth | November 6, 2007 6:46 PM
Money may technically have been lost so far in the Xbox division, but I am a person who has played the original Xbox and the Xbox 360 and now I am a fan of Microsoft. I will buy Microsoft's products over the competitors whenever possible. I know not enough people feel the same way as me to do much... but who knows? If it weren't for the Xbox I wouldn't give Microsoft's other products a chance.
Posted by: John | November 6, 2007 6:49 PM
Yo Truth, good one. Best laugh I had all day.
You do realize that when the iPod first came out it was Mac only right?
I'm still chuckling!
Thanks.
Posted by: SteveM | November 6, 2007 7:37 PM
Zune seems to be selling now that you can find it, in some places, for $99. They should try this slogan:
Zune: Because you can't afford an iPod.
Posted by: Drew | November 7, 2007 3:57 AM
I agree with this statement from the end of your article: "Thus, the objective of Microsoft’s new campaign is to get the ignorant hordes to realize that since they bought an iPod only to impress their friends the only thing to do is to toss their Nanos sheepishly into a trash bin before rushing out to buy a Zune." While I don't know that the campaign will be successful, I do know that that is exactly why I don't want an iPod. They're inferior as a device, and their only actual advantage is the "cool" factor. Well, I graduated high school 10 years ago. I don't care about being cool to a bunch of kids. And that's where iPod is starting to dangerously go. I have a complete problem seeing it as anything other than a device that kids around me have. Anyone older makes a decision based on the device, and in that realm, only ignorance leads you to an iPod.
Posted by: Gina | November 7, 2007 6:31 PM
At John: I see what you are saying. The iPod is great, but the Mac is so FREAKIN CRAPPY that no one would buy an iPod... one Apple product is good while the other is a piece of shit. I think both are pieces of shit, but at least we agree the Mac is.
Posted by: Truth | November 8, 2007 12:25 AM
The Zune is a great piece of hardware, and the software for it is even better. The iPod is old news, and will surely decline. Apple is just ruining their image with the iPod, which is associated with the ditzy and unprofessional.
Posted by: Ron | November 10, 2007 11:42 AM
So funny reading the viciousness of the attacks from MS/Win cultists on everything Apple...
They speak volumes.
Those of us released from the pain of using Microsoft products and enjoying Macs and iPods will laugh all the more when MS closes down the Zune-experiment-in-bad-taste next year.
Posted by: Jon T | November 13, 2007 11:44 AM
It's funny that Truth reads an Apple blog, yet hates the products so much. Looks like he's on of those who hates because he can't have.
Posted by: kevin | November 20, 2007 2:35 PM
Zune is not definitely going to take the second place. Microsoft will be happy with that. I think Zune 3.0 should be much better than 2.0
Posted by: ram | December 3, 2007 11:15 PM
Who cares? The Zune sucks. I used it twice and it goes in this 1 to 2 minute freeze. I've heard a couple of people say they don't want an iPod because it's "superficial" or "everyone has one." LOL that's because iPod are great! Who cares if everyone has one? We are talking about competing mini stereos that hold more than 10,000 songs...THE MUSIC IS THE SAME! It's wack, there's no hope, get an iPod. Anybody that thinks the Zune will catch up too even Sandisk or Creative needs to rethink their lives.
Posted by: Theo | October 2, 2008 11:54 AM