Microsoft: Give Vista a chance

Any implications that Microsoft is flogging a dead horse in Vista are being vehemently denied as the vendor launches a campaign to reclaim the kind of momentum that was anticipated at the time of Vista’s release. IDC predicts a figure of 90 million sales worldwide for 2007 and a further 150 million sales by the end of 2008.

“We’re looking to build the active preference for Vista with the channel,” said Geoff Putt, Windows Business Group director, Microsoft. “We’ve had a bit of negative press and the channel is struggling to handle some of the objections they are receiving from customers.”

The aim is to educate users and refute any negative sentiment towards Vista, which has plagued the company since its release. Microsoft's ‘Get The Facts’ intiative for the channel will comprise of a website with tips on how to handle consumer objections as well as point-of-sale materials for resellers.

“We really want to start making people aware of the benefits of Vista, in an educational and consultative way, and then provide the channel sectors and channel programs for them [resellers] to capitalise on that,” said Putt.

To this end, Microsoft has adopted a new marketing tactic and refined its message, identifying only two features that set Vista apart from XP - online safety improvements in the form of advanced parental controls and digital photography applications that allow users to perform actions such as blogging photos and creating panoramic images.

“We want to help the channel and consumers understand some of the benefits of Vista and validate the people that already own it, while helping those who are thinking of getting it uncover some of the things that might be useful to them,” said Putt. “We’re keeping the message simple rather than bombarding people with a bunch of reasons to buy Vista.”

Admitting that Vista has been tarnished by negativity, Putt claimed that user account control and compatibility issues have been addressed and the vendor was now looking to retrace its steps and "reintroduce people to Microsoft Vista".