Scoble’s Link Blog

The Scobleizer comments on John Dvorak’s The Microsoft Marketing Myth article, and concludes that companies need to build great products to create word of mouth. I think that this was certainly true in the past and may be true in the very high tech sector that Robert Scoble looks at. However in the majority of retail segments building a great product alone is not enough.

There are lots of great products all with imperceptible differences in features and function. How do you choose? You gain experience by proxy from friends and family, you use word of mouth to choose the right product for you in your situation.

This is why companies need to work hard at word of mouth strategy. How can the company do things that will help, not make, people talk about their products? I am not sure that The Scobleizer has it right with advertising and viral efforts as solutions. Word of mouth is often the most effective solution in these cases.

Brand is still so important, not logos but everything that makes a brand, the company ethos, tone of voice and all the people that come together inside and outside the company to make a brand.

Hats off to Microsoft for employing The Scobleizer, the best marketing move they have made in years, he has really got people talking about Microsoft in a positive way…there is a long way to go but it is no mean feat to change perception in the way Robert has done. The people make the brand lets hear from more of them.