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An article in the New York Times by Steve Lohr refers to a poll that suggests that fewer people trust Microsoft today than they did a year ago. While not necessarily a surprising statistic to most Mac users (according to the article, Microsoft uses a different polling method to find that there is no erosion in consumer confidence in the company, also not surprising), the article does yield some other information about Apple and its customers. According to the article:
Yet marketing experts say Microsoft should be watchful for any hint of declining support for the company in general, as suggested by the recent Times/CBS poll. Susan Fournier, an associate professor at the Harvard Business School, says Microsoft could be particularly vulnerable because of the relationship that consumers tend to have with the software maker.
Ms. Fournier applies "relationship theory" to consumer-brand research. Based on surveys of adults, she has characterized the primary relationship consumers have with products they are familiar with. For example, Harley-Davidson, the motorcycle brand with a fanatic following, is "best friend." The "mother-child" relationship tends to be how consumers regard Johnson & Johnson and AT&T, while McDonald's and Kraft Foods' Jello dessert brand fall into the category of "childhood buddy."
The Microsoft relationship, according to Ms. Fournier, is "master-slave."
Two other kinds of brands, she says, fit into the master-slave grouping: monopolies like the local cable television supplier or the local telephone company, and products that are addictive like cigarettes.
Americans, Ms. Fournier points out, have double-edged feelings about technology in general -- that it both frees and enslaves, saves time and consumes time, assimilates and isolates. Still, she notes that some Microsoft rivals like Apple Computer Inc. evoke more "positive socio-emotional responses" from consumers. Apple, her research suggests, is seen as a "close friend."
Ms. Fournier warns that if genuine alternatives to Microsoft products develop -- say, the Linux operating system for Internet server computers or a newly resurgent Apple in the consumer market -- the slaves may quickly side with the competition. "Microsoft should see this as a huge red flag," she said.
As with all such articles, we recommend that you read it for yourself. There is lots more information than we are covering in this story. A free account is required to read the article (which you will be directed to by going to the story). Thanks to Observer Stefano Pagiola for pointing us to this article!
The Mac Observer Spin: The Mac Observer has long advocated the concept that most PC users are mindless drones (with obvious exceptions), but it is very interesting to see the drones recognize this themselves. There are so many aspects of being a Microsoft customer that in our opinion are leading to this erosion of confidence in the company.
For instance, people may be getting tired of buggy releases, the unapologetic attitude from the company in reference to that buggyness, the fact that the company charges for some of the bug fixes, their pricing policies in general, especially in regards to their Enterprise pricing, their tech support policies, the performance of the software, the rate at which Windows has to be reinstalled to fix various problems, etc.
In any event, maybe the mindless masses are developing a mind. If so, woe be to Microsoft.
New York Times Article
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