The document discusses Microsoft's strategy for leveraging social media to engage brand enthusiasts in the launch of Windows 7. Key points: - Microsoft established a dedicated social media team to develop and execute the strategy. - The team identified and organized brand enthusiasts to support the launch. They rewarded enthusiasts' participation and provided tools to drive word-of-mouth. - The social media-driven approach exceeded impressions goals by 140% and increased purchase consideration after the launch. Windows 7 reached 4% market share in one month.

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Best Practice Guidebook
Capitalizing on Social Media to Drive an Effective Product Launch
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Firm: Microsoft Corporation
Industry: Technology Products and Solutions
Headquarters: Redmond, Washington, United States
Geographic Footprint: Global
Ownership: Public
Revenue (2009): $58.4 billion USD
Problem: Business Results:
Microsoft seeks to build long-term relationships with brand enthusiasts Social media-driven impressions surpassed goal by 140%
and engage them in the new product launch process. 7-point increase in purchase consideration after the launch
Solution: Reached 4% market share in one month (previous OS version took
seven months)
Microsoft leverages social media to engage brand enthusiasts who will
support the launch of Windows 7. Microsoft’s strategy includes: Resources Required:
Identifying and organizing brand enthusiasts Dedicated social media team to drive strategic focus
Rewarding brand enthusiasts’ active participation Monitoring agencies to track and analyze online conversations
Monitoring online conversations for opportunities to engage and
amplify peer-to-peer recommendations Applicability of Best Practice to Executive Functions:
Providing brand enthusiasts with tools to drive word-of-mouth Function Applicability
Marketing
Market Research
Note: Windows and the Windows flag logo are trademarks of the
The contents of these pages are copyright © 2010 Frost & Sullivan. All rights reserved. Microsoft group of companies.

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The Windows marketing team evaluates key trade-offs to guide its social media engagement process
Windows 7 Social Media Engagement Process
Establish Social Identify Brand Engage Brand Build Tailored Monitor Equip Brand
Media Team Enthusiasts Enthusiasts Presence Online Sentiment Enthusiasts
Trade-off Trade-off Trade-off Trade-off Trade-off Trade-off
Should we create a Should we focus Should we incentivize Should we jump in Should we Should we arm
dedicated team or on mainstream enthusiasts’ to every channel or disregard negative enthusiasts with tools
can we manage with customers or participation or gradually build our conversations or to spread the word
current resources? passionate Windows rely on voluntary presence where look at them as or leave them to
users? engagement? enthusiasts are opportunities? their own devices?
prevalent?
Decision Decision Decision Decision Decision Decision
A dedicated social A narrow focus on a Targeted engagement Building a social media Monitoring the Providing enthusiasts
media team ensures the select group of brand tactics strengthen presence where sentiment of with simple tools to
necessary resources enthusiasts allows existing relationships, brand enthusiast conversations for promote and share
are in place to Marketing to engage create new bonds, and conversations are positive and negative information with their
capitalize on the long- individuals with greater ensure enthusiasts feel taking place ensures themes weekly enables peers encourages
term opportunities potential to influence valued by the Windows the team’s engagement the marketing team to trial and customer
presented by social others’ decisions. team. activities can have the adjust its tactics leading consideration of the
media. most impact. up to the launch. product leading up to
the launch.
The contents of these pages are copyright © 2010 Frost & Sullivan. All rights reserved. Source: Microsoft Corporation; Growth Team Membership™ research.

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key takeaway: Establish a full-time social media team to manage strategy and engage brand enthusiasts
The Windows marketing unit establishes a dedicated team to ensure a long-term commitment to engagement through social media
Windows Social Media Team
Social Media Strategy Lead
Focus: Windows Social Media Strategy
Responsibilities:
Lead development of the social media strategy
Maintain accountability for program success
Manage the social media team and resources required for specific campaigns
Monitor emerging opportunities in social media
Community Manager Social Media Program Manager Social Media Campaign Lead
Focus: Windows-Supported Online Communities Focus: External Online Communities Focus: Specific Windows Social Media Campaigns
Responsibilities: Responsibilities: Responsibilities:
Attract individuals to Windows-supported Engage users of Windows-related social media sites Manage each social media campaign
communities and communities Ensure integrated messages across all social media
Screen potential candidates for invite-only online Grow the number of individuals in each social media channels
communities channel/community Measure the return on investment for the campaign
Interact with community members to ensure high Measure the return on investment of engaging in
engagement with Microsoft and its products external social media channels
why invest in a dedicated social media team? how can we locate brand enthusiasts?
Key reasons for a dedicated social media team include: Brand enthusiasts can be located through a variety of means, including:
The rapid and ongoing increase in social media usage among consumers, Browsing category-related discussion forums and communities
customers, and prospects Using free and paid listening tools to scan social media channels for key
The ever-increasing number of social media engagement tools available for words and brand-related conversations
executives to leverage Establishing a brand enthusiast program and inviting current customers
The vast amount of monitoring services available that need to be understood
For additional resources
and managed CLICK HERE
The contents of these pages are copyright © 2010 Frost & Sullivan. All rights reserved. Source: Microsoft Corporation; Growth Team Membership™ research.

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key takeaway: Identify and organize select brand enthusiasts
The Social Media Program Manager screens A panel of internal and external stakeholders nominates and
brand enthusiasts for the Windows Clubhouse screens candidates for the Most Valuable Professional award
Windows Clubhouse Most Valuable Professional (MVP) Award
The Clubhouse is a Microsoft-owned online community that connects The annual MVP award recognizes members of Microsoft’s technical
passionate Windows users from around the world. Members have access communities, such as blogs and forums, that have actively contributed to
to the latest Windows-related news and can share their stories, tips, and discussions and provided support to customers. Microsoft does not pay
experiences with each other. these individuals.
Windows Clubhouse Application MVP Identification Process
Join the Clubhouse Community!
Screening Criteria
Please indicate your age:
Under 18 18–35 36+
Knowledgeable
How many Microsoft products do you use? and Passionate
1–3 4–6 7 or more Individuals must be Quality of Posts
knowledgeable and Identifies the most
How well does the following statement describe your
experience with Microsoft products?
passionate about knowledgeable participants
the category and
I have had a positive experience with Microsoft and its Microsoft products.
products Quantity of Posts
Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Ensures recognition of the
Strongly Disagree most productive individuals
What are your favorite online activities? Level of Impact
I participate in online communities Active and
Screens for participants
Frequently Occasionally Rarely Influential
with proven results
I participate in forum discussions Individuals must
be active in online
Frequently Occasionally Rarely The screening process is
category-related
conducted by a panel that
Why do you want to be a part of the Clubhouse discussions and
community? includes members of the
have a track record
MVP team and Microsoft
I want to demonstrate my own expertise of adding value to
product groups. Each
Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree conversations.
nominee’s contributions are
Strongly Disagree evaluated for the past 12
months (including those of
To see the full version 4,000 MVPs active MVPs); all receive the
CLICK HERE same level of scrutiny.
The contents of these pages are copyright © 2010 Frost & Sullivan. All rights reserved. Source: Microsoft Corporation; Growth Team Membership™ research.

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key takeaway: Reward and continuously engage brand enthusiasts
The Social Media Team engages brand enthusiasts through a variety of member-only tactics
Select Brand Enthusiast Engagement Tactics
Community-Powered Content
The engagement tactics directly involve
enthusiasts in content generation and Windows Clubhouse members vote for the syndication of
product enhancements… preferred posts on Windows.com, which bestows recognition
and increases readership for the best contributors. …create networking opportunities
for brand enthusiasts…
Beta Testing Tips and Tricks
MVPs receive access to beta-stage innovations and product Membership in the Windows Clubhouse and MVP program
enhancements to provide early-stage feedback and ideas for gives enthusiasts access to Windows-related tips and tricks,
potential product enhancements prior to a wide-scale launch. enabling individuals to share insights with fellow enthusiasts.
Achievement Badges Direct Networking
MVPs receive virtual badges, which they can place on their As members are pre-screened to be networkers, the
own web sites and blogs to highlight their expertise and Windows Clubhouse enables members to connect directly
showcase Microsoft’s recognition of their contributions. with influential, highly connected consumers in the category.
Global Summit Invitations Breaking News
MVPs are invited to an annual summit, where they access to Because of their propensity to share information with others,
exclusive technical content, participate in direct feedback the Social Media Team ensures Clubhouse and MVP members
sessions, and meet with Microsoft executives, product teams, receive information about the latest Microsoft and Windows
and other MVPs from around the world. features, products, and services ahead of the general public.
…and ensure brand enthusiasts Code of Conduct
are recognized for their efforts and Clear guidelines for Windows Clubhouse and MVP members …strengthen the bonds between
made to feel valued by Microsoft. ensure rules of engagement are followed when sharing content enthusiasts and the Windows team…
or otherwise interacting with other brand enthusiasts online.
The contents of these pages are copyright © 2010 Frost & Sullivan. All rights reserved. Source: Microsoft Corporation; Growth Team Membership™ research.

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key takeaway: Identify where and how to engage brand enthusiasts online
The Social Media Team selectively builds its presence in external channels where brand enthusiasts are most active
Pre-Entry Considerations Case-in-Point: Microsoft Builds Presence on Facebook
Look Before you Leap Scanning the Social Media Landscape
Rather than immediately creating a company presence on each new social
media channel, the Social Media Team scans the online landscape for
Windows profiles already established by brand enthusiasts. The Social Media Team identifies and monitors
groups on Facebook where Windows-related
conversations are taking place and determines
Engage with Prominent Brand Enthusiasts how they can add value…
When applicable, the team partners with brand advocates who have already
developed a Windows following on specific social media channels (e.g.,
partnering in the daily management of the Windows Facebook account).
Listen before Engaging in Conversations
Prior to engaging in the channel, the team listens to the type of
conversations taking place (e.g. positive or negative) to brainstorm the most Engaging with Brand Enthusiasts
appropriate content and style of interaction for each channel.
…and then approaches highly engaged enthusiasts
Post-Entry Considerations who manage a specific Windows-related group
with high levels of activity, offering to partner in
the group’s management…
Don’t Broadcast; Add Value
Recognizing that social media is not just another broadcast tool, the team
initially focuses on adding value to current discussions and responding to
member questions and feedback.
Contribute Fresh Content and Participate Frequently Building Trust with Brand Enthusiasts
Providing community members with fresh, frequent, and relevant content
ensures ongoing engagement and increases the likelihood that members will
recommend the brand’s presence on the channel to their peers.
…eventually leading to the original
administrators asking the Windows
social media team to take over the
Don’t Filter Content group’s daily management.
Other than spam or offensive material, all content and comments remain
on the specific channel, whether they are favorable to the brand or not, and
responses are made when necessary.
The contents of these pages are copyright © 2010 Frost & Sullivan. All rights reserved. Source: Microsoft Corporation; Growth Team Membership™ research.

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key takeaway: Harness the power of positive sentiment leading up to product launch
Frequent monitoring of online conversations allows the …and aggregate online conversations (positive and negative)
team to quickly adjust messaging and engagement tactics… once positive sentiment reaches a critical mass
Twitter Weekly Listening Report
Illustrative Windows Social Media Hub
The Windows Social Media Hub is a web site based on Microsoft
Twitter—Weekly Report: Week 1 August 2009 technology that aggregates Windows 7-related conversations from
across the internet. To ensure content is appropriate and relevant to
Key Statistics Weekly Sentiment Windows 7, the Social Media Team moderates the Hub.
Outreach: Fan Engagement: Monitor the shift in
Monitor whether Monitor indicators sentiment over time for
outreach increased, to track enthusiast opportunities to amplify
Windows Social Media Hub
decreased or remained engagement (e.g., enthusiast conversations.
constant. click-throughs). To see the full version
Weekly Insights CLICK HERE
Weekly Goal Summarize positive and
negative trends identified
Track progress in increasing the number of
from weekly engagement
followers for the Windows Twitter account.
activities.
Sample Member Posts Next Steps and
Provide examples (positive and negative) of brand Recommendations
enthusiast activity. Prescribe the tactical
changes to be made to
engagement activities.
Twitter Facebook Video Sites Clubhouse Blogs/Forums
Regular listening reports allow the social media team to: The Social Media Hub feeds conversations and
Build on positive themes such as adjusting television creative comments directly to sites such as Windows.com and
rotation to emphasize spots with greater resonance the Windows Clubhouse, further increasing the reach
Address negative trends in conversations by responding via of brand enthusiast discussions. Positive themes are
posts to the Windows Team Blog also incorporated into banner ads occasionally.
The contents of these pages are copyright © 2010 Frost & Sullivan. All rights reserved. Source: Microsoft Corporation; Growth Team Membership™ research.

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key takeaway: Empower brand enthusiasts to evangelize the product via their peer networks
The Social Media Team develops a toolkit to facilitate enthusiast conversations and drive word-of-mouth about Windows 7
Windows 7 Toolkit
Blog Badges
Windows 7
Badges that enthusiasts can place on their
web sites help spread awareness of the
upcoming launch.
The electronic toolkits are easy to share
and provide brand enthusiasts with a variety
of tools to encourage trial and consideration
of Windows 7.
Countdown Clocks YOU’RE Invitation Scripts
Online countdown clocks, which highlight Sample invitation scripts make it easy for
the launch date and a “tip of the day,” help enthusiasts to create online or offline events
INVITED
build excitement for the launch. and attract attendees.
Video Clips Product Demos
Windows 7 videos make it easy for Demo versions of Windows 7 enables
enthusiasts to share relevant information enthusiasts to showcase key features of the
within their networks. new product to their peers.
the offline element: live events
The Windows team expands its outreach to category enthusiasts by sponsoring a variety of live events leading up to the launch. Specifically, the team
leverages Meetup.com (http://www.meetup.com), an online platform that helps individuals organize face-to-face gatherings around similar interests, and
provides the toolkits to people that have set up such meetings to discuss Windows 7.
The contents of these pages are copyright © 2010 Frost & Sullivan. All rights reserved. Source: Microsoft Corporation; Growth Team Membership™ research.

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Business Results
Microsoft’s use of social media to engage brand enthusiasts for the Windows 7 launch process drives a variety of positive results
Awareness Purchase Intent Purchase Decision
Social Media Driven Impressions Purchase Consideration Market Share
“Very or extremely interested in Time to Reach 4%
learning more about Windows 7”
Windows 7
140%
7-point increase
Market
Share 4% Vista
1 7
Goal Actual Launch Week 2 Months
The Windows 7 launch generated
more than 200 million brand Over 100 million Windows 7
impressions in the first two licenses were sold in the first
weeks with an estimated cost per six months, making it the fastest
thousand (CPM) of $0.02. selling operating system in history.
Facebook Fans Live Event Feedback Likelihood to Purchase within 6 Months
200K
5–10%
100K
Windows surveyed
visitors to the Social
Media Hub and other
Windows-related
Launch Week 2 Typical End Visitor to web sites to track
Action (e.g., the Social customers’ likelihood
clicking a link Media Hub to purchase Windows
Windows 7 trended as high on Windows. 7 post-visit.
as 3rd on Twitter and was the 68% of attendees said they com)
number-one sponsored channel on were “More Likely” to consider
YouTube for several days. Windows 7 as a result of the event.
The contents of these pages are copyright © 2010 Frost & Sullivan. All rights reserved. Source: Microsoft Corporation; Growth Team Membership™ research.

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Key Lessons Learned
Profiled Company Perspective
Before you dive in to social media, it is important to determine what type of relationship you want to have with your
customers and prospects online: responding to customer queries, engaging with brand enthusiasts, etc. This decision
requires you to ascertain what type of corporate culture you have and how prepared you are for the new-in-kind
challenges around transparency and in-the-moment responses that come with social media.
The key to employing social media effectively, irrespective of the objective, is having a clear strategy and viewing it as
a long-term investment. Social media necessitates contributing to ongoing conversations with customers, rather than
generating buzz for a specific campaign. These contributions require creating internal capabilities and capacity.
The social media landscape is expanding and changing at a rapid pace. If you don’t have the dedicated resources,
especially a team, in place to track and capitalize on those changes, it is very likely you will miss out on valuable
opportunities to drive engagement and sales.
As you begin your social media journey, it is important not to jump into any channel, even those that seem obvious
choices such as Facebook or Twitter. Companies have to be selective: identify where your customers are interacting
and where brand- and category- related conversations are taking place. Then monitor these conversations so you can
determine how you can add value to them.
When building up to a product launch, listening to online conversations is crucial, but it is imperative that the sentiment
of these conversations is tracked and analyzed. Gaining visibility into the level of positive (or negative) conversations
enables Marketing to adjust its tactics accordingly—share the positive comments through other channels (including
your corporate web site) and tackling negative conversations and comments that are based on misconceptions to
prevent them gaining momentum. For the latter, the PR department is a great resource for Marketing.
The contents of these pages are copyright © 2010 Frost & Sullivan. All rights reserved. Source: Microsoft Corporation; Growth Team Membership™ research.

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GO BACK
Supporting Tools & Resources
Sample List of Available Resources to Locate Brand Enthusiasts and Brand-related Conversations
The Growth Team Membership identified the following free and paid tools as
potential starting points to locate brand enthusiasts and brand-related conversations.
Free Search Tools Paid Search Tools
Twitter Search Technorati Radian6 Visible Technologies
Search the micro-blogging web site Search the web for relevant blogs and Gain insight from social media Gain insight from social media
for brand-related conversations. posts about your brand. monitoring and analysis. monitoring and analysis.
http://search.twitter.com http://www.technorati.com http://www.radian6.com http://www.visibletechnologies.com
Google Blog Search StumbleUpon Sysomos CrimsonHexagon
Search the web for relevant blogs and Browse the web based on the Gain insight from social media Gain insight from social media
posts about your brand. passions and interests of individuals. monitoring and analysis. monitoring and analysis.
http://blogsearch.google.com http://www.stumbleupon.com http://sysomos.com http://www.crimsonhexagon.com
News Aggregators Online Communities
Friend Feed Digg Facebook Ning
Search the social media landscape for Search for relevant comments and Search the social networking platform Scan customized social networks built
brand-related conversations. postings by community members. for relevant groups and fan pages. by individuals around their interests.
http://www.friendfeed.com http://www.digg.com http://www.facebook.com http://www.ning.com
MyBlogLog Reddit MySpace LinkedIn
Search for relevant blogs and postings Search for relevant comments and Search the social networking platform Search for company-related
by community members. postings by community members. for relevant groups and fan pages. discussions and groups.
http://www.mybloglog.com http://www.reddit.com http://www.myspace.com http://www.linkedin.com
The contents of these pages are copyright © 2010 Frost & Sullivan. All rights reserved. Source: Growth Team Membership™ research.

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GO BACK
Supporting Tools & Resources
Windows Club House Application
http://clubhouse.microsoft.com/Join
I blog
Join the Clubhouse Community!
The Clubhouse is a community where people just like you are looking to share ideas and
build upon their knowledge of Microsoft products. To join and become a member of this
specialized community, complete the first step of the application, it only takes a few minutes. I use Social Networks (﴾Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn)﴿
All questions are required.
Please indicate your age. I tag content and use an RSS reader
Under 18
Why do you want to be a part of the Clubhouse community? Please indicate how well the
18-35 following statements apply to you.
36+
How many Microsoft products do you use? Strongly Strongly
Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Disagree
1-3
4-6
I want to demonstrate my own expertise
7 or more
Please indicate your skill level with these products.
IT Professional I like to share stories and my perspective with
my peers
Advanced User
I enjoy being in the know, getting the inside
Intermediate
scoop on my favorite brands and products
Novice
I like to test and play with the newest products
How well do the following statements describe your experience with Microsoft products?
and gadgets before the masses
Strongly Strongly
Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Disagree Helps my reputation, as my peers look to me
for best-in-class product recommendations
I have had a positive experience with Microsoft I would like to shape the future of the products
and its products. that are important to me
I can't wait to try the newest technologies I like receiving kudos from my peers
What are your favorite online activities?
Allows me to increase my network of people
with similar interests
Rarely
Frequently (﴾Less
(﴾Several Occasionally than 3 Opens the door for opportunities to network
times a (﴾3-5 times a times a
offline
week)﴿ month)﴿ month)﴿
Cancel Submit
I participate in online communities
I participate in forum discussions
The contents of these pages are copyright © 2010 Frost & Sullivan. All rights reserved. Source: Microsoft Corporation; Growth Team Membership™ research.