Launching

1
Launching

• Microsoft Smart Watch in Hong Kong

2
The Product Concept

• The watches, often referred to as SPOT
  wristwatches, are based on Microsoft's "Smart
  Personal Objects Technology" (SPOT).
• They are meant to be both fashionable and
  functional.

3
The Product Concept

• www.msndirect.com

4
The Product Concept

• The Very Smart Watch
• Smart Watches for MSN Direct combine technology
  and style to deliver personalized information
  with just a glance at wrist.
• MSN Direct teamed with leading watch
  manufacturers to design watches that are as fun
  as they are informative!

5
The Product Concept

• Personal channels on the watch
• The information you receive on your watch is
  organized by channel.
• Similar to the channels on your television set,
  you see different types of informationsuch as
  news and weatherwhen you switch channels on your
  watch.
• You can customize the information that you see
  for each channel.

6
The Product Concept

• Activating MSN Direct service.
• Just a few quick steps and you can immediately
  start enjoying the benefits of MSN Direct!
• Your Smart Watch for MSN Direct comes ready to
  receive national news, weather and a monthly
  calendar.
• If you upgrade your MSN Direct subscription, you
  can choose from additional channels, like sports
  scores, stock quotes and more!

7
The associated technology - Smart Personal
Objects Technology (SPOT)

• At the heart the watches use wireless
  technology and FM frequencies to
• Provide a variety of information in near
  real-time.
• The information could include news headlines,
  sports scores, movie information, stock quotes,
  weather forecasts, as well as traffic reports,
  personal messages, and appointment reminders.

8
The promises of the product concept

• Commented by Cindy Spodek Dickey, Microsoft's
  group marketing manager for SPOT.
• "Smart Watches with MSN Direct are a fun new way
  for people to get the information they care about
  delivered to an accessory they wear everyday,"
• "Being part of this high-energy fashion show is a
  great venue to illustrate how technology and
  lifestyle products can merge in exciting and
  innovative ways. But, how to best position and
  promote the product remains a marketing
  challenage"

9
Motives for the strategic move

• One of Microsofts efforts to go beyond the PC
• An extension of the DataLink wristwatch,
  developed in conjunction with Timex noble
  failure.
• The progression of computing platforms over time
  from mainframes to PCs to PDAs to celluar
  phonesto PocketPCsand next to enhance devices
  that consumer already used in their everyday
  lives.

10
Pricing the product and its associated service

• Since the watches are fed data through an FM
  subcarrier that transmits weather, traffic, and
  other information over low-power FM frequencies,
  a subscription to MSN Direct is required.
• Watch owners can choose between two subscription
  plans 9.95 a month with the first month at no
  charge or 59 for a full year.

11
Marketing Research Project

• To be included
• Relevant Market Situation
• Current situation
• Opportunities
• Problems

12
Marketing Research Project

• To be included (contd)
• Identify management concern(s)
• Justify the need for marketing research
• Research questions and specific research
  objectives

13
Marketing Research Project

• To be included (contd)
• Research design (exploratory, descriptive, and/or
  causal research) along with justification.
• Use of qualitative methods and reporting on
  results.
• Questionnaire design for a survey study.
• Sampling design
• Plan for descriptive data analysis.

14
Marketing Research Project

• One-page executive summary
• Outline all of the aspects of the research
  project.

15
Potential use of your project information

• Decision making
• The strategic and marketing mix actions that
  appear to be viable solutions to the problem or
  decision situation that you have determined.