Engaging Executives

Move over Donald, Jack is moving in.  Jack Welch, that is.  And he's entering the world of reality tv for business.

As part of its campaign around "It's Everybody's Business," Microsoft is sponsoring a series of video episodes on the Web.  In the series, Jack Welch conducts a GE-style "work out session" with a real management team.   The first episode is with the management team for Hertz Connect, a competitor to ZipCar.  The result is both entertaining and educational.  

Gayle Troberman, Microsoft's GM of Microsoft Advertising, gave this background. 

Given where our audience was consuming content, we figured we could amass a sizeable audience of business people on the Web interested in how a "Work Out" [business problem review] with Jack Welch works and hear how other enterprise companies struggle with the same issues they do.

It's also a good platform to talk about Microsoft's role and how our technology can bring people together to make good business decisions across the different parts of a company.

The series is a good example of effective marketing targeted to executive buyers.   Microsoft has downplayed its products while keeping a strong brand presence.  The content is interesting, engaging, and educational.  Teaser videos on third-party websites drive traffic to a microsite with relevant and related content.

Microsoft's marketing has often been too heavy on its products and technology.  The spoof of how Microsoft would have marketed the iPod is still a classic.  And the initial tv ads for "It's Everybody's Business" were lightweight and prone to cliche.  But this video series suggests that Microsoft is finding the right groove, blending marketing and learning to deliver real insight to an executive audience.  According to Gayle Troberman:

One of the top requests of our IT customers is that they want Microsoft to educate them about what's happening in technology and business. We do a lot of that through traditional means such as publishing white papers and case studies about how a certain company used Microsoft software to reach a certain business outcome. But this show brings the white paper to life. It's like a white paper with a pulse.

 A white paper with a pulse ... now there's a thought!  We hope that other companies follow Micorosoft's lead.