Microsoft’s Mobile Communications Business produces Windows Mobile software, an operating system for smart mobile phones, which allows users access to email, the internet and messaging.
Microsoft wanted to show its commitment to bringing about a more mobile working lifestyle. The campaign therefore had to interest businesses and industry partners in flexible working while also bringing something new to the work/life balance debate, and generate positive national media coverage.
Flexible working
For Microsoft to claim to be the industry leader on mobile working, the campaign needed to:
- Justify the need for companies and individuals to assess how they are working.
- Retain credibility by not being directly related to Microsoft’s Windows Mobile products.
- Include a visual hook to bring mobile working to life, especially for broadcast media.
- Start a long-term programme showing Microsoft is a real champion for mobile workers.
Using independent research results, business mobility messages were divided into topics such as productivity, work/life balance, innovation, sharing experiences and best practice, the new kind of worker, ‘Moofers’ or Mobile Out of Office workers was identified as someone who works from whatever location is best suited to the task in hand.
The target audience were decision-makers in medium-sized enterprises, government and industry bodies, and information workers.
One thousand office workers were canvassed about their attitudes towards job flexibility. Seventy three per cent of them were found to want flexibility in their jobs, while 58 per cent cited flexibility as crucial when looking for a new job. The results were released to broadcast media, national dailies, management and business publications with endorsement from the Chartered Management Institute. They were also used as a launch-pad for a new set of awards, the People Moving Business Awards (PMBA).
The PMBA awards were established to recognise individuals and companies who were making the most of mobile technology. The Work Foundation, Business Link, the Chartered Management Institute and the Mobile Data Association agreed to become partners for the awards, and the team worked with the Department of Trade and Industry to secure ministerial support. Management Today was signed up as media partner and the awards were promoted via a website.
In addition to the website a mobile working blog, www.moof.mobi, was launched. Anonymously branded to increase trust and reduce the appearance of it being a Microsoft marketing tool, the blog was dedicated to the issues and opportunities of mobile working.
To make the campaign more visually appealing, the PR team also built a wooden tree office in Pimlico Gardens to demonstrate how easy it was to work remotely. Windows Mobile devices – along with other mobile computing hardware – were made available, and a work psychologist was installed in the tree house to talk about the findings from the two pieces of research.
Results
From a budget of £75,000 the awards, research, tree house and blog have combined to produce a creative and engaging platform for Microsoft. The awards were supported by the British government with BT and Motorola both sponsoring individual categories; the presentation lunch at Wembley Stadium was addressed by Stephen Timms, minister for competitiveness, and Gordon Frazer, managing director of Microsoft UK.
The mobile working blog has steadily grown into a popular online community that now receives an average of 10,000 unique visitors a month.
The campaign generated more than 10 million UK media impressions in seven months, including six national news broadcast interviews, 23 radio interviews and a multitude of print and online stories.
James McCarthy, head of mobile at Microsoft UK, says: “Weber Shandwick perfectly encapsulated the messaging and desire within Microsoft to champion mobility in British businesses and individual employees. The highly innovative and varied campaigns allowed Microsoft to engage directly with a number of different audiences giving the programme the credibility and reach that it needed to be truly effective. The breadth and quality of media coverage is testament not only to Weber Shandwick’s skills but also its understanding of our business. The team proved to be a true business partner.”
