Microsoft Entertainment & Devices Division – Now A Strong and Adult Personality

The most extreme case of– “working relationship” that researchers have found is not demonstrated by humans but by ants, who hate each other but still work together. In what researchers describe as an “un-peaceful coexistence”, multiple ant species stake out the same territory and compete for the same food, but no single species comes out as a winner since some are better at finding resources and others are better at guarding them, reports Live Science. 

 

The scientists looked at six ant species living in a desert environment and developed mathematical models to determine how different variables, such as the availability and size of the overall system. Some ants, they found, sent out many scouts to look for food, so their species was better at finding resources, while others kept more ants in the colony and were better able to defend what was brought back, researcher Fred Adler of the University of Ulah said. 

 

While trying to expand the total market size, the dominant firm must continuously defend its current business. The leader is like a large elephant being attacked by a swarm of bees. Tropicana must constantly guard against minute Maid orange Juice, Duracell against Energizer batteries, Hertz against Avis rental cars, and Kodak against Fuji film. Sometimes, the competitor is domestic; at other times, it is foreign. Building a strong brand requires careful planning and a great deal of long-term investment. At the heart of a successful brand is a great product or service, backed by creatively designed and executed marketing. In our effort to find out such a brand, which has helped many realize their imagination and dream is Microsoft – I think the hottest brand around the globe. From August 12, 1981, when Microsoft launched its 16-bit operating system – MS-DOS 1.0 for IBM PC, the saga of this Redmond giant is always on the rise with every step it takes. Microsoft, whose core philosophy was to provide easy, safe and trusted computing platform in any device, be it the mobile phone, PDA, notebook or desktop, has forayed into a multiple application areas, including enterprise applications, web applications, gaming & entertainment applications, etc. 

 

Basically, a worldwide leader in the software, services and solutions segment, one cannot also forget its role in the hardware and entertainment segment. Globally, its name for hardware might have been overshadowed by the gigantic brand name for software, but as far as India is concerned, Microsoft has built up a fairly good brand name in the hardware segment. It is considered to be one of the competitive and responsible hardware players. The company believes in quality than quantity. The key strategy of the company is to involve the channel partners in the ground level decision-making. Ajaya Kumar of Park Electroniks, Nehru Place, extols such efforts of Microsoft, as he is one of the drivers of the hardware products. At the helm of affairs, Mohit Anand, Country Manager, Microsoft Entertainment & Devices Division, gets credits for the success of the products. A man from the channel, Mohit has actually sweated hard to build up the brand. He has given the channel partners various schemes, programmes to upsell. The other good thing is that he has identified the potential of retail market when it was at the nascent and aligned Microsoft hardware business with retail initiatives in India. 

 

The journey of the Microsoft hardware and entertainment products, of course, started modestly with basic input devices, including keyboards and mice, but today perhaps the company has one of the deepest and richest varieties of input devices apart from Webcams, headsets, Bluetooth and RF-enabled products, finger print reader, gaming software and consoles (Xbox), etc. The journey of Microsoft culminated in the launch of Xbox 360 in India, which the company is taking as a big milestone in India. Though the product was quite successful in other continents and countries, there was always an apprehension whether it will be successful in this country. In order to make Xbox a personal and Indian gaming console, Microsoft had roped in two superstars, one from the film industry – Akshay Kumar – and the other from the cricketing world–– Yuvraj Singh). And, following it, there was a big-bang advertisement campaign in all the mainline and business magazines, TV, Web, tabloids, hoardings and other forms of outdoor publicity. The Xbox was everywhere in the print, online and web media. The company has followed a 360-degree approach while publicising Xbox 360. The company has also launched regular promotions that are currently running at all the major malls across the nation. When it appeared that Xbox 360 is attracting too much of notice and the fraternity and industry have become quite apprehensive about the future of other hardware products, Microsoft launched an assortment of 2007 range of hardware products, including high-end input devices (mice, keyboards), lifecams and headsets, which are designed to offer incredible comfort and performance to the discerning PC user.

 

Mohit says, “The new product range has been designed to provide a unique combination of revolutionary features, innovative technology and attractive pricing to enable PC users to derive maximum value and performance and enhance their overall computing experience.” Mohit adds, “Apart from this, some of the recently launched gaming titles for Xbox 360 include Gears of War, Viva Pinata, The Godfather, Dead Rising and NBA ‘07. We will also be launching the much-awaited ‘Yuvraj Singh International Cricket 2007’, which has been created specifically to cater to the tastes of the Indian gaming market.” 

 

Mohit says, “I disagree with you on our losing focus on other hardware products. Microsoft has always been strong with its hardware products and we recently launched seven new products (keyboards, mice, webcams and headsets). Our singular aim is to provide a superlative PC experience to the performance-driven PC user who wants to derive maximum value from the input devices s/he uses at work, home or on the go. We also take pride in sharing our entry into Integrated Communication Experience products like Webcams and Headsets giving our users richer communication experiences. Xbox 360 and hardware products are two very different categories and we are very happy to be present in both.”

 

Microsoft hardware products are available through the Microsoft strong network of 9,100 resellers across 83 cities in India. Apart from this, Microsoft is working with several partners in each city, including speciality stores, hypermarkets, department stores, consumer electronic stores and various retail chain stores.

 

However, it is a fact that gaming is a hot and vibrant market today. Many players including Microsoft, Samsung, Logitech, Genius, Sony, Nintendo, etc. are investing in this market. The strategy of Microsoft has surely got realigned with the progress of the market. Therefore, the division has been rechristened to Microsoft Entertainment & Devices Division from Microsoft Home and Entertainment Division.

 

On the other hand, the gamers are delighted to see Xbox360 in India. Mohit maintains, “We have lived up to our promise of providing games of all g enres to our gamers and at present we have over 40“games. All Xbox 360 games are globally launched and available at the same time in India. We will continue to bring to our customers more and more games that cater to all age-groups.” Mohit adds, “We want to achieve an integrated marketing communication through our brand ambassadors, Akshay and Yuvraj who are involved in promoting the Xbox 360 to achieve the ultimate theme of our tag line ‘Game On’.”

 

The capability of Xbox 360 in terms of its performance over its competitor is worth watching out for. Though compared with Sony PS3, it outperforms the other in certain areas, yet what ultimately wins the hearts and minds of gamers is not raw console power, but innovative and connected high-definition digital entertainment. Whoever provides that is the winner and all of that is available on Xbox 360. Mohit says, “By the time the PS3 releases, over two hundred high-definition games will be available for Xbox 360, and over ten million consoles will have shipped around the world.” Nintendo, another big name in the gaming space, has always demonstrated a knack for innovation, and what they are bringing to this generation of games will certainly enrich the gaming market as a whole.

 

Microsoft’s marketing arm is pretty strong. Recently, the company has tied up with Cartoon Networks for a gaming championship called Toonami: Game On, held in Mumbai, Delhi and Hyderabad. The winners of the championship in each city have won an Xbox 360 each, along with a trophy. There are also 1,000 kiosks up and running across the country. There are also flagship stores in the country. These stores keep all that gamers’ need for their Xbox 360, from both variants of the console to the latest Xbox 360 gaming titles and accessories like the faceplate, memory drive, etc. The customers can also get hands-on experience on their Xbox 360 before making a buying decision. Xbox 360 flagship stores also make available the Microsoft hardware range – keyboards, mice, webcams and headsets. Apart from these, Microsoft has also a partnership with Redington for distribution of Xbox 360 and its hardware products in India.

 

However, the partners should not be scared as Microsoft is banking more on the retail segment, Channel still and will remain an important medium for Microsoft. Even the company makes Xbox 360 available across Microsoft’s 1,200-strong retail network across top seven cities in the country.

 

2007 Range of Hardware Products ® Wireless Notebook Presenter Mouse 8000 – A 4-in-one device that offers Bluetooth connectivity. Slide presenter, Laser and digital pointer, and Media remote ® Microsoft Habu ® – The ultimate gaming mouse with slip-resistant grip feature ® LifeCam NX-6000 – Super-powered webcam which offers high-definition video sensor of 2 MP and 7.6 megapixels (MPs) and still photography resolution ® LifeCam VX-1000 – Webcam with brilliant video and still photography (640x480 pixels) and a built-in microphone for superior audio performance ® Wireless Laser Mouse 8000 – First rechargeable mouse, sophisticated design with 2.4 GHz Bluetooth technology, Microsoft’s proprietary High Definition Laser Technology, brushed aluminum metal casing and smart navigation features ® Wired headsets ® – LX 3000 – Optimised for Windows Live Messenger this comfortable high quality stereo headset gives you the simplicity of USB installation matched with high quality digital sound ® Wireless Laser Desktop 6000 – comes with a Comfort Curve Keyboard and Wireless Laser Mouse