In case you haven't heard, the Tablet PC computing platform has a problem. Despite putting in a great deal of traditional marketing elbow grease, Microsoft can't seem to make a go of it. Consider what Peter Rojas from Engadget wrote...
Anyone else notice that the Tablet PC has become sort of invisible lately? Hardly any new ones were announced at the big ol’ Consumer Electronics Show a few weeks ago (Bill Gates didn’t even hardly mention it during his big keynote there), sales have been mad sluggish (all 1.3% of all PCs sold are Tablet PCs, and it doesn’t help that they almost always cost more than a comparably-equipped laptop), and it’s almost like Microsoft has just lost interest in the whole thing.
This prompted Robert Scoble, one of the Tablet's biggest proponents to respond...
But, Engadget is right. Microsoft is BLOWING it big time by not making the Tablet PC a bigger deal.
Most normal people haven't seen a Tablet PC yet. How do I know that? Because everytime I'm on a plane people want to play with it. Same thing at the conference. People wanted a look....
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Where's the TV ads? The marketing campaign?
Without even realizing it, Robert stepped right into his solution. But Scoble, your solution is not in flashy TV ads. C'mon, did you lose your Cluetrain hat at your big cheesy birthday bash? The solution here is, as you said, to show as many non-geek businesspeople as possible the power of the Tablet PC. Once folks lay eyes on it, they will be mesmerized (unless they already love Apple). I know I was. Unfortunately, we're standardized on Dell here, but if they ever come out with a Tablet PC I would be game.
What Microsoft needs to do here, Robert, is find non-geek influencers who will frequently evangelize the platform to others both offline and online. Microsoft should immediately identify 500 - 1000 influential business bloggers who are big thinkers and give them free Tablet PCs systems to use. Pick folks who travel, speak, write and appear in the press frequently - e.g. people from outside the technology community. Pick leaders who others flock to for advice. Scoble, please stop reading here and get David Allen, Pat Croce, Mark Cuban and Tom Peters Tablet PC systems ASAP. Do not pass go. They should be at the top of your list.
So Microsoft, if you want to save the Tablet PC please take the hundreds of thousands of dollars you might be earmarking for a new ad campaign and invest it in getting systems in the hands of non-geek bloggers/influencers who are leading business thinkers. Let them evangelize it offline and off. They will do a much better job of marketing Tablet PCs than an ad on ABC, CBS, NBC or Fox ever could.
