NEW PALM AD FOCUS ON WEB OS, NOT PHONE
In the US, phone penetration has nearly reached saturation. Nearly 277 million people today already have handsets. To standout phone makers have to distinguish themselves through the use of brand.
Today Palm unveiled a new ad campaign that focuses solely on the web operating system. The ad shows a woman walking down the street taking advantage of her phone’s multitasking, messaging, wayfinding and phone call making ability. The tagline is “life moves fast” and not to “miss a thing.”
Given the recent release of Windows phone and success of the continued success of the iPhone, operating systems have become real points of differentiation. Consumers are now asking for software by name (ie: “I want an Android”) as much as they are asking for the manufacturer (ie: “I want a Nokia”). This reflects a shift in mindset where software is becoming just as important as hardware.
This seems intentional. As technology becomes more sophisticated people are not changing their hardware nearly as much anymore. Instead the phone makers are upgrading their software to enhance features and functionality. The impact of this is helping to change the perception of the life span of a phone. The opportunity is to monitize the app stores.
Before one can make a purchase, one must be able to navigate through the OS. This is where the value of the operating system becomes apparent. Navigating these systems must be simple and easy.
Apple, Google and Palm have chosen to create visual interfaces (icons) while Microsoft has opted to lead with a data user interface (words). The later is of more interest to me because Windows Phone uses a social networking approach where only the things we are interested (people, photos, email, etc.) are shown vs. apps that list functions by brand name, like Facebook, and Google Maps.
In common all of these phone makers are trying to brand the phone experience. Apple, Google and Palm have chose to play up function while Microsoft is selling interest. Over the next few months it will be interesting to see how these branded experiences sway consumer perceptions for better or worst.
(George)