Internet Case

Section 1:

The last decade has seen a very steady shift in the media consumption; the print media is rapidly declining giving way to the internet. Other media for marketing like the television and the radio are also facing the heat and trying hard to match up with the dynamism of the web. So, strategic convergence of media for marketing is the key to a successful marketing strategy rather than just neglecting the tried and trusted mediums like the print or the television. The optimal strategy would be the "convergence of all this mediums to leverage the unique advantages of each medium and use it to come up with a product/brand marketing implementation which actually works.

Microsoft has been known to be a very well known brand to leverage the different marketing mediums to sell their products effectively; some of its different campaign media on online are Facebook, YouTube, Twitter , MySpace, Live events , Microsite and its offline campaign are television where Microsoft invested a substantial amount in its television ads, newspapers and magazines. They still prove to be a very important catalyst in marketing Microsoft's products and services.

Section 2:

Microsoft distributes it product and services basically through the channels: OEM's, distributors and resellers, and Online.

OEM's-Microsoft distribute it software's through OEM which install the Microsoft products like its operating system and server OS on their machine and sell it to their end user. Some of the direct OEM's of Microsoft are Acer, ASUSTek, Dell, Fujitsu, HTC, Hewlett-Packard, LG, Lenovo, NEC, Nokia, Samsung, Sony and Toshiba. Some of the distributors in the Microsoft distributor channel are global such as Ingram Micro and Tech Data, but most operate at a local or regional level.

Distributors and resellers- Organizations may license product and services directly from Microsoft or through large account resellers ("LARs"), distributors, Value-added resellers ("VARs"), System builder channels and retailers. It distributes its retail packaged products primarily through independent non-exclusive distributors, authorized replicators, resellers, and retail outlets. Individual consumers obtain these products primarily through retail outlets, such as Wal-Mart and Dixons.

Online-Microsoft even provides its product and services online through Bing, MSN portals and channels, Microsoft Office Web Apps, Microsoft Security Essentials, Windows Live Essentials suite, Windows Phone Marketplace, Xbox LIVE, and Zune Marketplace. They also provide content and services to business users through the Microsoft Online Services platform.

Section 3:

Samsung owes it huge success in the consumer electronics segment with its 6 research and development labs that it has setup, where around 450 people work dedicatedly to provide innovative products and services to the consumers. It is serious about understanding the needs of the people even before understanding the technical