Dotsisx: Nokia's marketing strategies should be like...

Sun, 23 Aug 2009 23:19:42 GMT

I have been pondering about Nokia's marketing strategies for a while and now that the fuss about it is greater than it ever was (read this, this and this), i feel that it's about time to talk about it.

Ever since i got my 3250, i was suprised by two things. The first one was how many possibilities and how many wonders this little treasure could offer. The second one was that no one, except me and my friend (she has a 6630), in my acquaintance circle had crossed that line and explored the endless options that the symbian platform had up its sleeve.

Now, as I said in my previous post "top 15 things i do on my mobile that AMAZE my friends", these options are not hard to get, not at all. But why most people don't know about them? Can you blame them? No. Because you don't expect everyone to be a tech geek and roam the internet for hours looking for an app or an add-on to their device. People like to have it, easy and simple. There's this lebanese saying that really shows what i am saying "you have to put it in a spoon and stick it in their mouth". And as much as it hurts to say this, Nokia has been failing this easy and simple strategy, time after time after time.

Now let's get to the point here. I am no marketing expert, but in the point of view of an average human, here are the flaws i see in Nokia's promotion and marketing strategies, and how i think things should be done. Please bare in mind that i am doing this because i love this company and i expect the best out of it.

1 - TV ads
Most people buy a device, or at least go to a store to check it out because they saw a tv ad and liked it. The N95's ad was great for people like us, who knew all the specs by heart and knew what a little wonder that was. But do you think that the guy next door got it too? Seriously? Nokia, you can go all sentimental in an ad when people already know what you are offering, but they don't yet, do they? Show it to them.

2 - Device flyers
Do you even look at these? I must have picked up more than a dozen different flyers, and to sum up my experience in one word : trash. Of course the devices' pics are nice, but read the text. They repeat the same thing at least 3 times in the same flyer. We get it. Be more specific, show us what's great about this particular device! I mean seriously, the E61i's flyer has a paragraph about the 2mp cam (what phone does not have that now?) but does not state that you get a free subscription to WorldMate for 3 years with it? You have to buy the device then dig in the Download! section to know that! Are you kidding me?

3 - Internet solutions
This one will be very long so get a cup of coffee.
The first thing you notice with Nokia's internet experience is the multiplicity, the HUGE amount of websites that are all official. Now let's count that, there are the sites for each country, the sites for each region, the forum nokia, the n-series sites, nokia unwired, and the list keeps getting bigger and bigger.
Of course most of these sites offer a similar experience, but not the exact experience.
The lacks i can note are, so far
a - the free apps/games available for download for one particular device differ from one region/country website to another. Why? Same device, same platform, same specs. Different apps, different games. Makes sense? No. Plus why do the N80 for example have a free Antivirus for download while the 3250 doesn't? Same platform, same risk.
b - the N-series devices have their own website, but it doesn't have the apps, games, support pages,... U have to go back to the nokia site to get those. Again, doesn't make any sense.
c - Catalogs on the phone, Nokia Software Market online, Download! on the phone and on the pc, how many solutions are there to download content again? Talk about people getting lost in the middle! Plus catalogs is part of Download! on the mobile and the Software Market is part of... Oh just forget it, even I am lost. Handango, save me!
d - Nokia software market is poor compared to Handango's shop, just for the Nokia 3250, business category, Nokia has 16 apps, while Handango has 47!
e - Nokia's website doesn't give all the specs about devices, for eg the device platform is many times omitted in the specs sheet. Head on to forum nokia to get that. Wow! Do people know that forum nokia shows all device specs? Sure not!
f - Average people don't know about Nokia's Discussions. Plus there are different links to the same discussion board for regions. Why?
g - Nokia's pages links are always something like "www.nokia.com/A653213", now bookmark that and try to remember what the hell that page was about.
h - No newsletter. Huh. Why does it take a certain Darla Mack to surf the internet for us to tell us what new solutions, softwares, sites, Nokia is offering? Now i know she won't be sad if Nokia made it a lil bit easier on us to know new features. She'll get her spy glasses on something else, i'm sure.
i - Three different solutions for PC Suite: ordinary, the N-series, the E-series. Anybody notice any difference? I saw the screenshots of both new PC Suites, and i read the info, seems the same to me, or am i just blind?
f - No RSS feeds. What?!
SOLUTIONS
Centralisation
- ONE website, and that's only one.
- ONE discussion board.
- ONE solution for downloading goodies (free from Nokia or paying from Developpers) online, so accessible on the device and on the pc.
- ONE specific link for all the device specs.
- ONE PC Suite.
- Emphasize all of the above on Nokia's main page.
- Let forum nokia be just about developping, no device specs over there.
- Promote the s60 blogs on Nokia's site, these are Nokia employees, doing a great job, why not tell people about them, especially with the new Smartphonin blog.
- Create a blogroll of the well known symbian sites, all about symbian, darla, symbian guru, symbian in motion and include a link to that on Nokia's site. People love to see ordinary people just like them (not official advertisers) talk.
- Include all of the above links directly in a "links" pane in pc suite and in the CD that comes with each device, why not in a little flyer inside the box too?
- Create a massive campaign for the software shop. It's by emphasizing on apps that Nokia can pull it through. Apps are what make their devices unique. Use that!
- Put an RSS feed for news and a Newsletter, both for consumers and for developpers/advanced users (like us).

We're talking easy and simple. Put it in a spoon, and stick it in their mouth. That's what works, right?

I won't mention anything about billboard ads, they are good as they are.

I will also point that the Download! software for pc looks like the first step towards a good app shopping experience but it's still software, so it's bound to pc. Do it online!
Also the S60 Agents in New York idea seems perfect if it's well conducted, in order to increase people's awareness towards the potential they carry around in their pockets. Make it worldwide. See how many fans you have!

Wow! This was a long post. Hope it wasn't boring, but i'm glad i got it off my chest.
Anything else you feel like mentioning?

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Dotsisx: Nokia's marketing strategies should be like...

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