How Can Gmail Counter?
Microsoft is renaming its Hotmail email service Outlook . It’s a Facebook-friendly version designed to reverse market share losses to Gmail. Behind the revamp are two known influence stratagems on The Standard Table of Influence — i.e., plays – which can be easily countered by Gmail or Microsoft-haters:
- CROWD. Microsoft’s overarching influence strategy is a Crowd on all things social. This “me-too” move has been mastered by Microsoft over the years — from .NET in Web 1.0 to virtualization in the enterprise.
- RECAST. Microsoft’s beta play is a self-Recast. It’s attempting to re-brand itself as a more modern, more social webmail platform?
So will Microsoft’s Crowd + Recast combo play be effective?
That’s debatable. By nature of its size, Redmond can Crowd into just about any market it wants. It can fund money-losing and unpopular platforms forever, seemingly just to get a piece of the pie and to keep other competitors out.
So if you’re a Microsoft-hater, or if you’re Gmail, Microsoft’s plays can be easily countered by clicking on each play and consulting Playcaller Pro™. And if you’re Microsoft, you might think a few plays ahead before more nimble rivals embarrass you.
Posted by: John Koval
Photo Credit: Playmaker Systems, LLC