By Paul DeGroot [bio]
Posted: Sep. 18, 2006

The following is a sidebar accompanying an article published by Directions on Microsoft, an independent research firm focused exclusively on Microsoft strategy & technology. More samples of our content, as well as a list of upcoming articles and reports are also available.

A Customer Campaign identifies a major area of interest for customers, such as "Enable Your Mobile Work Force," and describes how Microsoft will engage customers looking for relevant solutions. Key components of a Customer Campaign include the following:

Customer requirements include relevant "pain points" that the customer faces, what the customer wants to do, what they need to do it, and why current technologies are not sufficient.

Market opportunities are described, including the size of the global market, and specific product or sales opportunities (such as shifting customers to Office 2007). The campaign may also be targeted primarily at a particular market segment, such as the midmarket, and vertical, such as retailing or financial services.

Contacts and assignments include who on the customer side is responsible for managing or resolving the problem, such as a vice president of sales, and who on Microsoft's side, such as specialists in mobility solutions, should be involved in crafting a solution for the customer and working on the sale.

Timing issues, such as product releases (Vista, Exchange Server 2007), the duration of the campaign, and when it will start or end are identified.

Partners who can be targeted to play a role are identified by type (such as ISVs, mobile operators, or OEMs) and competency (such as infrastructure, mobility solutions, or Information Worker portals).

Workloads, such as advanced networking or unified communications (combined e-mail, fax, instant messaging, and voice) tell partners and Microsoft sales staff which parts of the IT infrastructure to focus on.

Products that should be the focus of the campaign, such as the latest versions of Office, SharePoint, Exchange, and Dynamics CRM, help refine Microsoft's pitch to customers and partners.

Offers can include white papers, business investment funds, proofs of concept, trials, case studies, and other marketing collateral and incentives.