Microsoft
Engineering a Content Strategy at the Social Scale of Microsoft
ROLE
Brand Strategy Director
SERVICES
• Content Strategy
• Social Media Strategy
• Corportate Brand Strategy
CREATIVE AGENCY PARTNER
Deutsch
Brand Strategy Director
SERVICES
• Content Strategy
• Social Media Strategy
• Corportate Brand Strategy
CREATIVE AGENCY PARTNER
Deutsch
Microsoft asked me to rethink their entire content strategy in a way that would build a dynamic community around Microsoft products while driving the economic engine of the business.
In collaboration with creative agency Deutsch, I was brought on to lead the research, strategy, and creative direction for developing the overarching brand positioning , editorial framework, and measurement plan—along with providing recommendations to UX and optimizing creative production across the entire Microsoft portfolio.
I took a very methodoical approach and worked closely with the teams and leads of 13 departments at Microsoft: creative, PR, support, virtual workshops & training, XBOX, SMB, demo & experience, integrated campaigns, digital customer experience, outbound (social & email), outbound (paid), site merchandising, and education.
In collaboration with creative agency Deutsch, I was brought on to lead the research, strategy, and creative direction for developing the overarching brand positioning , editorial framework, and measurement plan—along with providing recommendations to UX and optimizing creative production across the entire Microsoft portfolio.
I took a very methodoical approach and worked closely with the teams and leads of 13 departments at Microsoft: creative, PR, support, virtual workshops & training, XBOX, SMB, demo & experience, integrated campaigns, digital customer experience, outbound (social & email), outbound (paid), site merchandising, and education.
APPROACH
In order to engineer a content strategy for a tech giant like Microsoft we needed to think about creating a system that was strong and flexible enough to create a flywheel—guiding the behavior of the organization across the entire surface area of social, commerce, and community in way that was systematic, repeatable, and at the global scale of Microsoft.
Our goal was to engineer a content strategy that would shift the brand away from using their social channels as corporate broadcast channels, and at the same time, shift the internal culture of creative production at Microsoft.
These insights would go on to help Microsoft along with their agency partners understand how to create content that drives both their business and brand building initiatives for the long-term—unifying their approach to content.
Our goal was to engineer a content strategy that would shift the brand away from using their social channels as corporate broadcast channels, and at the same time, shift the internal culture of creative production at Microsoft.
These insights would go on to help Microsoft along with their agency partners understand how to create content that drives both their business and brand building initiatives for the long-term—unifying their approach to content.
RESULT
— Developed a comprehensive content strategy for Microsoft, aligning business and creative perspectives across channels while addressing inefficiencies in content production through process mapping and workflow optimization.
— Created a strategic playbook to guide Microsoft's content creation, incorporating a programming framework that enables internal and external teams to evaluate ideas against franchise and creative needs, with emphasis on the Hero, Hub, and Help model.
— Engineered a content framework designed to generate cultural power for Microsoft, shifting from corporate broadcasting to a community-first approach, while providing UX recommendations for video player improvements to enhance content discoverability and relevance.
— Conducted thorough audience segmentation and user research to develop targeted content strategies, addressing the needs of diverse user groups including students, gamers, and professionals across different Microsoft product lines.
— Implemented a strategy to empower Microsoft employees as content creators and thought leaders, leveraging their expertise to amplify brand messages and enhance recruitment through increased social media visibility, while also integrating their insights into upstream product development.
— Developed a comprehensive learning framework and measurement plan to track content effectiveness, enabling ongoing optimization of content strategy and resource allocation across Microsoft's digital ecosystem.
— Created a strategic playbook to guide Microsoft's content creation, incorporating a programming framework that enables internal and external teams to evaluate ideas against franchise and creative needs, with emphasis on the Hero, Hub, and Help model.
— Engineered a content framework designed to generate cultural power for Microsoft, shifting from corporate broadcasting to a community-first approach, while providing UX recommendations for video player improvements to enhance content discoverability and relevance.
— Conducted thorough audience segmentation and user research to develop targeted content strategies, addressing the needs of diverse user groups including students, gamers, and professionals across different Microsoft product lines.
— Implemented a strategy to empower Microsoft employees as content creators and thought leaders, leveraging their expertise to amplify brand messages and enhance recruitment through increased social media visibility, while also integrating their insights into upstream product development.
— Developed a comprehensive learning framework and measurement plan to track content effectiveness, enabling ongoing optimization of content strategy and resource allocation across Microsoft's digital ecosystem.
