Report: Microsoft to spend over $1.5 billion on Windows 8 marketing

Report: Microsoft to spend over $1.5 billion on Windows 8 marketing
Microsoft giving Windows 8 the hard sell

Microsoft is preparing the largest marketing campaign in the history of the industry to promote Windows 8, according to reports.

Forbes has revealed that the company will splash out an astonishing $1.5 billion to $1.8 billion (UK£1.1, AU$1.46) in a bid to ensure the new, radically different operating system is a smash hit with punters.

The publication pointed out that Redmond spent only $200 million (UK£1.24, AU$1.95) on marketing Windows 95, so prepare for your TV screens, web-browsers and favourite publications to be awash with Windows 8 commercials.

Renowned Microsoft commentator Rob Enderle has observed that "the marketing effort is on a scale you don't see outside presidential elections."

Big risk

The success of the "re-imagined" operating system, which becomes available to the public on Oct. 26, is crucial to the prominence of the PC hardware market.

With Windows 8, which moves away from the traditional 'desktop' model, Microsoft has placed a large stake on the prospective demand for tablets, like the Microsoft Surface and cloud computing.

Enderle says the launch of Windows 8 and the changes being served up by Microsoft are a "big risk" for the software giant and its hardware partners.

With that in mind, it's little surprise that the company will go all-out in its ad campaigns to ensure that the public connects with Windows 8 in the right way.

Via Forbes

Chris Smith

A technology journalist, writer and videographer of many magazines and websites including T3, Gadget Magazine and TechRadar.com. He specializes in applications for smartphones, tablets and handheld devices, with bylines also at The Guardian, WIRED, Trusted Reviews and Wareable. Chris is also the podcast host for The Liverpool Way. As well as tech and football, Chris is a pop-punk fan and enjoys the art of wrasslin'.