Microsoft Seeks Real Live Moms

The Web site is really a specialized doorway to Windows Live services Messenger, Search and Spaces, spiced up with lifestyle content from MSN. Live Moms isn't so much a social networking site as a gateway for using Windows Live services to connect with other mothers, gain parenting information or show off the kiddies' pictures or videos.

The branding makes sense, too. Windows Live Moms wouldn't work. People are sensitive about their moms and branding her with Windows would be a loaded gun.

Microsoft is on to something here, and it shouldn't stop with moms. Women are a hot demographic too often ignored by technology companies. But high-tech is catching on, finally. After all, statistically, there are more women in the world than men.

Digital cameras are a good example of the trend. The main target demographic for Nikon's D40s digital SLR camera clearly is women. The D40s is smaller than many other Nikon dSLRs and sports features that would appeal to someone wanting technology benefits without the hassle. While men 18-44 have a reputation for gadget-grabbing devices like digicams, women often are the family's keeper of memories—the record keeper and taker of photographs. Nikon understands the marketing opportunity. No question, there are plenty of tech women, and I see them lugging around the brawnier Nikon D200. But they're not the D40s's target demographic.

Good marketing is about rightly courting different demographic groups. It's why Microsoft spends boodles researching technology priorities of business decision makers and IT decision makers, among others. The company fine-tunes its marketing for the appropriate demographic group.

The same approach applies to special offers. For example, today, Microsoft started the "Ultimate Steal" promo, which makes Office 2007 Ultimate available to eligible students for about 60 bucks. It's a blue-light special gone Crazy Eddie. Discount is about 90 percent.

Demographic marketing is what will make Live 2.0 successful. The cornerstone of MSN adCenter is demographic analysis, and no company touches more demographic groups than Microsoft. Windows is everywhere.

There is huge expectation about Microsoft's services platform and next-generation Live services. It will be Live 2.0 versus Web 2.0, methinks. But the battle won't be won or lost around extensible platforms but connected services, which give people places to connect to others and which create real estate for advertising. Microsoft has had the right Web services vision for some time; it has just taken too long getting to market.

Real Live Moms is directionally significant. It's one of several new Live services or gateways, like Messenger Cafe or Windows Live Translator, that will be Live 2.0's meat and potatoes (tofu, if a vegan). What's above, rather than what's below, will matter most to end users—the face they see. What's underneath—the platform—is hugely important, too, but that's a separate discussion related to Windows Live Search 2.0.

Absolutely, Microsoft should launch more targeted sites or services like Real Live Moms. They should be everywhere, popping up like mushrooms after it rains. Some advice to Microsoft: Watch out for toadstools.

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