Nokia has always relied on a rather simple though superbly effective marketing strategy – that being to fire out millions of its devices as quickly as possible to as many global carriers as are willing to take them. The theory is one whereby the more phones out there, the more consumers they will be showcased before and the more sales the company earns – simple and to an extent sensible.
Sadly, recent history would seem to suggest that such an approach just isn’t cutting the mustard anymore, as Nokia’s key markets across the US and Europe seems to be shunning its advances and every new product offered.
According to some of the industry’s leading analysts, the problem may be once of Nokia’s devices simply being a given and are therefore taken for granted by major carriers – few of whom ever throw any real weight behind their latest products.
One Plus One Doesn’t Always Equal Two
Case in point would be the Nokia Lumia 900, which despite attracting critical acclaim worldwide was never pushed significantly enough by a major carrier to see it become a success.
Nokia is currently going through a period of unmitigated crisis, which has led the Finnish group to consider making what could be its most radical shift in marketing and device rollouts yet.
According to reports published this week in the UK press, Nokia is investing extensive efforts in creating and building strong, semi-exclusive relationships with major networks including AT&T in the US and France Telecom in Europe.
The theory is one whereby a focused launch of any upcoming Windows Phone 8 Smartphones would garner for more consumer attention that the usual mass rollout.
Power of Exclusivity
It can of course in many instances take little more than a promise of exclusivity to see the whole world thrown behind a device and its marketing campaign, leading to a much greater success story.
However, it may in fact be true to say that Nokia is once again putting all of its eggs in one very risky basket, as with its cash reserves plummeting by no less than $600 million per quarter, its Windows Phone 8 venture is one that the Finnish company literally cannot afford to lose.
On this occasion, sadly there will be no second chances.
A Tragic Case
The Nokia Lumia 900 with its Windows Phone OS perfectly illustrated the point that an exceptionally capable Smartphone and wonderfully functional OS does not add up to a guarantee of success. With the major names and carriers of the world remaining all consumed with the likes of the Samsung Galaxy 3 and the iPhone 4S, the Lumia 900 played second fiddle at best and has since been relegated to the smaller leagues.
Reports suggest that the negotiations continue, though no concrete deal has yet been reached.
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