Higher Cloud Level

CUSTOMER ADVOCACY The strength of this strategy was customer involvement. By putting clients and their experience in the heart of the campaign in each activity: from a press interview to the event agenda, we dedicated the whole (100%) media space to their stories of building business growth and resilience on innovation. We invited the most innovative companies, whose stories were real inspiration to the market. To achieve this, we've selected the media that best served to tell stories. That's why we based the campaign and the hero event in particular on innovative and interactive formats such as podcasts, videocasts, fireside chats and discussions. By giving the voice to our clients, we gained in return their huge involvement in the campaign, a sense of co-authorship, and the willingness to further, natively share the created materials - which significantly increased not only the credibility, but also the reach of the campaign.

B2B campaigns are often aggressive, focused on the product/brand and its performance. Microsoft was looking for a different approach. Our observations and experience showed that the audience is engaged by credible content much more than by marketing messages. This trend is reinforced by social media, where authenticity is king. So the greatest innovation of this campaign was reversing the approach to designing B2B campaigns. Instead of focusing on performance and C2A, we built real customer trust and engagement. The selection of clients was not incidental. To strengthen the brand's image in the area of innovation, we invited leaders of their industries to the campaign. Companies such as Żabka, Nest Bank, VeloBank, Inter Cars, Polpharma and many others shared stories about challenges and successes related to digital transformation, showing the market through their own examples that the launch of the Microsoft cloud region gives totally new opportunities for Polish organizations. The shape of the campaign and the event also addressed the KPIs in the form of triggering a discussion about the general role of cloud in creating innovation, ensuring resilience and growth among Polish organizations.

To make real impact, we decided for an omnichannel campaign with a hero B2B for clients event as a key point. The integrated campaign combined marketing, communication and event marketing activities. It consisted of a variety of formats, multi-level activities in social media, customer and employee advocacy, internal communication and two great events for the media and business - the premiere during the European Economic Forum in Katowice and a large B2B hero event for customers and partners. We have entered into cooperation with reliable journalists and business influencers who have a wide audience and an established position on the market. The results showed that the sponsored episodes of podcast series produced in cooperation with Microsoft, featuring inspiring brands, were listened to at the same level as the editorial episodes. This clearly proves their high substantive value for the audience. In order to address the campaign multi-channelly, to the widest possible part of the market, we invited customers from various sectors (automotive, pharmaceuticals, banking and finance, public sector and many others) to share their experiences. When designing comprehensive paths to reach various sectors and customers, we selected appropriate, diversified media and channels (e.g. economy, energy, e-commerce media platforms). We made a similar differentiation at the event level: first, a launch with the participation of the Prime Minister, addressed to the most important media and the largest clients participating in the European Economic Forum (thanks to this, the message moved from a commercial to the general economic level). Then a B2B hero event for over 650 representatives of various industries, with a diverse program and examples of inspirations from many sectors.

1. Cloud revenue - the share of cloud services in the company's overall revenue in the following 12 months after the campaign (July 2023-June 2024) compared to the same period a year earlier: 24%. It increased by 4% more than expected. Total company’s revenue increased by 21% at the same time, so the brand managed to generate higher growth on cloud services than in total. 2. Cloud mix - proportion of sales of cloud services relative to on premise services at the same time y/y: increase by 2%. An increase in cloud mix by the assumed 2% actually means a huge trading volume. 3. Internal monitoring of customer engagement, determining the number of marketing interactions with a given entity, showed that within 12 months after the campaign, 100% of the target group was effectively reached with marketing activities, and 59% of them are currently with the highest title of "highly engaged" (500 activities quarterly). The brand managed to actively engage all 302 entities selected in the target group in the campaign, 59% of them to a very high degree. This translates into a surge in Microsoft cloud adoption and strengthening its leadership position. 4. The goal of obtaining at least 300 new known leads was exceeded almost three times: 883 new known leads. Moreover, at 2 events we achieved customer coverage in the 3 most important customer segments for the brand: enterprise commercial (large business) - 78%, public sector (largest institutions) - 85%, corporate customers (medium-sized enterprises) - 17%. The target group are demanding customers from C-level (CEOs, CIO). Given their level of busyness, getting so much interest and engagement in the campaign is a huge success. The added value in the form of self-promotion (personal branding) and your company helped significantly. 5. Cloud adoption level: according to Stackscale, before the campaign (2021) it was 29%, after it at the end of 2023 it was 56%. Alternative: KPMG's 2023 Digital Transformation Monitor, created in collaboration with MSFT, showed a 5% (68%) increase in cloud use in companies compared to the previous edition of the study (2022). Microsoft was strongly committed to addressing doubts and breaking down all barriers specified in insight (McKinsey & Company report), showing the benefits of its customers (reliable content) from various industries. 6. The activities resulted in a real increase in the area of brand perception as innovative: from 40% to 47%. This is an increase of 2% more than the planned 5%. The appropriate selection of innovative clients from various sectors helped to achieve this goal. 7. The activities resulted in a real increase in the perception of the brand as a trusted partner: from 42% to 49%, i.e. 2% more than the assumed 5%, thus strengthening the leadership position. Microsoft's messages in the trust space have long had a consistent market share of over 40% compared to its competitors. This is one of the basic values of the brand communicated during its 30-year presence on the Polish market. This campaign has significantly strengthened this value and position. 8. Additional results: 60 customers shared their stories in the campaign with a digital reach of 21 million 7.5 million reach on social media 100 different formats in the campaign 4100 participants during 2 hybrid events and over 30 strategic C-level meetings 14 strategic partners of the campaign 400 publications 212% increase in mentions of the company in the media in a similar period y/y, of which 97% were positive and neutral

The clue of this campaign’s success is the integration and cohesion among all the communication elements. No matter if it was a podcast or an event – it has been designed with the same general strategy and idea: customer advocacy. Thanks to such thinking, we have reached a genuine synergy effect: a sum of such elements not designed together would have never brought as great results, as they have brought being in a line with each other.

The campaign, and two events in particular, were prepared in accordance with the principles of accessibility: sign interpreters were on site and audio description was available. The space was organized in such a way that people with disabilities could move around it easily. All graphic materials were also prepared in accordance with the principles of accessibility.