Microsoft
When Microsoft Netherlands wanted to inspire developers and 'the next entrepreneur' with its Azure cloud platform, they had many questions about who their target group was and how to reach them. With BMI, the team learned to map customer needs through continuous validation, and the method became part of Microsoft's daily way of working.
The challenge
Microsoft had historically been an indirect player, with a distributor always between them and the customer, but the market increasingly wanted to buy directly from the supplier. The big question was how to capture profound insights from customers, from multinationals to startups, and use those insights to create real, lasting value while growing faster.
Our approach
Using the Value Proposition Canvas, the team stepped into customers' shoes to map jobs-to-be-done, pains, and gains, identifying two broad groups: companies operating from fear of disruption and companies driven by desire for new opportunities. A dedicated agile marketing team produced blogs, videos, and events, using Visual Game Plans and bi-weekly customer feedback loops to validate assumptions and iterate campaigns continuously.
The results
- Continuous co-creation and validation led to accelerated growth, twice as fast as competitors, with growth doubling each year.
- The team discovered technical audiences wanted specifics about individual Azure services rather than general cloud stories, sharpening every campaign iteration.
- The validation method was integrated into the daily course of business at Microsoft, with only 25% of campaigns fixed upfront and the rest optimized live.
The method stayed with the team. It always does.
Want resultslike these?
Explore the possibilities with Patrick van der Pijl and the BMI team. Every big shift starts with a conversation.