Microsoft Philippines focuses on family for holiday campaign

MANILA, Philippines—Microsoft Philippines recently announced its theme for its holiday campaign, “It’s A Great Time To Be A Family,” along with a showcase of its entire range of retail products including Windows 7, Microsoft Office and Windows Phone 7.

In October, Microsoft conducted a survey on MSN called “Families and Technology 2011,” which polled more than 3,700 respondents across seven countries in Asia. Mae Moreno, Windows client product manager of Microsoft Philippines, said that according to the survey, Filipinos keep in touch with their loved ones through technology. Thirty four percent of Filipino respondents also prefer to use social networking sites such as Facebook, in keeping in touch to their relatives overseas, while SMS are preferred in China with 75 percent and Indonesia with 41 percent.

In the total share of respondents, however, telephone was still the most popular mode of communication, with 67 percent.

The survey also said 36 percent of Filipino families have more than 10 gadgets, the highest in the region, she added.

“The findings show that technology has become an intrinsic part of our daily lives. Filipinos are big believers that technology helps us to communicate better and it is obvious from the rate of adoption that everyone from young kids to grandparents is finding technology easier to use,” added Moreno.

The survey also said that 69 percent of respondents in the Philippines are likely to teach a family member how to use internet so they can keep in touch with each other.

The relevance of technology has also become apparent during the holiday season, with 46 percent of respondents said they would spend at least 15-30 minutes each day connecting with their loved ones, while 23 percent said they would spend time even up to an hour.

Seventy-three percent of Filipinos in the survey chose photos as the most shared content with their family in social networking sites, while it is only 50 percent in the region.

“The results of the poll show that the popular notion of technology being a purely negative influence on family relationships is a misconception. The increasingly globalized nature of the world economy has no doubt greatly dispersed families far and wide around the region, but Microsoft’s focus is on delivering technology that makes it easier for families to stay together,” Moreno also said.

As an early Christmas present treat, Moreno also introduced a promo wherein a trip to Singapore for four and a brand new Mitsubishi Montero Sport are up for grabs. One can join upon purchase of a device pre-installed with Windows 7 or a Windows 7 Full Packed Product from any Star Partner retailer and then sign a raffle coupon at windows.com.ph.