VanLUG Email Archive
> Brian Edmonds wrote:
> [munch...]
> > Unless someone comes up with something unusually brilliant, I think this
> > is taking the wrong approach. We cannot out-glitz, out-hustle or
> > out-promote the big boys. In an image driven age, that takes money in
> > something close to the league they're spending on it. My vote is KISS:
> > Keep It Simple, Stupid. Just the facts ma'am.
> >
> > That's not to say we can't have a good looking and professional booth,
> > but if we concentrate on trying to "market" ourselves like the big
> > companies do, we're undercutting our biggest strength: we're *not* the
> > big companies.
> >
> > Brian.
>
I wouldn't suggest trying to out-glitz the big boys. I think that is self
evidently impossible. What I am suggesting is that we can "hit the mark"
better than them if we choose to. Yes thats marketing, not rocket
science. It just means giving people something they can relate to.
Frankly, I find kicking the big boys in the butt motivating.
Whatever most people want to do is what we'll do in the end. If we want
to promote linux to most people we are going to have to show them neat
things - they - can do with it. Telling them that its for techies only
will conjour up images of the old IT (wait in line for your job to be
run).
>
> I agree with you completely. In fact, I think that many IS people are
> tired of dealing with all the glitz and marketing. Most IS people I have
> talked with are aware of the effect that marketing has on their
> superiors, the accountants, and computer-illiterate middle and top
> management. What they want are exactly what you said: "Just the facts,
> ma'am". We would provide them a resource for information that they can
> go to their superiors with and beat every marketing argument the MS
> crowd puts forward with facts.
>
> The payware companies will always outgun Linux-anything in marketing,
> but we (Linux systems) have the upper hand from a technical perspective.
> We need to give the rank-and-file ammunition so that they can make a
> convincing argument to their companies' decision makers.
>
Linux has a pretty powerful marketing message. Quality software at a
price you can't beat. Enthusiastic support from thousands of programmers.
> The "Just the Facts" approach will appeal to many people at Comdex - it
> will give them a rest from the hype that makes Comdex such a suffocating
> environment. Put it on banners. Put up signs like "Get the facts from
> booth ...". We should make a point to visitors that we're not here to
> fill their head with empty promises.
>
People just need to have something they can relate to. We don't want to
go over their heads. Sure technical folks will understand what we're
talking about. But the facts are Comdex isn't full of technical folks.
I don't see that giving people somthing to relate to is hype. If you want
people to remember linux put them in the picture. For those folks that
understand the technical advantages we have give em stats or show them
server applications.
> We'd need flyers with cost-of-ownership data, cost of implementation,
> time to rollout, maintenance hours a year, avg number of reboots per
> year, and so-on. Real stats. Just the facts. "Easy point-and-click"
> promises are what makes these people mad - try making MS Exchange do
> something different sometime (like forwarding e-mail to a different
> server without using either Outlook or the Exchange client), and then
> try sendmail or qmail. Get my drift?
>
> Cheers,
>
> Jan
>
I'm NOT talking about showing up with ties and doing our best rehearsed
smiles.
I was at Comdex years ago with the NeXT computer. It beat the hell out of
what else was there, but that didn't matter at all, because most people
just didn't get it.
Linux has a special appeal. Open software has a special appeal.
Have Fun.
Simon