[net.micro.amiga] Arggh! Shoot the advertising agency!

moriarty@fluke.UUCP (Jeff Meyer) (09/26/85)

Cripes.  Saw the TV ad for the Amiga last night -- someone trying to imitate
Apple's Mac ads on a low budget.  Guy walks through futuristic block-like
room (looks cheap) and we see a long shot of the Amiga.  Comes up to it,
hits a key -- and we never see the screen!  Just some light that apparently
turns him into a 2001/2010 Dave Bowman future-baby.

If I wanted people running off the streets for Amiga, I'd show 5 seconds of
the graphics demo.  THAT'D impress 'em, not this quick 'n dirty excuse for a
marketing ploy...

                                "I'm going to have you wrapped in a U.S. 
                                 flag and burned personally by the President,
                                 in high octane American gasoline!"

                                        Moriarty, aka Jeff Meyer
ARPA: fluke!moriarty@uw-beaver.ARPA
UUCP: {uw-beaver, sun, allegra, sb6, lbl-csam}!fluke!moriarty
<*> DISCLAIMER: Do what you want with me, but leave my employers alone! <*>

mcrae@ssc-vax.UUCP (Brian Mcrae) (09/26/85)

> Cripes.  Saw the TV ad for the Amiga last night -- someone trying to imitate
> Apple's Mac ads on a low budget.  Guy walks through futuristic block-like
> room (looks cheap) and we see a long shot of the Amiga.  Comes up to it,
> hits a key -- and we never see the screen!  Just some light that apparently
> turns him into a 2001/2010 Dave Bowman future-baby.
> 
> If I wanted people running off the streets for Amiga, I'd show 5 seconds of
> the graphics demo.  THAT'D impress 'em, not this quick 'n dirty excuse for a
> marketing ploy...
> 
>                                 "I'm going to have you wrapped in a U.S. 
>                                  flag and burned personally by the President,
>                                  in high octane American gasoline!"
> 
>                                         Moriarty, aka Jeff Meyer
> ARPA: fluke!moriarty@uw-beaver.ARPA
> UUCP: {uw-beaver, sun, allegra, sb6, lbl-csam}!fluke!moriarty
> <*> DISCLAIMER: Do what you want with me, but leave my employers alone! <*>

*** REPLACE YOUR FACE ***

I couldn't agree more.  Why do computer marketing people treat us like
the idiots like THEY are.  What do they think?  That we won't understand
computer graphics?  Perhaps this is because the Amiga was not really 
done yet when they made the commercial,  but the LEAST they could do 
is explain what the computer was meant to do.   Beleive me, nothing 
in this industry turns people off faster than broad glib empty statements 
about "the future".  They want to know facts and why its better than 
brand x.  Heck even CAR commercials understand the importance of at 
least demoing the product so that people can get a rough idea of what it 
does and looks like.


				"don't kiss aluminium doors in 
				the winter time..."
					
					Brian McRae
					Boeing Aerospace
					(which has nothing to do with anything)

jss@sjuvax.UUCP (J. Shapiro) (10/03/85)

> > If I wanted people running off the streets for Amiga, I'd show 5 seconds
> > of the graphics demo.  THAT'D impress 'em, not this quick 'n dirty excuse
> > for a marketing ploy...
> > 
> >                                         Moriarty, aka Jeff Meyer
>
> I couldn't agree more.  Why do computer marketing people treat us like
> the idiots like THEY are.  What do they think?  That we won't understand
> computer graphics?
> 					
> 					Brian McRae

Perhaps because they are not marketing to us. To tailor advertising to you
and me would be to tailor it to a very small market. My solution is simple.
Get rid of your TV set. You probably won't miss it.

Jon Shapiro
Haverford College
-- 
Jonathan S. Shapiro
Haverford College

	"It doesn't compile pseudo code... What do you expect for fifty
		dollars?" - M. Tiemann

rb@ccivax.UUCP (rex ballard) (10/04/85)

> > Cripes.  Saw the TV ad for the Amiga last night -- someone trying to imitate
> > Apple's Mac ads on a low budget.
> > 
> > If I wanted people running off the streets for Amiga, I'd show 5 seconds of
> > the graphics demo.  THAT'D impress 'em, not this quick 'n dirty excuse for a
> > marketing ploy...
> > 

	Unfortunately, NTSC video would give the Amiga resoulution about the
same quality as a Commodore 64, or an Atari 800, not an effective strategy.
Besides, vidio of a tv screen is very difficult to do well.

> 
> I couldn't agree more.  Why do computer marketing people treat us like
> the idiots like THEY are.  What do they think?  That we won't understand
> computer graphics?
> but the LEAST they could do is explain what the computer was meant to do.

The ad was tacky, typical of the "Marketing Hype" around this machine
(it's good, just 'hyped' too much).  Unfortunately, marketing types
tend to try to market computers like "Perfume".

They just don't know how to express the "Benefits" of a personal computer.

> They want to know facts and why its better than brand x.

Engineers and MIS directors want to know why 'X' is better than 'Y',
My wife can't even figure out what 'Y' does, and she controlls the
checkbook.  Sell her, and I get a computer, maybe two!

>  Heck even CAR commercials understand the importance of at 
> least demoing the product so that people can get a rough idea of what it 
> does and looks like.
> 

Did you notice the IBM commercial with the various "vehicles" going
across the crosswalk?  The Amiga was the "Power" car, made to look
rediculous, but almost defeating their purpose (Sell IBM's).

An even better tactic would have been to so someone "waiting for the
IBM" and contrast it to the Amiga's multitasking.  The Amiga
performance next to an ST isn't that impressive, but the multitasking
is.