peter@sugar.UUCP (Peter da Silva) (10/23/87)
The Amiga commercial shown at our last user group meeting would make a fine tape-loop to run at the Amiga booth at a trade show, just to attract attention so the REAL advertising could be brought to play. Here's my idea: a variant of the water-cooler one. Scene. Two management types in an office. Boss: "Well, Flunky, I need those figures right now." Flunky: "OK, I'm sure I can borrow one of the computers for a minute." Flunky runs out the door. Into the next office. The name on the door is Mac User. Mac is leaning back at his desk reading a copy of MacWorld. Flunky: "Hey, Mac, you busy?" Mac: "No, why?" Flunky: "I need to check some stuff on a spreadsheet." Mac: "Oh, well you can't do that right now because I'm downloading some figures from the home office." Flunky runs into the next office. The sign on the door is Bill Blue. Bill is leaning back at his desk reading a copy of Byte. Flunky: "Hey, Bill, you busy?" Bill: "No, why?" Flunky: "I need to check some stuff on a spreadsheet. Bill: "Oh, well, you can't do that right now. I'm printing the new proposal for BoringCorp." Flunky runs into the next office. The sign on the door is Amy Jones. Amy is bent over her Amiga 2000 working with some program. Flunky: "Oh, I see you're busy, Amy." Amy: "A little, what's up?" Flunky: "Well, I need to check some figures on a spreadsheet, but you're using your computer..." Amy: "No problem. I was just printing out the BoringCorp sales figures (cut to upper right corner of screen: spreadsheet), and downloading their projections from their mainframe (lower left corner of the screen: terminal program), so I thought I'd catch up on my correspondence (cut to sent of the screen: word processor). Here, let me pull up another copy of GuruCalc (click-click-pop)." Amy rolls back away from her desk. Flunky gets to work. -- -- Peter da Silva `-_-' ...!hoptoad!academ!uhnix1!sugar!peter -- Disclaimer: These U aren't mere opinions... these are *values*.
bakken@tahoma.ARPA (Dave Bakken) (10/28/87)
In article <897@sugar.UUCP>, peter@sugar.UUCP (Peter da Silva) writes: > The Amiga commercial shown at our last user group meeting would make a fine > tape-loop to run at the Amiga booth at a trade show, just to attract attention > so the REAL advertising could be brought to play. > > Here's my idea: a variant of the water-cooler one. > > Scene. Two management types in an office. > > [ Peter's idea shows the usefulness of multitasking in a practical way > that any business PC owner could clearly comprehend ] Amen, brother. The CBM advertising types need to show this clearly to really get into the business market, but have been quite negligent in doing this. Disclaimer: I AM a Commodore stockholder. And I will be a very ANGRY one if CBM's ad agency blows it by not demonstrating multitasking clearly. Someone needs to do some prostheletyzing on the ad types!!! The machine sells itself, given half a chance (I know from the number of non-technical people that have seen my Amy), and people can understand multitasking. But CBM seems intent on NOT giving Amy that chance. -- Dave Bakken Boeing Commercial Airplane Company uw-beaver!ssc-vax!shuksan!tahoma!bakken Disclaimer: These views are my own, not my employers.
norman%afas.span@fedex.msfc.nasa.gov (Richard E.) (10/23/89)
Some way to run a "NATIONAL" ad campaign...allowing local stations to clobber
your ads 8-| or else the CBM ads were not as memorable as Apple and IBM ads;^)
Based on the various postings I've read the Monday Night Football commercial
was run at half time which is when our "progressive" (means the station manager
can read and write) Alabama station, ch48, ran their local trash ads.
I agree with one of the posters that it would be nice for C= marketing to post
a listing of their spot schedule. I also agree from the plot description
it sounds like only the Boy Wonder, Stevie, can operate the damn thing!
Of course, the M*A*S*H stars portrayed as business people is pretty ludicrous
as well... and as someone once said "Nobody ever got elected president by
overestimating the intelligence of the public" or was that got to be a
famous talk show host...8=)
===========< Richard E. Norman, alias "REd dragoN", (205) 544-1577 >============
keeper of the Aero/Fluids Analysis System (AFAS)
"norman%afas.span@fedex.msfc.nasa.gov" ED33 bldg 4732; MSFC, Al 35812
================================================================================papa@pollux.usc.edu (Marco Papa) (10/23/89)
Just 5 cents of thoughts. In the past 4 days I've seen the Amiga ads each day at least once. If that continues, for sure I'll see them at least the 20 times 'people' are supposed to see them between now and Christmas. Actually I like the ads. They are short on 'substance', but the message is clear: you can do many things with the Amiga which you can't do with other similarly priced systems. For the people that claim that these ads do not stress the 'technical' aspect of the Amiga or the A2x00 systems, note that the campaign till Christmas is clearly aimed at the A500, while CBM has already staed that an A2x00 campaign will be done 1Q90. While I do understand that the folks in Grand Forks, SD might never see the ad, I also understand CBM strategy of targeting particular markets (like LA for example). I'm anxiously waiting to see the 7-page spreads in Life, Time and Newsweek. -- Marco Papa 'Doc' -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= uucp:...!pollux!papa BIX:papa ARPAnet:pollux!papa@oberon.usc.edu "There's Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Diga and Caligari!" -- Rick Unland -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
ray@stevie.cs.unlv.edu (Ray Tripamer) (10/24/89)
In article <20742@usc.edu> papa@pollux.usc.edu (Marco Papa) writes: >Just 5 cents of thoughts. In the past 4 days I've seen the Amiga ads each >day at least once. If that continues, for sure I'll see them at least the >20 times 'people' are supposed to see them between now and Christmas. [ ... ] >While I do understand that the folks in Grand Forks, SD might never see >the ad, I also understand CBM strategy of targeting particular markets >(like LA for example). Since I'm sure that Las Vegas, NV is not in the top 18 media markets either, I doubt that I will see an Amiga TV add on a local station here. However, the cable system here carries WWOR (NY/NJ/CT) and WGN (Chicago). I have seen one add on WGN. Probably they are on WWOR also, I just haven't seen them yet. I think it was a good idea to buy "Superstation" add time since they are pseudo-national TV stations. I wonder if they appear on any other Cable Networks (TBS, TNT, NICK, MTV, VH-1, USA, DISC)? -- Ray Tripamer ray@jimi.cs.unlv.edu
swan@jolnet.ORPK.IL.US (Joel Swan) (10/24/89)
In article <20742@usc.edu> papa@pollux.usc.edu (Marco Papa) writes:
:Just 5 cents of thoughts. In the past 4 days I've seen the Amiga ads each
:day at least once. If that continues, for sure I'll see them at least the
:20 times 'people' are supposed to see them between now and Christmas.
:
:Actually I like the ads. They are short on 'substance', but the message
[Marco makes some points I agree with]
:already staed that an A2x00 campaign will be done 1Q90. While I do understand
:that the folks in Grand Forks, SD might never see the ad, I also understand CBM
:strategy of targeting particular markets (like LA for example).
I'm at a loss as to why CBM has TOTALLY bypassed the Chicago-Milwaukee-
NW Indiana area. With no less than 13-18 million people in the NE Illinois
tri-state area, CBM is missing a LOT of potential Amiga buyers, especially
in a commercial artsy town like Chicago. So far (and I've kept in touch
with a good number of people watching for them) there has not been ONE single
sighting of an Amiga ad here in Chicago; print or TV. I'm at a loss for words
and I feel very down about the whole issue. So much for all the nice things
I said about C-A to people at work. They all now think I was on drugs.
:
:I'm anxiously waiting to see the 7-page spreads in Life, Time and Newsweek.
I suppose they will be left out of the MIDWEST issues :-(
:
:-- Marco Papa 'Doc'
:-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
:uucp:...!pollux!papa BIX:papa ARPAnet:pollux!papa@oberon.usc.edu
:"There's Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Diga and Caligari!" -- Rick Unland
:-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Joel Swanggibeau@ucqais.uc.edu (AMOEBOID) (10/24/89)
In article <20742@usc.edu>, papa@pollux.usc.edu (Marco Papa) writes: > Just 5 cents of thoughts. In the past 4 days I've seen the Amiga ads each > day at least once. If that continues, for sure I'll see them at least the > 20 times 'people' are supposed to see them between now and Christmas. stuff deleted... > already staed that an A2x00 campaign will be done 1Q90. While I do understand > that the folks in Grand Forks, SD might never see the ad, I also understand CBM > strategy of targeting particular markets (like LA for example). > > -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= > uucp:...!pollux!papa BIX:papa ARPAnet:pollux!papa@oberon.usc.edu > "There's Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Diga and Caligari!" -- Rick Unland > -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= While the idea of advertising is fine (in fact it seems that it has only recently been discovered :-)), there area a few things that "bug" me about this campaign. At about the same time that dealers were sending in their info sheets to get their dealerships renewed, they were all invited to various locations for meetings with Mr. Copperman to discuss the future of the Amiga, as well as some upcoming events. At this time, the advertising blitz was discussed, and the word national was used with no mention of the top 18 spots. In addition, dealers were (how to say this politely" "encouraged" to partake of a massive buyin of A500s in order to subsidize the upcoming advertising (each dealer was to buy at least 20 machines). So, you are a dealer in East Nowhere, and think "Great, we will be seeing Amiga ads here finally, I will not only order my 20, but will get extras in anticipation of the upcoming swell in sales sure to happen once everyone sees these wonderful ads." However, after buying all these wonderful machines, and telling your friends and neighbors to start watching TV for the ads, you find out that only the top 18 spots in the US are considered NATIONAL, and that your area just doesn't happen to be in on this list. I can see where some of the dealers in the other (18 from how many - how high do they keep track of advertising areas) areas may get a bit (or more) POed at this turn of events. I still not have seen the ads in Cincinnati (we are 23rd) and I have been looking for them. Oh well, I guess the folks in advertising know best - at least some areas will get to see these ads. Maybe I can get a copy of them from someone (HINT HINT).... REgards, George Gibeau -- UUCP: ucqais.uc.edu!ggibeau BBS: (513) 721-7977 GT NODE: 006/005 US Snail-Dept of Biology ML 06, University of Cincinnati, Ohio 45221 Knock, Knock. Who's There? Cytidine Ribofuranosylcytosone. Cytidine Ribofuranosylcytosone Who? Cytidine Ribofuranosylcytosone PHOSPHATE!
davidc@pyr.gatech.EDU (DAVID CARTER) (10/24/89)
In article <1346@jimi.cs.unlv.edu> ray@jimi.cs.unlv.edu (Ray Tripamer) writes: >...I wonder if [the Amiga ads] appear on any other Cable >Networks (TBS, TNT, NICK, MTV, VH-1, USA, DISC)? They have already run twice on TBS, and will run a whopping 6 more times starting the middle of November during "Atlanta Hawks Basketball" and (get this) "Power Slam Wrestling" and "NWA Clash of the Champions Wresting." <barf!> David Carter davidc@pyr.gatech.edu
esker@abaa.uucp (Lawrence Esker) (10/24/89)
In article <1848@ucqais.uc.edu> ggibeau@ucqais.uc.edu (AMOEBOID) writes: > So, you are a dealer in East Nowhere, >and think "Great, we will be seeing Amiga ads here finally, I will not only >order my 20, but will get extras in anticipation of the upcoming swell in >sales sure to happen once everyone sees these wonderful ads." However, >after buying all these wonderful machines, and telling your friends >and neighbors to start watching TV for the ads, you find out that >only the top 18 spots in the US are considered NATIONAL, and that >your area just doesn't happen to be in on this list. I can see where >some of the dealers in the other (18 from how many - how high do >they keep track of advertising areas) areas may get a bit (or more) >POed at this turn of events. I still not have seen the ads in >Cincinnati (we are 23rd) and I have been looking for them. > George Gibeau I have seen a commercial on the Detroit FOX channel and on MTV. I wasn't too thrilled. They move too quick and over too soon before the eye even notices the special effects or what the amiga itself is doing. If I saw these before I bought my A1000 with v1.0, I probably wouldn't be convinced. (Yes I am an ancient master for those trivia people talking about v1.0.) In any event, I doubt if C= would be bothering to monkey with the little independent stations that carry FOX. It is possible that they advertise via the network itself. Also MTV is national for the cable watching folks. (BTW, I don't watch MTV, I just saw it flipping channels.) It is my guess that C= wants the 18 areas to see the commercials at least 20 times but are putting some effort into penetrating the East Nowhere market. -- ---------- Lawrence W. Esker ---------- Modern Amish: Thou shalt not need any computer that is not IBM compatible. UseNet Path: __!mailrus!sharkey!itivax!abaa!esker == esker@abaa.UUCP
don@vax1.acs.udel.EDU (Donald R Lloyd) (10/24/89)
If anyone wants to get a look at the magazine ads, a lot of dealers
have new new 10-page (or so) pamphlets containing the print ads. I picked one
up in a local Computerland about a week ago. I was pretty impressed by them.
Speaking of Computerland: If seven percent of the computerland stores
carry a product line, the entire chain HAS to pick up that line. Right now,
Ami is in about five percent of the CLand stores. Everybody go home and call
your local ComputerLand(s); "Do you carry the Amiga? No? Why not?"
We only need another 2% to get into the entire %100!!
--
------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------- Don Lloyd El Campeador don@vax1.acs.udel.edu |
| |Gibberish is | DISCLAIMER: don@pyr1.acs.udel.edu |
| |spoken here. | My employers are idiots. They wouldn't understand | | --------------- my babbling even if they WERE literate enough to read it. | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------filbo@gorn.santa-cruz.ca.us (Bela Lubkin) (10/27/89)
In article <1346@jimi.cs.unlv.edu> Ray Tripamer writes: > I think it was a good idea to buy "Superstation" add time since they are > pseudo-national TV stations. I wonder if they appear on any other Cable > Networks (TBS, TNT, NICK, MTV, VH-1, USA, DISC)? They're definitely on MTV. I suspect enough "superstation" ads have been bought to reach the 20 ads/person mark for 90% of the TV-watching populace. (I was watching MTV for the first time in several years, hacking away at a friend's UNIX box in his living room. I was AMAZED how repetitive the damn thing is. Not just videos, nooo, they run the same "news flash" items a hundred billion times each. yeecchchhh). Bela Lubkin * * // filbo@gorn.santa-cruz.ca.us CompuServe: 73047,1112 @ * * // ....ucbvax!ucscc!gorn!filbo ^^^-VERY slow [months] R Pentomino * \X/ Filbo @ Pyrzqxgl +408-476-4633 & XBBS +408-476-4945
filbo@gorn.santa-cruz.ca.us (Bela Lubkin) (10/27/89)
In article <4770@udccvax1.acs.udel.EDU> Donald R Lloyd writes: > Speaking of Computerland: If seven percent of the computerland stores > carry a product line, the entire chain HAS to pick up that line. Right now, > Ami is in about five percent of the CLand stores. Everybody go home and call > your local ComputerLand(s); "Do you carry the Amiga? No? Why not?" > We only need another 2% to get into the entire %100!! Yes, but do we want it? I bought my Amiga from a local ComputerLand. They were the most apathetic dealership I've ever seen. I'm GLAD they aren't an Amiga dealership any more, even though it means that there are only two dealers within 20 miles, neither of them great. This was back in '85 when the Amiga was supposed to ship "Real Soon Now". I had heard a rumor that ComputerLand/Santa Cruz was going to have a demo machine in that Saturday, so I went down there with a friend to check it out. There it was, an A1000 with a crowd of about 20 people drooling on it. It was being demonstrated by someone from Los Gatos -- he said he'd designed the case (does anyone know who that would be? I immediately forgot the name). After watching for about an hour, the guy doing the demo had to leave and the crowd largely broke up. I played with the machine for a while, then went off and LOOKED for a salesperson. When I finally collared one, I asked "So when are you going to have some machines in for sale?" He said "Oh, we have some in the back right now." I was floored. What kind of salesperson will let an obviously interested customer drool on the merchandise for over an hour and not even attempt to make a sale? It's not like he wasn't going to get a commission on it -- they were selling at full retail price and I'm sure the store's part of it was pretty high. I should have gotten a clue. But I went ahead and paid $2100 for an A1000 with external drive and the extra 256K card. ($1295+395+295+tax). After that I occasionally visited or called the store to see if they had any software for me to buy. Once they said they'd had Deluxe Paint, but it had sold out right away. I asked when they were going to have more and was told "Oh, we haven't ordered any". I >NEVER< actually saw any software for sale at that store. Fortunately they were finally dropped by Commodore. So I ask you, do we need that kind of support all over the country? I agree that it would be good to get the exposure, but is it going to be the right kind of exposure if 90% of the stores have one sorry looking A500 sitting in the back corner plaintively demanding "WorkBench 1.3"? In any case, I think your interpretation is wrong. I don't know about this 7% business, but I'm sure that when ComputerLand Corporate picks up an item, it doesn't mean that every store carries it. It just makes it easier for each store to carry it if they so desire. THERE's where it would be nice -- I'm sure there are at least some CL stores that would carry the machine if they could get a CL corporate discount, and that would actually bother to support it. It would also make it easier for schools or corporations to make large purchases -- they could contact the local CL and get it even if that CL doesn't carry the machine off-the-shelf. Sorry, this is sort of stream-of-consciousness. I've convinced myself along the way that we DO want it, but not for the same reasons as the original poster. I leave in the whole discussion so you can see why. Bela Lubkin * * // filbo@gorn.santa-cruz.ca.us CompuServe: 73047,1112 @ * * // ....ucbvax!ucscc!gorn!filbo ^^^-VERY slow [months] R Pentomino * \X/ Filbo @ Pyrzqxgl +408-476-4633 & XBBS +408-476-4945
kpicott%alias@csri.utoronto.ca (Socrates) (10/31/89)
In article <70.filbo@gorn.santa-cruz.ca.us> filbo@gorn.santa-cruz.ca.us (Bela Lubkin) writes: >In article <4770@udccvax1.acs.udel.EDU> Donald R Lloyd writes: >> Speaking of Computerland: If seven percent of the computerland stores >> carry a product line, the entire chain HAS to pick up that line. Right now, >> Ami is in about five percent of the CLand stores. Everybody go home and call >> your local ComputerLand(s); "Do you carry the Amiga? No? Why not?" >> We only need another 2% to get into the entire %100!! >Yes, but do we want it? I bought my Amiga from a local ComputerLand. They >were the most apathetic dealership I've ever seen. I'm GLAD they aren't an >Amiga dealership any more, even though it means that there are only two >dealers within 20 miles, neither of them great. > Not to mention the fact that Computerland is staffed mainly by sales creatures. Commodore would do well to *not* be carried by them. I was out helping my Uncle select a computer last month (couldn't sell him on the Ami - no dealers in his area), and we happened into the local Computerland in Detroit. The sales (ahem) man that served us seemed to think that IBM was the leader in technology and that the AppleIIgs was the ultimate computer for graphics (even though he had no color monitors!). When I asked him about the Amiga he referred me to Toys-R-Us (no kidding), which is about the time I beat a hasty retreat. Personally I would never buy, or recommend to buy a computer from a person who was not technically knowledgable. The place I go to won't even hesitate to recommend other stores who have better quality/less expensive equipment. That's the attitude of someone who wants to help you in the long run instead of forcing the quick sale.