jacobson@uxe.cso.uiuc.edu (09/08/89)
I got this off a local BBS from one of our clubs former Presidents who is
now a dealer on the east coast for Commodore products. It tells what they
have now been told by Commodore about the fall ad campaign. I thought it
to be of enough interest to post here for you all
220
Msg # : 220 of 227 - Ref 9261
From : STEVE ENDSLEY
To : ALL
Posted : 2036h on 05-Sep-89 * CUCUG
Subject: Commodore Owners Meeting
Base : General
Greetings Folks!
Just stopped to quickly go over the fall lineup on Commodore's Christmas sale
and publicity campaign.
Today Harry Copperman met with all store owners fron the East Coast area in
Newark, NJ at the Radison hotel conference room. He also brought along his
entire new staff to introduce to everyone, which did include your own Howard
Diamond. The basics went as follows:
- The A500 will be sold at its normal price, but will include
a. a software package of a paint prg, word processor, etc. (5 prgs)
none were stipulated by name
b. a coupon book of rebate certificates for software and 3rd party
peripheral hardware will be included. It is worth $500. in
redeemables at the local dealer
If you read, as I did, in INFO that there was a bundled 500/ram
expansion/monitor/software deal...........NOPE! That is it. BUT! I believe
this to be a terrific savings to the end user in as much as he must buy
software to get going, etc. So it really is worth more this way, and
Commodore doesn't have to shell out a group of bucks, and save it for the new
ad campaign.
THE AD CAMPAIGN!?!? Yes, it is true, and we saw the story board today, and
shooting starts next week. The commercials (3) are being produced through
Lucasfilms, and directed by the fella who did "Batteries Not Included". The
first commercial will include the Pointer Sisters, Tommy LaSorda, and the
Astronauts who wlaked on the moon. They will all visit little Stevies house
for advice from him and his Amiga..... Thesecond is about the power of the
Amiga, and little Stevie leveitates his house. That is where the Lucasfilm
part really helps out. The third commercial is......as they told
us........wait and see for yourself. An other words.....top secret. Rumor
has it that BB King will be in that one.
H. Copperman worked a deal since Lucasfilms is involved, and got Entertainment
Tonight to do a series of BEHIND THE SCENES captions as it is filmed. The
commercials are due to start airing the week of Oct 16, and ET will air a
portion of the making of the commercials each night that week. They are
scheduled to show 150 commercials/week from Oct 16-Nov 9; and then do 250/week
from Nov 9-Christmas.
On top of this! Time, Life, and Newsweek will start running ads in October as
well. It will consist of full page 'actual' success stories about Ami and the
user. They told us it will not be a small block on a page, but 7 full pages in
a row in each issue!
Then the emphasis turned to the new dealer plan, and Copperman made it clear
that NO AMIGA were to be magazine sold. Period. If any owneres are caught
selling to someone like Montgomery Grant, bye bye dealer. M. Grant is making
their sales possible at this time by purchasing liquidated machines at
bankruptcy sales. Any machine they sell, will not be considered warrantied!
Take notice!
Next, we spoke with Howard Diamond about the new plans to implement the Amiga
in the Universities. Yes, there will be a time soon when the AMIGA will be
sold to students and faculty for 40-50% off the 500, but no dates announced
yet. Plus, they will be handled through the local dealership, not Commodore
direct. New softwares are being written to beef up this program.
Then a brief plan was told on the new offices opening in Washington D.C. in
the next 2 weeks. If you heard of the largest computer contract ever landed
by a company a few years ago, it was Zenith who landed a GSA gvmt contract for
286 DOS machines. Well, the guy who engineered that plan and landed it, now
works for Harry. His goal is to land GSA contracts for Commodore in D.C. and
all gvmt agencies across the country.
Last for now, Harry Copperman told us, many mistakes were made in his office
by predecessors. He would have done things differently, and maybe AMIGA would
be known now. But now is our time, and we are pulling no holds. All the
stops have been pulled. They have already doubled the support staffs for
service, cleaned up the Quality control areas, and are now supporting the
dealers at all costs. He asks that we the dealers push the machine in the
U.S. because we need to sell over a million in the USA alone to make large
software companies take us seriously. He has already been in contact with the
major groups, and asked for Amiga supported software from folks like
Microsoft, Simaon and Schuster, etc. So a lot is in the works, and it appears
this Super Harry is for real. At the Q&A session, many skeptical dealers
asked questions, pretty much demeaning the "why should I believe this load
this time"? His response was simple. Becuae I wasn't the man at the top, and
someone else was. He said he is an engineer and knows what needs to happen,
and noone has ever been in his position with the qualifications he has. He
also said he has surrounded himself with the best in the industry, and iff
these guys can't do it, then all the computer industry is lost.
Anyway, that is the gist of the 4 hour meeting, and I came out feeling very
satisfied with this man. He is definitely in control, and demands his dealers
will help, or be fired. He has created some watch dog patrols to check out
dealerships to see if adequate sapport is being kept up to HIS standards. If
not.......so longs dealer.
Any questions, feel free to quiz me, there is a lot more, but these are the
basic highlights.
Cheers!
Steve Endsley
Owner/Pre.-Digital Connection Computers
Status : (A1)
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>221
Msg # : 221 of 227 - Ref 9264
From : STEVE ENDSLEY
To : ALL (KEVIN HISEL)
Posted : 2232h on 05-Sep-89 * CUCUG
Subject: Nope
Base : General
Along the lines of a 14 mil ad budget....it did not happen! Commodore tried
to get the A500 into Sears and Montgomery Wards; showrooms, and that was where
the revenue of 7 million would come from. Since that did not happen, the
budget is now 7 million dollars, plus a loan for ads, based the fact that ALL
dealers MUST buy 20 A500 systems before Christmas. This is to help defray
what did not materialize.
Although, the A500 did come out in the Sears Christmas wish book, I personally
asked Harold Copperman at a meeting today if that was correct advertising. He
said he personally did NOT want it in the catalog, but in the showroom. But
the decision to put it in the book, and the fact that they were already being
printed happened before his time, so he had to just go with it for now. But
he did say, anyone buying it from Sears' book, and having a problem, would be
required to return it to Sears because they are responsible for having their
own repair department.
GOOD LUCK On THAT ONE!!!!
Steve Endsley
Status : (R)
End of Msg 221
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>
Well thats the messages I got. To bad about the $7 million from Sears and
Montgomery Ward, but it looks like Copperman is really trying to do what
we have wanted CBM to do all along----promote the Amiga. As others have
said it looks like the Amiga will no longer be an unknown. Now lets hope
the consumer gets hooked and lots of Amy's get sold!!!!
Russ Jacobson
Illinois Geological Survey
jacobson@uiucuxe
jacobson%uiucuxe@a.cs.uiuc.edu
jacobson%uiucuxe@uiuc.csnet
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