plouff@nac.dec.com (Wes Plouff) (09/14/88)
Even at 2 AM, under deadline pressure, Leo, you're right on target. To sell millions of Amigas, Commodore has to have an Image, capital I. We all have personal images of Apple, IBM, Compaq, Atari, even of my employer. All were put there very carefully by the marketroids from each company. And it wasn't just through advertising. But what is the general computer buying public's image of Commodore? If any? Now the trade and general press are starting to call the Mac II a perfect platform for desktop video. Geez, why doesn't C-A marketing jump on it? Here is _the_ application to propel Amy to millions of units sold. And what do we get? Print ads in video magazines. At the risk of bringing back last year's "great ads are simple" discussion, here are a couple of ideas which illustrate Commodore's corporate and technical strong points. Imagine live-on-tape commercials, graphics all by Amy, a little improvised feel. +++ Advertisement number 1: ANNOUNCER: [Standing in front of an Amiga 500, VCR and monitor.] What does it cost to get into desktop video production? Our competitors say, spend five, ten, fifteen thousand dollars or more. We say, take this $800 Amiga 500, plug this composite video adapter into the computer and your VCR [plugs cable into VCR], and start your program. [Clicks on icon. CUT to VCR output. Program runs awhile while announcer describes features.] ANN: Didn't get that? [Fast rewind VCR on-screen, then forward again. Announcer describes more features.] The Commodore Amiga -- complete desktop video systems from about $1500. +++ Advertisement number 2: ANNOUNCER: Here's desktop video for your budget with the Commodore Amiga. Here's what you get for $1500... [Demonstrate capabilites of A500 setup.] Here's what you can do for $3500... [More sophisticated effects using A2000.] And here's what you can create for $5500... [Killer live action-graphics-animation mix] These are complete prices including hardware and software. Cameras, VCRs, and musical instruments sold separately. All the images in this commercial were created using Amigas and products available today. Write to us and we'll tell you exactly how we did it. +++ Now, compare these sketches with the rising-from-the-mist commercial shown several months ago. What Images of C-A does each create? The booklet mailed to people who answer Advertisement 2 could include lists of products used, setup and cabling diagrams, short step-by-step descriptions of the process, and a price list for the products in each of the three setups. Even though many readers wouldn't understand a lot of it, think of the import of a pamphlet that tells how _one person_ can duplicate a network TV ad using affordable equipment. What Image of the Amiga does this create? We techies, as Leo says, look at the other boxes and realize how little there is inside to justify their reputations. But why are the Commodore marketeers so afraid to try something creative, like image-oriented ads, events, seed units to Big Names, commissioned projects, exposure to the press? Not all these things require big bucks. Is it really _that hard_? -- Wes Plouff, Digital Equipment Corp, Littleton, Mass. plouff%nac.dec@decwrl.dec.com Disclaimer: These opinions are mine, and do not necessarily reflect the views of my employer.
ewhac@well.UUCP (Leo 'Bols Ewhac' Schwab) (09/15/88)
In article <8809131652.AA03961@decwrl.dec.com> plouff@nac.dec.com (Wes Plouff) writes: >At the risk of bringing back last year's "great ads are simple" >discussion, here are a couple of ideas which illustrate Commodore's >corporate and technical strong points. Imagine live-on-tape >commercials, graphics all by Amy, a little improvised feel. >+++ >Advertisement number 1: >[ ... ] >ANN: Didn't get that? [Fast rewind VCR on-screen, then forward again. >Announcer describes more features.] The Commodore Amiga -- complete >desktop video systems from about $1500. > Not bad, but a little flat. >Advertisement number 2: >[ ... ] >[Demonstrate capabilites of A500 setup.] >[More sophisticated effects using A2000.] >[Killer live action-graphics-animation mix] >[ ... ] >Write to us and we'll tell you exactly how we did it. > I had a slightly similar idea, only it went something like this (sorry to annoy you all with this, but my imagination cook up nonsense like this almost all the time): -------- [ On-screen blitz of graphics by Allen Hastings, Steve Segal, Tracy McSheery, Louis Markoya, Eric Daniels, Eric Graham, et al. Perhaps a Sonix score running in the background. Voice over, with long pauses to fill out to 30 seconds. ] VOICE OVER: All these dazzling computer graphics were created on a system costing less than $3000. [pause] Want to know how we did it? [ Music builds to climax and stops dead. Screen shows toll-free 800 number in a respectable font on a black background. The Amiga checkmark sits in a hollow white box just to the left of the number.] VOICE OVER: Call us. -------- Another idea I had of late was: -------- [ SPOKESPERSON is a respectable-looking type of person who may or may not be wearing a cape (hint, hint...), who is standing in front of a black background. S/he holds up a slick-looking document in one hand. ] SPOKESPERSON: This is a quarterly report. Businesses of all sizes publish these from time to time. They contain graphs, charts, illustrations, tables, and narrative text. And more and more businesses are turning to the Apple Macintosh to create reports of this kind. Now, we here at Commodore, even though we compete with Apple, have to reluctantly admit that the Macintosh is an excellent tool for generating this kind of report. We would, however, be very grateful if you would take a moment to ask yourself a question. Which report would you be more inclined to spend time with: The one Apple can help you create... [ SPOKESPERSON holds up VHS video cassette in other hand. ] ...or the one we can help you create? [ Fade in Amiga logo. Hold. Fade to black. ] -------- >The booklet mailed to people who answer Advertisement 2 could include >lists of products used, setup and cabling diagrams, short step-by-step >descriptions of the process, and a price list for the products in each >of the three setups. [ ... ] This could be sent to people who call the toll-free number. Just ideas floating around in my head... _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_ Leo L. Schwab -- The Guy in The Cape INET: well!ewhac@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU \_ -_ Recumbent Bikes: UUCP: pacbell > !{well,unicom}!ewhac O----^o The Only Way To Fly. hplabs / (pronounced "AE-wack") "Work FOR? I don't work FOR anybody! I'm just having fun." -- The Doctor
ruslan@ecsvax.uncecs.edu (Robin C. LaPasha) (09/16/88)
In article <7112@well.UUCP>, ewhac@well.UUCP (Leo 'Bols Ewhac' Schwab) writes: > In article <8809131652.AA03961@decwrl.dec.com> plouff@nac.dec.com (Wes Plouff) writes: > >At the risk of bringing back last year's "great ads are simple" > >discussion, here are a couple of ideas which illustrate Commodore's > >corporate and technical strong points. Imagine live-on-tape > >commercials, graphics all by Amy, a little improvised feel. > >[ ... ] > I had a slightly similar idea, only it went something like this > -------- > [ SPOKESPERSON is a respectable-looking type of person who may or may not be > wearing a cape (hint, hint...), who is standing in front of a black > background. S/he holds up a slick-looking document in one hand. ] > SPOKESPERSON: This is a quarterly report. Businesses of all sizes publish > these from time to time. They contain graphs, charts, > illustrations, tables, and narrative text. And more and more > businesses are turning to the Apple Macintosh to create reports of > this kind. Now, we here at Commodore, even though we compete with > Apple, have to reluctantly admit that the Macintosh is an excellent > tool for generating this kind of report. We would, however, be very > grateful if you would take a moment to ask yourself a question. > Which report would you be more inclined to spend time with: The one > Apple can help you create... > [ SPOKESPERSON holds up VHS video cassette in other hand. ] > ...or the one we can help you create? > [ Fade in Amiga logo. Hold. Fade to black. ] > _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_ > Leo L. Schwab -- The Guy in The Cape INET: well!ewhac@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU It's an interesting tack, and it's probably the hot new thing I've missed... but how do you do a video business presentation? Animations of pie charts exploding? Graphs growing? I mean, I'm not being critical, but I've never seen an example of such a beast - what would be presented in a video format as opposed to paper, in a business environment? Has anybody here ever seen or made such a bizvid? Robin LaPasha ruslan@ecsvax.UUCP ruslan@uncecs.edu ruslan@ecsvax.uncecs.edu (something oughta work...) I n e w s... A a r g h!