From: mikeh@starnine.com (Mike Haas)
Subject: Re: A3000T ad (was: Re: New A3000T ?!?
Date: Wed, 2 Sep 1992 01:46:00 GMT
Organization: StarNine Technologies, Inc.

In article <Bt8x00.DBp@news.cso.uiuc.edu> gerber@orion.astro.uiuc.edu (Richard A. Gerber) writes:
>In <1992Aug19.160808.16669@nntp.uoregon.edu> ggiles@cie.uoregon.edu (Gregg Giles) writes:
>
>>In article <Bt72Kt.7nz@news.cso.uiuc.edu> gerber@orion.astro.uiuc.edu (Richard A. Gerber) writes:
>>>
>>>This was an amazing thing about the ad: you had to read the fine print
>>>to figure out what in the heck was being advertised! A dorky cartoon of some
>
>>   You mean the picture of the computer and '040 didn't help any? Amazing...
>
>1. The original poster (whose comments have been deleted) stated that
>   he didn't realize until he read the text that there was an '040 in
>   the machine. I was agreeing with him.
>2. I (and most people) wouldn't know what an '040 looked like if hit in the
>   face with one.
>3. The only place I've ever seen what an A3000T looked like was in a 
>   picture in a magazine. I doubt there is one within 150 miles of me.
>   If you gave me one and covered up the C= logo, I'd have no idea
>   what kind of computer it was just by looking. Don't expect me to
>   recognize a picture in a magazine. 
>   
>>>character straight out of Amiga World's 'Last 'Licks' column with a
>>>knife and fork in his hand is supposed to sell the high end Amiga?

Absolutely!  Imagine, a cartoon character to sell a computer.  Where's
the sex?  We need to see babes!  I mean, who buys computers anyway!

Last I heard, only men and lesbians.

>>   So what do you want them to use? They could be like clone retailers and
>>splurge half-nude females on the screens with a page full of useless numbers,
>>or they could be like Apple and but somebody in a suit smiling and talking
>>about how wonderful it is to use a Macintosh.

Why only half-nude?  Less clothes, more sales, no?

>
>Maybe somewhere something like:
>"Commodore announces the new powerful Amiga 3000T Computer"

You bet.  Does it for me!  Just reading it here, I almost ran out
and bought one.

Better yet, little pictures!  You, know, like on the TV show
CONCENTRATION.  The C= logo opening a cardboard box with a
tower (TV broadcasting type) in it.  Put big muscles on the
tower to show how powerful it is.  The follow that with a "+"
character, a U, an equals sign and a smiley.  Something like...

   C= + U = :-)

>Here I immediately see that (1) Commodore is advertising. (2) A computer
>is being advertised. (3) There's something "new" and "powerful" about it.

Correct.  Forget all that text.  Just a page with an 84 point font
saying "Commodore announces..." etc.

Get's all three points across.  Along with all the points in that font!

>
>This beats "Good news for the power hungry". (I think that was it.) 

You bet.  Also beats "Great taste...less filling"...
"No New Taxes" and "If your nose runs and you feet smell... YOU'RE
BUILT UPSIDE DOWN!"

You DO have a handle on advertising, don't you?

>I read
>that and didn't know what was being advertised.

I know.  Even though I was reading BYTE, and it showed a picture
of a computer, stated Commodore AMIGA... that stupid line caused me
to think for 15-20 minutes that I was reading a Safeway ad.
Then a full 5 minutes wondering if it was an ad for Power Tools.
I was convinced for awhile it was an ad for a newspaper...
talked about 'news'...was printed in black & white...

I kept wondering why it said all that stuff about computers.
It just didn't make sense!

>So I looked a little
>further. 

Me too!

>I saw that cartoon character with his knife and fork licking his
>lips.

Yeah.  Did YOU start looking for Madonna too?  This is uncanny!

>I turned the page. 

Wow!  EXACTLY like I did.  Are you psychic?

>Only when going through the magazine later did
>I notice that it was advertising the A3000T '040. 

Kind of a delayed reaction, eh?  That's better than me.  I never
DID catch on.  I'm still trying to figure out if it was an ad
for a new feminine hygiene product or a Buick.

Thanks for the clue.  I'm going to get my issue and see if I
can figure it out now.  Sometimes all you need is a little
help.


>Sure, you can say, "You should read these things more carefully." But
>advertising is supposed to catch the eye and draw interest.

You're right... I just said it 3 times!
"You should read these things more carefully."
"You should read these things more carefully."
"You should read these things more carefully."
I can even type it without too much effort.

Man, are you into advertising.  I had no idea that sentence
could be said so effortlessly!  Where can I buy one?

>
>>   Zax be ungst! What the hell do people want? First people bitched because
>>"Commodore never advertises". And now that they do, they get bitched at
>>because "the ads are stupid". Come on people, don't look a gift horse in the
>>mouth.
>
>The cartoon character will only perpetuate the stereotype that the Amiga
>is just a whimsical "game" computer. This may be fine for selling A500s and
>A600s, but no one is going to buy an A3000T '040 primarily for playing games.

Right On!  They're not going to spend all that money for
a computer that can just draw silly cartoon characters
in magazines, either!  (Hey... this is easy!)

>I mean, really, who was that ad aimed at? I can't figure it out. 

Probably cartoon-artists.  Or power-hungry dictators.  It IS
difficult to ponder.  Maybe we should follow up with Commodore
and see if Disney studios or Saddam Hussein bought one?

I know... it was aimed at readers of TIME magazine!  (just a guess)

>If it was
>just meant as a general announcement that "Look, we've got an '040 machine
>out," they could have said that in bold type and communicated the message
>much more effectively.

They ARE fools!  Haven't they ever heard of skywriting?  Is
there such a thing as "bold smoke"?