From: prs9k@brain.med.virginia.edu (Phil Scarr)
Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.advocacy
Subject: Re: More thoughts on ads..
Date: 3 Jan 93 19:08:12 GMT
Organization: Neuroclinical Trials Center, University of Virginia

In article <1993Jan3.162947.6596@wam.umd.edu> rsrodger@wam.umd.edu (Yamanari) writes:
>It occurs to me that a computer/computer software that is advertised 
>on TV or radio is in pretty bad shape.
>
>Observation:  Never has a TV campaign, so aimed, succeeded.
>
>Examples:  Commodore Amiga's number of ads
>	   The original PS/2 and OS/2 ads (MASH)
>	   Phillips CDI & Commodores CDTV (flops) 

Or then there's Microsoft Windows and it's associated software.  Or the
Intel Inside campaign.  Yep, it's never succeeded.

>	  
>
>When you advertise on TV or radio you are spending a lot more to contact
>a limited number of people.  How many of those listeners/watchers
>have computers?  How many know jack about them?

Actually when you advertise as IBM did on a major bowl game, you hit
EXACTLY the market you want: College-educated men between the ages of 24
and 45.  Unfortunately, IBM dropped the ball with their totally lame
advertising.

>
>A few ads in a some computer magazine (say, a two or three page insert
>a la DesqView/X)--or all ofthe computer magazines--would deliver a much
>higher hit rate than any radio or TV ad. 

Not true at all if the target market is the general home audience, the
folks who have been buying Windows like crazy.

>
>And "multitasking" is not the thing to advertise.  Most people--99% of them--
>can multitask adequately under Win3.1 w/4 megs and a 40mb HD (stacker or without).  The thing to push is that OS/2 is in many ways better (but let's not
>lie about it) and costs no more.  Furthermore, it would be nice to see some
>ads that showed real performance benchmarks for a 386sx-20 w/8 megs compared
>to the same system under DOS or Win3.1.. 

I agree with you here.  The multitasking issue is a bit arcane for these
folks, what IBM should have stressed was the superior crash protection,
the improved user interface and the ability to run most existing
software more efficiently.

>
>Then again, maybe benchmarks aren't a good idea.

Benchmarks aren't such a good idea for the TV target audience.

>
>
>-- 
>	Blaming "society" for your problems is like blaming clouds for rain.
>         ---  boycott == censorship == closed mindedness == cowardice  ---
>	      "Psalms 23:1  The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want."  
>		Shepherds are for sheep.   -----      Pain teaches.

	-Phil
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(--)== prs9k@virginia.edu === Phil Scarr === Department of Neurosurgery ==(--)
Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.advocacy