Re: IBM Spin Doctors on AS/400 Marketing

>>1.) A lot of computer decisions have the look of a logical analytical
>>decision, when in reality it is an emotional biased decision.
>I think this is more the lower end than higher end. I also think this is
>where the bleed over from consumer purchasing affects MIS. That's because
>idiots making an NT purchase (not all NT purchases are buy idiots, that's
>just my example here) expect their enterprise wide application to run on
>the $1000 Computer City special they bought. The spending and expectations
>grow and grow, pulling cash and resources from MIS to support these
>things.
>But I think that higher end decisions are made primarily analytically.
>Now, that doesn't mean without bias. After all, if I had two choices that
>were roughly equivelant, I would pick the AS/400 one.

I see this across the board and have seen it across the board.  Now, I only
have 14 years of experience but I have seen this kind of mentality for
small
to large purchases.  For the companies I work for and for others.....

I wish it wasn't this way but I think it is.  Trust me (oooh I hate that
phrase), I
do not in any way think that's how it should be just that it is.


>>3.) Our perception on the AS/400 is not 100% unemotional - we are
>>humans after all.
>>4.) Ads are not the sole answer and not even the most important - we are
>>talking about marketing not just advertising.
>Umm, isn't that what the whole Java and Notes thing is all about???!!! Are
>we so damn blind that we can't see that IBM is using the important
>technologies of today to market the AS/400?

Well, that is one way to look at it.  I think Notes almost suffers from the
same
problem as the AS/400.  How many people really know what Notes is and
what groupware is?  At least people know the name and sometimes ask
'What about this Notes thing?'.  I get that more than I get 'What about
this
AS/400 thing?'.  Notes will help sell the AS/400 but nowhere near what it
will help sell NT.......

>Okay, so what is the concept that we are trying to get across to IBM then?
>If it isn't ads and it isn't staying on the leading edge of technology
>(without losing reliability) the what is it???

It's the perception of image - that perception can be formed by many
things.
The e ads did almost nothing to help.
>I'm sorry, I thought what was being asked here was for IBM to put money
>into advertisements for the AS/400. I must have misunderstood what I was
>reading before. Please bring me up to date, what is it that is being asked
>for?
Some people may see more money into ads as the solution but I don't.  Yes,
I think they should but it goes a little beyond that.

>>1.) IBM has tauted the AS/400 as 'the server of choice' but done it
>>quietly.
>Rochester may have, but the RS/6000 group doesn't seem to concur. I would
>guess that the mainframe guys don't buy it either, because I have seen
>S/390 ads touting it as a web server.

And the point is?  The RS/6000 people aren't going to roll over and die and
nor
are the lameframers.  I was just noting that IBM has advertised the AS/400
as the
server of choice but how many people know it?

Do you think that the IBM AS/400e rollout preceded the IBM e rollout by a
few
weeks by mistake?  That was purposely done but do you think anyone noticed?

>>2.) I'm sure it's just an example but the AS/400 has blown away the
>>RS/6000 in profitability for years.  The PC people have also been on
questionable
>>ground for years.
>Well, I know that the AS/400 division does show the highest margin.
>However, it is my understanding that that IS the RS/6000 division. They
>are simply different groups (brands) within the division. But that trend
>may or may not be holding. After all, if (as has been pointed out) market
>momentum is moving toward NT, then wouldn't it be brighter of IBM to
>simply keep their PC based servers ahead of the crowd and train up on NT
>services?
1.) I don't know all the specific numbers but I think that the AS/400
division
has literally carried the RS/6000 division in terms of profitability.
Granted the
RS/6000 division competes in a much tougher arena (workstations for
example).  Maybe someone else can comment on this.

2.) Assuming that the market is intelligent, assuming that Microsoft is not
selling it's customers down a rosy path, assuming NT can do half what it's
touted to do, assuming NT will ever scale, assuming Microsoft will ever
embrace Notes and Java, assuming that NT uptime will ever get where
it should be now, and assuming NT is a financially proper decision for
a company to make then yes, I would think IBM out to get ahead of the
crowd.  I've never said don't do anything with NT - just asking the AS/400
to be treated as it should.  Maybe IBM ought to sell the division off if
this
is such a problem and NT is it's financial salvation.  I'm sure Microsoft
could
sell more AS/400's than IBM could.

:-)  Sorry, should have warned about the soap box mode....

3.) Besides, doesn't the everyone's doing it attitude sound a little
dangerous
to you?  Doesn't mean it's wrong, but also doesn't mean it's right.

>>I think one of the things that most of us desire is for IBM to not take
>this thing lying down which is the impression most of us get.
>>I truly feel that a lot of long time AS/400 advocates are tired of
>>fighting a battle that should be IBM's to some degree.
>I would hardly call all the work IBM has done and is doing with the AS/400
>as "taking it lying down". Of course, until Notes and Java are actually
>released products on the AS/400 it is a little tougher to pat anyone on
>the back. But I think this is exactly what IBM needs to do. Bring
>functions to the AS/400. Advertise the functionality. Then, you aren't
>locked out of shops with NT or Unix bias. Get in there and pitch a
>solution. If the best solution is the AS/400, then sell it.

Agreed.  I think you are confusing the issue here.  I (and I think most
people who have voiced there opinion)  am not saying that there is
something
wrong or missing with the AS/400 (except for V3R3 for a few - just kidding
, I'm a RISC man myself).  Rochester has done a great job with the
machine.  It does almost everything we need it to do and does it
extremely well.  I just think most of the world is ignorant to the machine.

Let's see:

1.) Great OLTP machine
2.) Great database server
3.) Depending on your config a good file server
4.) Pretty good data warehouse machine
5.) Pretty good internet/intranet server
6.) Soon to be a great if not premier Notes server
7.) Good Java server.
8.) Good C/S server.
9.) etc.
10.) etc.

How many people know that?  To me the real problem lies up in Armonk
with the Cookie man and in Summers........





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