RE: [Interlug] Re: iSeries marketing request at Common Lug Luncheon (fwd) -- MIDRANGE-L

Brad,

"Whoop... There it is...!"  (I'd attribute the musician(s), but I forget who
Brad Stone told me it was.)  (Maybe it was "Tag Team"?... Never heard of
'em...;-)

===> This is the way to do it.  Period.  WOM (word of mouth).  Maybe I
haven't been saying right, but you've stated it very succinctly.  WOM
sells...  It sells A LOT BETTER than marketing.  Does anyone here actually
pay attention to ads, anymore.  The only reason I do is I'm taking a
self-study course in the school of hard knocks on marketing.


I started being interested in the subject, about the time I reading views
that people are tired of being BLUDGEONED by ads.  And people will defend
themselves against this onslaught of ads by ignoring them.  I've seen all
the comments about IBM's lack of 400 ads.  I agree with the comments, the
400 should get it's fair share, but I never really believed it would make a
*significant* dent in the problem.  It would help if IBM marketed the 400
more, but not all that much.

If you don't believe me, then give me examples of anyone that bought a
server after seeing an ad on the TV.  The ads create (what they call in the
trade) "brand equity".  A couple years ago, IBM increased their "brand
equity" rating by $10 BILLION, in ONE YEAR.  I wrote to Ms. Kohnstamm, who
is in charge of ALL IBM marketing, and member of Mr. Gerstners CEC
(something like) "Isn't this the key: turning brand equity into owner's
equity".

I don't think the iSeries Community believes what I wrote above, nor what
you wrote below, Brad.


===> IMV, the iNation is just an organized way of going about stuff like
this.  It's a mindset for implementing these kinds of ideas.  It's a vehicle
for ***IBM paying back the Community for it's support***.  But it's
chicken-and-egg time, IMV.


I wish you'd seen my post, about 2 - 4 months back, Brad, where I stated
that the iNation requires both legs to take steps forward, alternately.  IBM
is one leg, the iCitizens are the other.  What you're suggesting below is
do-able.  But I don't see it happening until some more strides are taken.  I
also wrote that the leg representing the iCitizens appears to just be
wiggling a little, and that only once every while.  If the iNation got
semi-organized, did what you suggested below, logged these actions and their
results, and presented the findings to the appropriate folks in IBM...  I
have faith IBM would respond appropriately.  I believe if they saw *actual
results* from efforts like the one you suggested, they'd fund the iNation to
a greater extent.

I think iCitizens are waiting to see a commitment from IBM, something to
this effect, IN WRITING, before they'll buy into the program and take a
suggestion like you made, below.

===> I don't that's ever gonna happen.  It'd have to go through IBM Legal.
There are a host of legal issues involved, but I've already posted about
that, months ago (5 nines sure I did, anyway).


I'm going to cross-post all this to the david's iSN-Citzens list, Brad.  I
take it you're not an iCitzen and/or not subscribed to this list.  You know,
from a couple private e-mails, that I really respect your views, right Brad?
I'm just phrasing the following in-your-face comment as constructive
criticism:  You are doing a disservice to the Community, IMV, by not being a
leader of the iNation.  The iNation has formal leaders (the iNation Freedom
Council), but it also has leaders who serve by their actions.

This reply pertains to both your post and the iNation.  So I'm suggesting a
TFRCTL of this thread over to that list.  Follow-up whereever, if you want,
Brad...  I'm heading out of town, after I get caught up on some
correspondence, so may not reply for a few days.  I'm also writing 2 replies
to Bill Reger.  I'm thinking of you, Brad, as I write these.

Thanks, so much...:-)

jt

> -----Original Message-----
> From: midrange-l-admin@midrange.com
> [mailto:midrange-l-admin@midrange.com]On Behalf Of Brad Jensen
> Sent: Sunday, November 18, 2001 2:48 AM
> To: midrange-l@midrange.com
> Subject: Re: [Interlug] Re: iSeries marketing request at Common Lug
> Luncheon (fwd)
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "jt" <jt@ee.net>
> To: <midrange-l@midrange.com>
> Sent: Wednesday, November 14, 2001 11:30 PM
> Subject: RE: [Interlug] Re: iSeries marketing request at Common
> Lug Luncheon (fwd)
>
>
> > This is a succinct summary of my as-yet unwritten part 3 of
> yesterdays
> > posts:
>
>
> The best way to advertise the ISeries is for all of you to tell
> all of your customers and the friends you meet at trade
> associations that you are using ISeries and love it. Stick it in
> your email tag line with a link back to IBM.
>
> My server can beat up your server
>
> etc.