Re: iSeries (non-) Marketing - part 24,566

["Jim Franz" <franz400@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

so are you saying that the flood of Microsoft Win2003 server ads using
buzzwords like "integration" and "built-in" and "cost savings"
and "reliable", all talking about a specific software product
are not effective to the target audience?
jim

----- Original Message -----
From: "Hans Boldt" <boldt@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: <midrange-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, September 09, 2003 10:58 AM
Subject: Re: iSeries (non-) Marketing - part 24,566


> Scott Johnson wrote:
>
> > Selling a name only goes so far.  If ads never really say what IBM is
good at or
> > what products they actually have, people won't use them.  They won't
know what
> > to use them for.  Some of the ads they are running right now, just don't
make
> > any REAL sense.  They have too much of a fantasy feel to them (server
pixie
> > dust).
> >
> > Lets say Dodge makes an ad that does nothing but 'sells' their name.
Nothing
> > about the different vehicles they sell, just their name.  How would you
know
> > that they sell a truck?  You then have Ford with an ad on their truck
showing
> > off all its capabilities.  Where are you going to go to buy a new
> > truck(solution) to haul stuff(problem)?  Now this maybe a bad example,
but it
> > does try to make my point.  ;-)
> >
>
> First, you can't compare the selling of consumer oriented products
> (like trucks or soap) to the selling of IT services. A consumer
> watching an IBM ad on TV isn't going to jump out an buy an iSeries,
> like he might with an ad for something else.
>
> Secondly, I think everyone knows what business IBM is in. The ads
> provide a message: "Come to us and we'll help with your IT needs."
> That's a simple and more powerful message than you'd get from
> pushing particular pieces of hardware and software. If you had an ad
> quoting various specs and numbers, you'd lose most of your potential
> audience.
>
> Thirdly, some of those ads (like the silly "server pixie dust" ad)
> are targetted not to techies like us, but to executives who have the
> actual decision making authority. That's why some of these ads
> feature execs in a boardroom. They're the ones who'll call IBM to
> discuss solutions. At that level, they're not concerned with the
> details of the solution, but rather with making the solution happen.
>
> Cheers! Hans
>
>
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