Re: i5....continues... -- MIDRANGE-L

There are many perspectives on every IBM marketing campaign. The issue is
that there IS a marketing campaign. It may not be the one that the AS/400
bigot wants. And, of course, the many perspectives truly differ.

My points are these:
1) Any press is good press. Change makes press. i5/OS is change.
2) We have an "iSeries" running "OS/400". This is confusing to outsiders who
think our 400 thing is old and proprietary. A new name reflects new
technology.
3) It seems to me the people who are having a hard time accepting the
evolution of "our" platform are making the most noise. Negative attitudes do
not propagate positive noise about the amazing things that are happening to
our world.

I do not claim to be a marketing genius and I do not wish to know marketing
well enough to give IBM "advice". I believe there are several reasons why
the iSeries is not as widespread as it could be. One is that the believers
are not preaching to the unbelievers. Another one you said yourself: "The
challenge is to get the word out to the uninitiated". I think IBM ~is~
getting the word out - it is just not the word "AS/400". It is a new day. We
have new technology. I say, get used to it.


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Pete Helgren" <pete@xxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: RE: i5....continues...


> I beg to differ, Trevor.  Do we want to see some strong marketing of the
> iSeries?  Absolutely.  But from my perspective going from the iSeries to
i5
> will be no more effective than going from the AS/400 to iSeries.  The
> remarkable thing is that the incredible features of this platform DON'T
get
> communicated, just slick names and buzz words: Marketing Fluff.
>
> There was some discussion a while back that Super bowl advertising and the
> like is a waste of $$ since the decision makers aren't in that audience.
I
> don't know.  The guys running IT shops that REALLY need relief (and an
> iSeries) because they are running unstable Windows machines probably
> wouldn't see a Super bowl ad. They are busy patching, rebooting and
fighting
> off hackers instead of watching the Super bowl.  iSeries users may see the
> ads but that is preaching to choir:  I'll give up the iSeries when they
pry
> it from my cold, dead hands.
>
> The challenge is to get the word out to the uninitiated and I can't
believe
> a name change is the magic marketing bullet that will transform the
product.
> Instead, millions that could have been spent on more appropriate marketing
> will instead go to throwing out old brochures and changing names and
links.
> Shoot, MY customers were just starting to call it the iSeries...
>
> If we dis the marketing effort it is because we love this machine and want
> to see it "own the planet". If the change to i5 is going to change the
> landscape for the iSeries, my answer is: "Prove it".  But my past
experience
> is that a name change isn't what is needed.  Been there, done that.
>
> Pete Helgren