RE: Marketing the platform was: System i - Mentioned twice in SD Times

Trevor,

"My personal suggestion is to use i5/OS in your title. Somewhere on the
page, you can define the audience. An example:"

I understand your logic here - but history has proven it to be flawed.
A business manager that thinks he owns an AS/400 that runs OS/400 will
not often get past the cover page of a brochure that says i5/OS. We've
got less than a second to capture their attention, if we are not
speaking in their language, the probability that we will lose them goes
up exponentially.

jte

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-----Original Message-----
From: midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Trevor Perry
Sent: Thursday, February 21, 2008 8:39 PM
To: Midrange Systems Technical Discussion
Subject: Re: Marketing the platform was: System i - Mentioned
twice in SD Times

Booth,

Today, the IBM name for what we do is i5/OS. What you are
doing is i5/OS consulting, or i5/OS software. Your brochure
should address the audience you chase. Decide who that is,
and mention them on your brochure.

My personal suggestion is to use i5/OS in your title.
Somewhere on the page, you can define the audience. An example:

"I am an i5/OS consultant."
"My customers are companies or organizations using i5/OS or
OS/400 on AS/400, iSeries or System i servers."

And then shut up about it. Explain it no further - you have
all the relevant names. Sorry if that sounds pretentious or
confused to you, but with this, you cover all your bases,
google included. Stop defending it, and just say it like it
is. Stop trying to explain it. Stop deriding it.

If you want to move a little step further into the future,
you could say:
"My customers are companies or organizations using i5/OS or
OS/400 on AS/400, iSeries, and System i servers and Power6 blades."

Adapt and evolve.
Trevor


On 2/21/08 11:10 PM, "Booth Martin" <booth@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

If Chevrolet can be a brand name for 75 years than so can't AS/400.
People understand that Malibu, Corvair, and Caprice are

name plates,

but Chevrolet is what they are buying.

I am soooo tired of spending my energy trying to figure out how to
reach my potential clients without sounding either old

fashioned or so

edgy as to sound pretentious and confused.

You tell me, Trevor, what do I put on my brochure? I want

to reach the

owners, users, and IT directors of the IBM midrange platform,
including those whose iron may be pre-2005, or even pre-2000.

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