Conference 7.286::digital

    Lord Lever, who co-founded Lever Brothers, once said,
    
    "50% of our marketing and advertising budget is always wasted.
    Unfortunately nobody can ever tell me which 50%."
    
    I suspect it's true for us too.

    
    I saw the newest ad on Alpha/NT, with the image of a small boy on a
    tricycle opened up to several cyclists jumping during a road race.
    In black & white, it's an impressive ad (I wasn't as impressed by the
    color version.) I hear it's going into the Wall Street Journal, which
    is also a positive step - I'm glad to see us moving beyond the trade
    rags, and this seems consistent with our aim toward "high-end"
    consumers. We don't need to put an Imagine ad in the National Enquirer.
    
    On the other hand... maybe it's just me, but I feel as though we're
    being blown away by the glitz of our competitors' ads. I've seen the
    ads on TV for Hitachi and Intel - they're IMAGINATIVE! By comparison,
    our ads are "cute". I'm sure it takes 10-100 times the dollar power
    to put together and air a TV ad. But I'm not 100% convinced that we're
    milking advertising for all it's worth.

    Some people I know spent so much effort attempting to determine
    the gender of the person diving off the pier, that the point of
    the ad was totally lost them (assuming there *was* a point, of
    course).
    
    Chris

    There is a three page IMAGINE ad in today's Wall Street Journal
    for Alpha AXP Microprocessors.  (It is the tricycle ad).
    
    FYI

    
    	This morning, all SCO employees received a communication from VP Ed
    Caldwell announcing the launch of an ad campaign for Alpha AXP
    microprocessors running Windows NT. In addition to the 3 page ad in the
    WSJ the ad will also run on an ongoing basis in Business Week, Upside,
    EDN, EE Times, Electronic Design, Electronic Business Buyer, Computer-
    world, InformationWeek, Datamation, CIO, Byte, PC World, PC Week,
    Infoworld, Dr. Dobb's Journal, Windows Sources and Microsoft    
    Systems Journal. The targeted audience includes business leaders,
    design engineers, power users, ISVs and IS managers. And I have
    heard (not from Caldwell) that we've got a decent budget to do
    this with!
    
    Frankly, I'm THRILLED! And I'm hoping that the rest of the Alpha AXP
    program will leverage this campaign for the microprocessors to drum up
    business for Alpha AXP workstations and other products.

   on a side by note and related observation.

    Microsoft have an 800 (tolls free) number whereby you call and obtain
    upon receipt a free VCR tape that explain thus products and software
    in an attempt to lure you to buy it and hence forth be their customer
    and get the subsequent upgrades and further products from said company.

    I thought this was a brilliant advertisement idea if i seen any.

    our marketing divine in DEC should attempt to do something like thus.

    \nasser

    I've asked some of my customers about the ads.  They generally feel
    indifferent.  I don't think we're moving them in any one direction,
    although they typically take notice when it is a two page ad.
    
    None that I have found, however, identify the emphasis on the "i" in
    "imagine."  Not only do they not notice the change in the i, but they
    don't even recognize that it is the i from the Digital logo.
    
    As far as imagine campaigns go, it seems to be a re-hash of the HP
    campaign that was abandoned.  The marketing notesfile goes into this
    campaign a bit more thoroughly.
    
    ..Larry

The ads I've seen in PC magazine leave me cold, the competition's are much
more eye catching

The ads I've seen for AXP's are somewhat better, I particularly liked the
one with the old roadster.

Do they sell anything? I dunno...

dave

    
    Well, it depends what we are trying to sell...  If we are selling
    consulting, then the Anderson ads I've seen are much more creative.
    
    As for business process reengineering,  another consulting firm has
    an excellent ad with an old roller skate on 1 side and the new
    in-line skates on the other.  Definitely gets you to read the message.
    
    So, the old stone wheel we have on the Alpha ads does not hit any 
    hot buttons here.  
    
    
    
    

    Somebody once said about DIGITAL advertising/marketing that if we 
    were selling SUSHI we would advertise it as "cold dead fish."  Maybe
    they were right.
    

    
    Drive Time Spots with a catchy jingle....
    Driving home the other night , I was listening to the Celtics game,
    here in Boston...Then I hear on the radio a spot for Digital Printers.
    I almost went off the road...How dare we communicate to masses??
    Mindshare is Marketshare.
    
    We need a product that links the commercial(retail) to the other
    sectors. PDA's (personal digital assistants) with Alpha..IBM's got 
    ThinkPad...Why not ' a 'Digital Executive Assistant', low -cost and 
    market right..
    
    If you've seen the Hitachi, Sony , Motorola and Intel TV Spots, The
    masses know Motorola has PowerPC, now.  They told them. Have we ? I
    think so, Repetition, is good. More sports spots.
    
    What will create better pull for all our products. ? 
    This is a good forum , 
    rgds
    
    Ed   

Put simply - crap. Most other people I have spoken to have the
same feeling. They are also often open to many interpretations.

Just compare them to the Intel Inside campaign.


/Paul. 

    	Except that the "imagine" theme pretty well sums up the way the
    company is managed these days when you think about it...
    
    ...imagine that we have the best people...the best products...
    ...imagine that we'll make a profit this fiscal year...
    ...imagine that our benefits are competitive with industry leaders..
    ...And while you're at it, imagine that you got a big raise this year!

In my opinion, the BEST high-tech ads on TV now (and I'm surprised that
no one else has pointed this out first) are the AT&T "Have you ever...
You will..." ads.
These are EXCELLENT ads for showing a forward-thinking company's imaginative
aspects, and they are (apparently consciously) laying the groundwork
for consumer acceptance of new services that are currently vaporware.

- tom]

	I saw a great ad on TV this past weekend...

	The ad shows two computer users walk up to their machines.
	The first user turns their machine on and then the second
	person turns on their machine.  The second machine powers
	up and is ready for use *noticably* faster.  The users then
	procede to do their work.  The second user completes their
	work first, powers the machine down, and leaves the picture.

	All the while there is a voice explaining that the first
	machine, the *slower* machine, is powered by Intel's new
	top end Pentium chip.  The voice also explains that if you
	have better things to do than to work on your PC you should
	be using the second machine which is powered by a

	*PowerPC* chip

	and that machines based upon the PowerPC will be available
	soon.


	I could not help but think that this should have been an
	ad for Alpha AXP running WindowsNT and that this ad should
	have run 6-12 months ago. 

	Are we not competing against the *PowerPC* and the Pentium chips?  
	Do we understand something about the high-end personal computer 
	(desktop) market that IBM/Apple/&Motorola do not?

In my opinion, the BEST high-tech ads on TV are:

	Sega - belittling the Nintendo game boy (and the people who
watch it!) by showing a 'deliverence like family' watching bugs fly
into a green bug zapper...

	But I doubt we could make much money making fun of people
that don't buy our solutions...

	Joe

    I produced a video just like the last note- about 15 years ago. We had
    a PDP-11 beside an IBM Series 1. We had a clock on the wall between
    them, and by the time the IBM finished the announcer was asleep.
    
    Lots of fun- anyone remember that one?

    re .16 - Digital Stealth Marketing strikes again!!!!!

How about the new IBM ad campaign:

"What has IBM done for its customers lately?"

Well, what have we done for our customers lately?


(One good note is that in the latest BYTE, Alpha is mentioned in several
articles (as the "DEC ALPHA") with some good comments. However, there are NO
ADS, while there is one for PowerPC, and several Pentium machines.)

    
    Great ads:  AT&T, Sega. 
    
    Good ads: Intel. 
    
    Bland ads: DEC imagine. 
    
    I think if DEC were to market Sushi, it would be called
    ' a bed of warm rice'. Accurate but not very inviting. 
    
    
    
    

>   <<< Note 2772.22 by RANGER::BACKSTROM "bwk,pjp;SwTools;pg2;lines23-24" >>>
>                    -< Re: .21 see .10 (sushi is fish ;-) >-

But that make .21 even more apropriate.  :-)

al

   Re: Note 2772.22 by RANGER::BACKSTROM "bwk,pjp;SwTools;pg2;lines23-24"
   
-< Re: .21 see .10 (sushi is fish ;-) >-
   
   Sashimi (sp?) is fish.  Sushi is rice.  At least according to the
   menu of my favorite sushi bar.

> At least according to the
 >  menu of my favorite sushi bar.


Ditto the OED.  "cold rice flavoured and garnished".

    As far as I see it the IMAGINE campaign is identicle to the old HP WHAT
    IF? campaign and I always laughed when I saw those ads.  I say we bag
    this imagine thing, it has to much uncertainty to it. Let's face it, we
    can all imagine a better world, but who will deliver it? 
    
    We need "The future is DIGITAL!" It'd definite, positive and easily
    "imagined" as true. Wake up marketing!
    
    rick
                                                            

		Digital names PC advertiser

		Boston Globe, Sat, Nov 13th, pg33

	The computer maker Digital Equipment Corporation announced that
	it has selected Young & Rubicam, Inc of New York as the US
	advertising and direct marketing agency for its personal computer
	business unit, which is headquarted in Stwo, Mass.

	According to Enrico Pesatori, vice president and general manager 
	of the personal computer business unit, "Young & Ribicam won the
	business based on its understanding of the dynamic personal computer
	market, its outstanding creative approach, and full-service 
	capabilities."

	Peter Georgescu, president of Young & Rubicam, said,"We are extremely
	excited by the opportunity to help Digital increase its impressive
	momentum in the PC marketpalce. We are looking forward to playing
	a major role in Digital's strategy to be one of the top PC companies
	by 1995.

	Y&R will seek to expend brand awareness as Digital expands its PC
	products and services to new markets and channels...

 

    RE: Base Note
    
    It is rather difficult to determine the egffectiveness of campiagns
    if one is not aware of the objectives. By that I mean if the objective
    of the PC campaign is to increase brand recognition there would be
    key metrics of before and after the campaign. Measures as mentions in
    the trade journals about Digital's PCs its strategy,etc.
    
    I personally contend that the PC as well as the Alpha AXP micro-
    processor markets and target audiences are as different from one
    another as they are from the "mainstream" Digital systems/servers
    audiences.
    
    I never confuse my own reaction to Digital's ads to what the reaction
    may be by the intended audiences. Some time ago, I would get the 
    results of the effectiveness of Digital's campaigns when compared,
    for example, with those of the competition. These were tracked 
    quarterly, I believe. Since, I no longer get these reports, I cannot
    provide that insight. However one does not need to read these replies
    to realize that somethings are seriously amiss, that employees need
    to better understand ad strategy and how it relates to targeted
    audiences and what Digital hope to achieve using these varied
    approaches. My sense is that Digital does not get an "adequate" return
    from its ad dollars, but I personall have no way to prove--or disprove
    it!
    
    My .02,
    
    Edwin
    
    
    
    
    
    

I happened to get a DEChub brochure of the imagine series to my hands.
It has a chameleon in the cover. Apart from the content - which I haven't
had time to read - I have a couple of comments about it.

1) Why not have a full word Digital together with i in the beginning of the
slogan.Just to take the rest of the word to be a little below or above the slogan
That would make a closer connection to our trademark. Or would that be wrong
usage of our logo/trademark.  Now Digital is in the end of the line, you hardly
notice it in the beginning.

2) Many of us get an uncomfortable feeling, when seeing reptiles. Why not use
at least a more friendly looking drawn version. We should create positive
feelings, right?

I didn't like the colours either but that's a matter of taste.

    RE: .27  Does anyone know of any campaigns for which this ad firm has
    been responsible/successful?
    
    
    
    Mike

    Imagine ads look more like cigarette ads. I have been told this by
    other people too. 

    Apple(tm) is using four-page colour ads in various mags beginning with
    the word "Imagine".  Seems that ad agencies are short of it too.

    about this new DEC ad.
    
    i saw this ad in the latest edition of electronics times magazine, it 
    spread over 2 whole pages full of flying motorcycles. 
    
    have any one saw this above ad? have where you have those motorcycles
    jumping up over like a hell down to an alley sort off, and some of
    motorcycles are way high up the page and some are lower?

    what do you think of it?

    i think this is the most stupid ad DEC has ever come up with.

    what a waste on money.

    first of all, 99% of the page is picture of motorcycles, the background
    of the page is dark.
    
    then the whizes we have in marketing decided to make the chart that 
    talk about alpha in dark colors also, and the bar chart they have is 
    all black and gray with background of gray, you have to switch your 
    eyes so close to try to figure what the little diagram on the side is 
    saying, it seems to be comparing alpha with pentuim, but i squished 
    my eyes so hard trying to read what is there, this is so terrible, any 
    body who wants to buy what ever we are selling will give up trying to 
    read the little bar chart because people dont like to sit there squatting 
    their eyes  trying to read the small print and the dark bar chart.

    i can't believe we do this ad, have the people who draw it not realized
    that with dark background you need light diagrams? and why have so many
    motorcycles in the picture with so little information about alpha?
    is it like we are selling motor cycling or chips?

    i did not study marketing and advertisements at school, but i can see
    very easily we in DEC have no clue how to make ads. even me can make
    better ads than these.
    
    no wonder so little people know about alpha.

    oh well...
    
    \nasser

Re 2772.33

>    have any one saw this above ad? have where you have those motorcycles
>    jumping up over like a hell down to an alley sort off, and some of
>    motorcycles are way high up the page and some are lower?

Thank you Nasser, I needed a laugh this morning!  I have not seen the ad you
mentioned, but I know the sort of thing you mean and can easily "imagine" how
it looks.  

You make some good points.  The main problem with our ads, in my opinion, is
that they tend to be a little cluttered and are not easily remembered in the 
long term. The idea of associating Alpha with "speed" (motorcycles, racing 
cars, various sports) is not a bad one, but I am not sure that the images are
strong enough.  We have some attractive ads (rowing comes to mind), but this is
not enough.

With advertising, you need to decide what you are aiming at.  Which market
segment, what timeframe, and what is the message? Do you want to detail your
products or just leave an image?  Some of the most effective ad campaigns have
been of the "image" type, but for these to be effective they have to have very
strong clear messages which can be easily remembered and associated with the
company or product in the future. The one that springs to my mind most easily,
is the "solid gold" campaign of a well known cigarette company.  I have not
smoked for twenty years now, but if I see a picture of a bar of gold or a
reference to the colour gold,  then one of my associations will always be that
particular company and a golden cigarette packet.

Wouldn't it be nice if everyone had an easy way of remembering the Digital
Equipment Corporation computer company and its products.

Keep smiling and optimistic
Shalom
Baruch

    Since the "flying bikes" ad is an NT ad, maybe there is a message
    we're trying to relay regarding NT 8^)
    

OK, here's another (corny) ad idea:

Have two  people standing next to each other with hamburger buns in front of
them.  One lifts off the top and sees an Alpha processor where the hamburger
should  be.   The  next  person  lifts  off  the  bun and sitting there is a
Pentium.   The  person  with  the  Alpha  in front of them looks over at the
Pentium and exclaims "Where's the beef?!?"

I think  that  this  is  a  far  cry better than "Imagine"...too bad Wendy's
thought of it first......oh well.

Later,

Andy

    Here's another (even worse?) idea:
    
    Shot of a gazelle running across a grassland.  Voiceover:
    "The Pentium is fast but..."
    (as a cheetah races into the picture, tackles the gazelle, and
    brings it down)
    "...an Alpha AXP eats Pentiums for lunch."
    

    
    
    Re  .37
    
        To continue with that story:
    
        The cheetah burps and says:  "Pentium inside!"
    
    
      Peter

    .37 is great!
    
    Here's another one ...
    
    Use the fractal demo that Alpha killed Pentium on last year. Split the
    TV screen in half. On the left half, display the Pentium doing the
    fractal demo. on the screen appears "this is your company's brain".
    Then on the right half of the screen display the Alpha doing the
    fractal demo. On the screen appears "this is your company's brain
    on Alpha. Any questions? Call 1-800-DIGITAL".
    
    but we'd probably get sued for that one

    Or...
    
    A split screen.  One person on the left looking bedraggled, desk piled
    with papers, office lights on, through the office window you see that
    it's dark outside.  Right half of the screen, person packing up the
    attache case, shutting off the office lights, walking to the elevator,
    obviously done for the day.  A simple narrated message...
    
    " Digital Alpha!  The PC with a growth path."

    
    I have an Alpha in my office.  How come I look like the person on the
    left?   Isn't it always dark outside around here?
    

  <<< Note 2772.36 by ASG3::STEWART "I hear and obey the voice of Landru." >>>
                            -< Where's the beef?!? >-


>OK, here's another (corny) ad idea:
>
>Have two  people standing next to each other with hamburger buns in front of
>them.  One lifts off the top and sees an Alpha processor where the hamburger
>should  be.   The  next  person  lifts  off  the  bun and sitting there is a
>Pentium.   The  person  with  the  Alpha  in front of them looks over at the
>Pentium and exclaims "Where's the beef?!?"
>
>I think  that  this  is  a  far  cry better than "Imagine"...too bad Wendy's
>thought of it first......oh well.

    Ahem....one small problem....Digital will likley ship 10's of thousands
    of Pentium-based PC's and over 600,000 Intel based PC's overall next 
    calendar year.
    
    Mark.
    

    We use PENTIUMS? Uh Oh! Watch out for the smear campaign featuring
    Beavis and Butthead. (instigated by IBM of course)
    
    Ken