Conference 7.286::digital

                  I N T E R O F F I C E   M E M O R A N D U M

                                        Date:     07-Mar-1995 16:23 BST
                                        From:     Readers Choice                
                                                  CHOICE.READERS@A1@SALES@AKO
                                        Dept:     
                                        Tel No:   

TO: See Below

Subject: #13614-Reminder - Alpha vs Alpha AXP Usage Guidelines                  1

From  Van Smick @ DTN 381-0781

  	   Reminder - Alpha vs Alpha AXP Usage Guidelines		 


 As of October 20, 1994, all of the businesses agreed to drop the
 use of AXP, based on the business reasons (a) there is clear
 marketplace acceptance of the term "Alpha" rather than "Alpha AXP" and
 (b) there has been a resulting growth in marketing equity for the term
 "Alpha". 

 The decision was communicated in a document on usage of all Alpha
 trademarks sent out by Peter Miller (Director of Alpha Marketing),
 Larry Robins (Trademark Counsel), and Van C. Smick (Product Branding
 and Naming Mgr). 

 However, there appears to still be some confusion on using Alpha AXP,
 so the usage rules are listed below, along with examples of the old and
 new usage. If you have any questions on this, please contact Van Smick
 via e-mail at SDTPMM::SMICK or Van Smick @ZKO.

   Usage rules:
   ===========

   1. The word AXP should not be used, except in existing product names.

   2. No new products will be named with AXP.

   3. Most existing products which have AXP in the name, will migrate
      away from using AXP when the next major version or release is
      shipped. The timetable for this change is being negotiated with
      the businesses.

      Note: Since this is a formal name change, only the product manager
            for a given product can do the work necessary to change the
            product's name. When the product name is changed, the
            product manager will communicate that information.

   4. AlphaGeneration refers to:
      - all computers from Digital and its partners which include an
        Alpha chip, AND	
      - all software from Digital and its partners which run on an Alpha
        computer	

        Note: It is important NOT to imply that AlphaGeneration products
              come exclusively from Digital. Whenever possible, usage of
              AlphaGeneration should make include the phrase: "one of
              the many AlphaGeneration products from Digital and its
              partners"

   5. It is not necessary to use a TM symbol on the word Alpha.

   Examples of old and new usage:
   =============================

          OLD				   NEW

  Digital announces two new	Digital announces two new Alpha
  Alpha AXP systems		systems

  the xyz product, one of 	the xyz product, one of Digital's
  Digital's Alpha AXP 		Alpha products
  products	

  based on Digital's Alpha	based on Digital's Alpha architecture
  AXP architecture

  Digital's Alpha AXP chip	Digital's Alpha chip is the fastest
  is the fastest ...

  Arthur Anderson's software	Arthur Anderson's software
  development tools, an Alpha	development tools, one of the 
  AXP product ....		many AlphaGeneration products from 
   				Digital's partners ....


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    Could someone please find, or (failing that) create out of whole cloth,
    a similar memo about the "Open" prefix for VMS?
    
    Thanks *ever* so.
    
    (only kidding)
    

    There was a white paper written about it some time ago.
    
    Let me see if I can find a copy (or I am sure that someone else will).
    
    Bob Newman
    OpenVMS Marketing

    Whoops...  Given the lack of :-)s in your response, Bob, and your
    soi-disant location in OpenVMS Marketing, I fear (and I'll gladly
    accept corrections if I'm mistaken) that you may have interpreted my .2
    as a request for the memo describing why we decided to add "Open" to
    the VMS brand.  Au contraire, I was requesting that someone either
    find, or confabulate, the memo describing where we decide(d) to remove
    it to the same dustbin of history where "AXP" now resides...
    
    :-)
    

    
    >As of October 20, 1994, all of the businesses agreed to drop the
    >use of AXP, based on the business reasons (a) there is clear
    >marketplace acceptance of the term "Alpha" rather than "Alpha AXP" and
    >(b) there has been a resulting growth in marketing equity for the term
    >"Alpha".
    
    Isn't this a precedent to replace "Digital" with DEC....
    
    couldn't resist,
    
    Andr� ;^)
    

    re .4
    
    You are correct, I assumed you were looking for the notice that ADDED
    the "Open" to "VMS".  I am not sure if I have ever seen an "official"
    memo REMOVING it.  But, if I do, I will post it here.

Just so that people don't get confused, the "Open" is still in OpenVMS.

				Steve

                             Is this fun or wot!!???
        
    :-)
    

Wot.

    I have it from reliable sources that there was a serious movement to 
    "Save AXP" and that one of the attempts at negotiation was to remove
    the "open" from VMS and prepend it to "AXP" so that AXP could gain
    a certain techno-trendy legitimacy. (This reorganization of monikers
    was also expected to be met with favor on Wall Street.)
    
    The resulting term "openAXP" was acknowledged to be meaningless, but was
    expected to gain excellent market equity over time.
    
    Unfortunately, after the proponents of this strategy were taken away
    in restraints, there was no one left to support the position and the
    result was as reported.
    
    

Given all the hoopla over branding and naming it seems that
higher-ups deam this a very important issue that translates to 
dollars. Not having had a raise in quite some time I've decided to
employ this strategy myself.

From now on please refer to me as 

	"The Goddess formerly known as Liesl
	who uses the operating system formerly known as OSF1
	on the hardware formerly known as AXP
	for the company formerly known as DEC"

	And a web pointer to your new "symbol"???

	:)

						mike

    ... and as for you, Mr. Sacks in .9, I beg to differ.
    
Fun.

Too late now (thank goodness), but AXPVista has missed the bus. 8-\

PJDM

Somebody should tell our partners, in particular our Alliance Partner Microsoft. 
The Exchange installation guide has information about Alpha AXP, and a search 
for "axp" at Microsoft's Web site found 294 hits. Not to mention the number of 
times they say DEC instead of Digital.

PJDM