Conference 7.286::digital

5172.0. "AlphaServer image: Porsche or Lamborghini?" by MSBCS::MARCELLO () Fri Mar 07 1997 13:36

The Wall Street Journal ran a light-hearted story back in November, reporting
the findings of an Intelliquest study to see how well PC manufacturers marketed
their brand differences by associating PC brands with automobiles.  PC 
manufacturers wanted to create the association of their PC being like a Honda, 
the essence of style, quality and affordability.  Dell won this image more
than other PC manufacturers in the perceptual mindshare battle.

In a similar vein, if SERVERS are like automobiles, what would an AlphaServer
be?  A VAX?  What about competitors' servers?  Sun, HP, SGI, IBM AS/400, 
IBM RS6000?  Your thoughts?

Maribeth (who drives an affordable Mazda)

WSJ article follows...


If Market Surveys Were Carrots,
  This One Might Be a Bit Strained
  ----
  By Evan Ramstad
  Staff Reporter of The Wall Street Journal

  If your personal computer were an automobile, what kind would it be?

  Surprisingly, some PC makers don't want to be seen as a flashy Porsche or a
utilitarian Jeep.

  They've got Honda envy.

  The Japanese auto maker enjoys a perception of style, quality and
affordability, which is what PC makers are hoping to convey. So when market
researcher Intelliquest Inc. recently asked 409 consumers to associate PC brands
with BMW, Cadillac, Ford and Honda, some PC makers had their fingers crossed.

  "I'd hope we'd be Honda," said Tom Martin, vice president of marketing at Dell
Computer Corp., which sells computers over the phone.

  In fact, Dell reminded more respondents (21%) of Honda than did any other PC.
Gateway 2000 Inc. was second most-Honda-like, with 20%. Both computer makers
have a reputation for selling PCs at low prices because they ship directly to
customers and don't build a computer until an order comes in.

  Compaq Computer Corp. was rated the BMW of the PC world. But Compaq executives
weren't pleased -- even though they had so admired BMW's "Ultimate Driving
Machine" image that they hired BMW's advertising agency. Compaq spokesman Jim
Garrity says the company doesn't mind being considered well-engineered, it just
doesn't want to be thought of as pricey and exclusive. "The thing we're really
trying to imbue our brand with is the understanding that we have the lowest cost
of ownership," Mr. Garrity says. "I've got to believe Honda has the edge there."

  Intelliquest said it asked the car question to see how well PC makers have
marketed brand differences in a business where the insides are pretty much the
same. Packard Bell Electronics was deemed most like Ford; International Business
Machines Inc. was most Caddy-like.

  At IBM, advertising chief Marty Susz says he would have preferred that Big
Blue's products left a more value-oriented impression. "I wouldn't mind standing
for what Volvo stands for," said Mr. Susz, who just bought one of the boxy
Swedish sedans known for safety and reliability. "People who buy Volvos are
smart."

  Dell's Mr. Martin, meanwhile, thinks the survey respondents were quite astute.
"If you met the people at those companies, you'd find they were very reflective
of the car types," he says.

 WSJviaNewsEDGE
:PAGE: B1
:TICKER: CPQ DELL F BMW.G GATE GM HMC IBM HMC.J PBE.O
:SUBJECT: AUTM CA GERM JAPN MI NY SD TX WSJ COMP
Copyright (c) 1996 Dow Jones and Company, Inc.
Received by NewsEDGE/LAN: 11/26/96 2:12 AM

Well, I kinda like NEC's new ad in the latest Newsweek for their Versa laptops.
It features RuPaul "actor/actress", with the tagline "Versatile computers for
versatile people."

				Steve

    I find this 'marketing association' stuff great fun. I'm told that as
    part of the preparations for the upcoming UK General Election (soon,
    please, please), Conservative party spin-doctors asked a focus group of
    undecided voters to associate the party leaders with, variously,
    animals, cars and types of weather (!). A satirical magazine picked up
    on this and ran an article:
    
    'If John Major was a biscuit, what type of biscuit would he be..?'
    
    [biscuit = cookie for my transatlantic friends].
    
    So, if servers were biscuits, which car would remind you of a washed up
    politician on a windy day ?
    
    AW