Path: gmdzi!unido!mcsun!uunet!timbuk!hemlock.cray.com!bgm
From: b...@hemlock.cray.com
Newsgroups: comp.os.os2.misc
Subject: OS/2 V 2.0 Marketing and advertising idea
Message-ID: <1991Aug2.112840.22700@hemlock.cray.com>
Date: 2 Aug 91 16:28:40 GMT
Reply-To: b...@cray.com ()
Organization: Cray Research, Inc., Eagan, MN
Lines: 212
Hi:
I understand IBM executives are looking at UNIX read news these days for
comments and ideas on OS/2. I am putting my first piece of new out for two
reasons:
A) For people's feeback.
B) In case IBM is listening.
Bert Moshier.
To whomever at IBM is looking at OS/2 V 2.0 marketing and advertising
ideas and/or suggestions:
Idea/suggestion title: OS/2 V 2.0 Application Contest
Keywords: Applications, contest, press
Idea/suggestion description:
Background
OS/2's marketing problem is one of acceptance at the application
level. Two types of applications exist in OS/2, DOS and native OS/2.
OS/2 V 2.0 solves the DOS problem with multiple DOS boxes (MDVM),
bootable DOS and "built-in" Windows support.
On the other hand, the general PC world does not acknowledge or fully
understand the advantages of OS/2 native applications. OS/2
applications are by no means new. Yet the average DOS end-user, the
general press and the "computer literate press" have an education
gap.
This problem is even larger for Presentation Manager. One example is
PC Week's review of Word for PM. They did not discover that Word for
PM is not WYSIWYG on OS/2 1.3 with an 8514/A. I discovered this
problem in the first 10 minutes of usage.
Somehow OS/2's marketing effort must interest both commerical and
individuals to begin OS/2 V 2.0 Native Application programming. This
idea is one very powerful method.
Idea: An OS/2 V 2.0 Application Contest.
Description: IBM should sponsor an OS/2 V 2.0 Application Contest.
The contest's purpose is to find and reward those applications which
best use OS/2 V 2.0 features such as PM, threads, pipes, networking,
etc.
The contest will reward winners through three methods, prizes, free
advertising and the ability for the winners to advertise they won.
How will the contest reward IBM? Continue reading.
The contest would be open to both companies and individuals. In
order to provide a fair contest, two sections would exist, commercial
and individual. The individual section should include small groups
of individuals (say 7 or under).
Why should the contest encourage individuals? OS/2 needs acceptance.
This contest would encourage individuals to learn OS/2 as both
end-users and programmers. Once they are there, as Bill Gates says,
they will not leave OS/2 V 2.0. ** IBM needs to motivate people to
try OS/2 and move to OS/2. This contest will certainly motivate
people to look at, try, and work with OS/2 V 2.0! **
The structure of the sections would provide as follows:
Grand prize winner. This is the best OS/2 V 2.0 application in the
section. Since there are two sections there
will be two grand prize winners. The grand
prize winner comes from the category winner as
described below.
Category winner. Each section will have x (say 10) categories
representing each type of application. Examples
are OS/2 utilities, spreadsheet, word processors,
time management, programming tools, compilers,
accounting, project management, entertainment,
education, etc.
The two sections do not need to have the same
categories.
In my opinion, the commerical prize section should not have much
depth. There should be no more than 3 winners per category. Both
the standard and competition for a winner slot should be high.
Please note: A rule could be, the contest does not need to give out
all prizes. This permits the judges to say no one was worthy.
In my opinion, the individual prize section should have real depth.
Individuals should feel as though they have a chance to win something
even something as simple as an OS/2 Entertainment package.
You might be saying where would an OS/2 Entertainment come from? One
possible answer is the contest. IBM could purchase the best games
(commerical and individual) and ship / sell them as a product.
** Please note: Many of these applications would find there way to
store shelves. OS/2 will look much better when its applications are
available on store shelves!
Additionally, individual winners could go to commerical companies and
sell their entry. These companies would see two benefits. First,
they would have a ready made OS/2 application. Second, they can
market the product as one of the best (or maybe as the Individual
Grand Prize Winner) OS/2 applications in existence.
Prize money: This is of course up to IBM. I can only give my
personal suggestion and reasons behind it.
Each Grand Prize Winner: $1,000,000.00
By Category: 1st place: $100,000.00
2nd place: $ 50,000.00
3rd place: $ 25,000.00 - end of commerical section
The individual section would continue, dropping quickly
from this point on down to "small" items like the
Entertainment package, mice, etc.
Another possible way to do the low end individual prizes:
Provide a rebate for IBM 32 bit developement tools which individuals
purchased if their entry meets certain minimum requirements. This
way individuals can say the contest won't cost them anything more
than their time if they meet certain minimum requirements. IBM gains
via two avenues:
a) Increased OS/2 V 2.0 sales of 2.0 and its programming tools.
b) The individual now knows and uses OS/2. (S)he has an OS/2
application which (s)he could promote either as shareware or to
a company!
Judging: Judges would come from the "computer literate press" such
as Windows and OS/2 Magazine, BYTE, PC Magazine, PC Week, etc. This
responsibility would encourage and/or require these editors and
reporters to become better OS/2 and PM educated. IBM would offer to
supply this education.
Judges would be looking for the best of OS/2. Windows ports, VIO
based applications, etc. would be acceptable but might not rate
highly. To win, an application would need to use 32 bit, PM,
threads, etc. Judging would consider integration with SAA's CUA-3, a
submission's RAS, etc.
Conclusion:
While OS/2 V 2.0 is the integration platform of the early 1990s, the
public must also begin to realize native OS/2 advantages. This
contest not only shows OS/2 in its own light but also spurs
development at all levels.
Advantages : Advantages exist in both the long and short term. In
the short term the contest insures:
A) A better educated and discerning press.
B) A higher general and computer press coverage level:
1) The general press will provide coverage since this will be the
first PC contest ever. Other companies (such as Cray) have
mainframe contests so the idea is not completely new in our
industry. The press will see IBM is serious about OS/2
applications and OS/2 itself.
2) The computer press will have a chance to write a whole series of
new articles. For example: What are the judges looking for in
a program and Why? What not to submit. Review of both good and
bad submissions. Additionally, they will need to cover OS/2 V
2.0 itself in great detail.
C) An immediately raised interest for both individual and commercial
developers. This interest would come from both the prize money
and the free publicity they could expect.
D) End-users read and hear about the OS/2 V 2.0's:
1) Advantages over DOS and Windows.
2) New OS/2 native applications.
3) Native advantages such as PM, 32 bit, threads, RAS (of which DOS
has very little), etc.
4) SAA and CUA.
E) Windows/NT gets pushed to vapor press level.
F) After the contest, there would be many more OS/2 applications.
Store would have to start stocking OS/2 applications because of
all the press coverage, advertising, etc.
In the long term, the contest raises everyone (press, developers, IBM
and end-users) awareness and expectations of OS/2 native
applications.
Disadvantages : Except the expense, the disadvantages are only ones
of logistics. As for the expense, this contest's advantages will more
than pay IBM back through increased OS/2 acceptance and application
availability (commerical, shareware and with individuals).
Bert Moshier
Cray Research, Inc.