Marketing (was Re: Columbus analogy (Was: Corrections to trivia - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

11 Oct 1998

I think that the amount of marketing necessary is related to the
quality and value of the product itself. After all, if a computer
is reeealy good, only a simple demonstration is necessary and it will
be bought. If the product is nothing new, then $150m will be spent
making it successfull.

...
 > 
> > Perhaps I'm cynical, ...
> > But I maintain that what determines the course of the industry is  NOT the

...
 > > quality of the technology, but the marketing.
 How else do you  explain 
...
 > > the successes of IBM, MS, etc.?  Surely not
due to their superior 
> > quality?!?
> 
> No, not the "M" word!  We just had a "marketing" thread and the
term  was
...
   tossed around
like it was this magical thing that was responsible for
 everything that couldn't be explained by technical merit. 
It doesn't explain everything, but you'd be a fool to think marketing  is
...
 not responsible for at least 50% of a product's
success (and that's  being
...
 conservative).

> First of all, IBM can hardly be called successful. *In spite* of all  the
...

"marketing" they did, Taiwanese with no marketing at all were able to
 completely erode their PC market share. 
Let me get this straight...you're saying IBM can hardly be called
successful?  This must be a typo.
 I have seen several who think IBM is a failure. Once, I was at a
computer store with another person, getting a computer repaired.
THe other person asked the tech 'So, do you think Apple will survive?'
The answer was quick: 'Sure, IBM survived, didn't it?' I asked her
what she meant. She said, 'Well, their entire PS/2 line was killed
off'. For one thing, the PS/2 shows that with great marketing and
technology, a product can still fail. Secondly, it would appear that
in most people's minds, everything before the PC is a haze.
...
 where they did today.

Sellam                                     Alternate e-mail:  dastar(a)siconic.com
...

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