Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!rutgers!cmcl2!nrl-cmf!ames!ucbcad!zen!dorothy.Berkeley.EDU!c9c-eh
From: c9c-eh@dorothy.Berkeley.EDU.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: Atari's Marketing Approach
Message-ID: <5202@zen.berkeley.edu>
Date: Thu, 3-Dec-87 21:36:02 EST
Article-I.D.: zen.5202
Posted: Thu Dec  3 21:36:02 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 6-Dec-87 20:39:31 EST
References: <8711301706.AA18559@cory.Berkeley.EDU> <899@atari.UUCP> <909@cod.NOSC.MIL>
Sender: news@zen.berkeley.edu
Reply-To: c9c-eh@dorothy.Berkeley.EDU.UUCP (Warner Young (WHY))
Organization: Safety Seal Doomed-ware
Lines: 84
Keywords: deperate pleas how to change image
Summary: ATTN: Neil Harris

In article <909@cod.NOSC.MIL> rupp@cod.nosc.mil.UUCP (William L. Rupp) writes:
>In article <899@atari.UUCP> neil@atari.UUCP (Neil Harris) writes:
>   
> >>The reason for the ad policy is simple. We have plenty of game machines and
> >>terrific distribution for them.  So we advertise heavily.  On the computer
> >>side, the distribution is not as strong and we're pretty much sold out of
> >>product this season.  Why advertise if the consumer is unlikely to find the
> >>machine available?

>   >>--->Neil Harris, Director of Marketing Communications, Atari Corporation


>Well, I give Mr. Harris a lot of credit for publicly signing his name to so
>preposterous/humorous a statement!  What does it boil down to?  This:

>   1. We push our game machines because we have a lot of them.

>   2. We don't push the computers because we don't have a lot of them.

>   3. Anyway, if we *did* push the computers, people would be really
>      sad because of point #2.

>   4. We are unconcerned that continued lack of publicity for the computer
>      line may tend to:

>        (a) preclude winning any new customers, and
>        (b) dry up whatever interest that has been generated despite
>            Atari's non-existant advertising for the product.

>	[* some stuff deleted... *]

>I don't think anyone would blame Atari for advertising their most profitable
>products.  The question that you have raised in my mind is,  are
>you serious about selling Atari computers?  If Atari is serious, then
>produce more units and advertise more vigorously.  If you do not feel that
>that policy is viable, then I have to question why you continue to carry
>microcomputers in your product line.
>
>Bill
>======================================================================
>I speak for myself, and not on behalf of any other person or organization
>.........................How's that, Gary?
>
>======================================================================


		Neil, I think Bill speaks not only for himself in this
	case;  many of us here on the Net would agree with him on this
	matter.  I can definitely see why you're advertising the game
	machines;  in not a few ways, the biggest market is still in
	the usual home, where the average person may be more likely to
	purchase a game system than an ST.  BUT... Bill is right.  I
	think that even if you can't get the ST's out the door for
	the Christmas masses, some advertising surely wouldn't hurt.

		I've tried many times in the past to convince others that
	Atari's image as a game company is now undeserved, a thing of the
	past.  But without some support from Atari to that effect, this
	claim is usually disbelieved by almost everyone I know, even those
	who have ST's, in some cases.  The problem is not just lack of
	advertising, it's also that the advertising should be aimed
	correctly, to convince people that Atari was/is/will be a serious
	force in the market, and that if Joe Schmoe bought an Atari, he
	would be able to use it for serious purposes.  We want to be
	able to have corporations using Atari's, too.

		All right, that's almost enough said.  Certainly, things
	seem like they might be improving.  Some major software houses,
	such as WordPerfect Corporation (look for my review from a few
	days ago), are doing things to help.  WP is one of those things
	that I will be able to point to and say "Look.  That's NOT a
	game;  it's serious STuff!"

		Neil, please listen to us.  We are not here to make your
	life harder :-), we want to help Atari, too.  I've always bought
	Atari, and I probably always will, provided Atari can keep
	itself in the market.

Disclaimer:  I'm not associated with		 \  /\   /arner
	the latest revision of SANITY.		  \/  \_/
Address: ucbvax!dorothy!c9c-eh			        |oung
	 c9c-eh@dorothy.Berkeley.EDU		     \__|

P.S.  Whatever happened to Atari (Microsoft Word) Write, anyways?