CompuServe Thread

#CBM AD in WSJ

16 messages in this thread
#99849From: Darron C. KnutsonApr 25, 1990 9:54 AM
Well, CBM must have saved some of its advertising dollars. Today's Wall Street Journal contains a three full pages ad for the 3000 and AmigaVision. I'm no media/advertising/marketing wizard, but I'd say that CBM is trying to look and sound more like Apple in its advertising. Darron
#99899From: Black Belt SystemsApr 25, 1990 5:21 PM
Hot Damn! Ben Amateur Radio Callsign is A A 7 A S
#99911From: Scott HarrisApr 25, 1990 6:51 PM
I was a little disappointed in the screen shot in the WSJ ad. Somehow it didn't have as professional a "look" as I would have liked to see. The font was the same old ugly non-proportional type, and there were some pretty jagged elements. I'm guessing that they were not using the newer higher resolutions of the 3000. —Scott
#100011From: Black Belt SystemsApr 25, 1990 10:30 PM
I've not seen it – but I do think that the prescence itself was important. Can't say I'm surprised to hear they put their best foot forward – into their mouth. :^) Ben Amateur Radio Callsign is A A 7 A S
#99997From: Ethan SolomitaApr 25, 1990 10:13 PM
That ad was really impressive. Those are TALL pages and they bought 3. It was actually a very professional looking layout. I'd recommend people take a look at it, as well as the praise,smack-in-the-face combo on page B4. — Ethan
#100026From: Darron C. KnutsonApr 25, 1990 11:01 PM
Ethan, I thought the Journal's article on page B4 was pretty good -complimentary of the 3000, but recognizing the challenges that CBM faces as a company to regain credibility and acceptance among dealers and business users. Darron
#100132From: Ethan SolomitaApr 26, 1990 4:00 PM
The problem with the article was that it made it seem like CBM was on shaky financial ground, which isn't true. — Ethan
#100161From: Darron C. KnutsonApr 26, 1990 8:09 PM
Ethan, I didn't read the article that way. The article mentioned two problems that CBM undoubtedly must address to get the Amiga accepted by business, getting more dealers signed up when the trend is for dealers to _reduce_ the number of lines carried, and dispelling the impression that CBM is not a maker of "serious" computers and is not a stable company. CBM's financial position isn't all that bad, but its current results are down from last year. Further, the frequent changes in management take a toll on the company's reputation as a stable vendor. The Journal commented fairly on those points. Anyway, the article was relatively complementary of the A3000. I think it used the work "nifty" to describe it and noted its low price compared to similarly tricked out Mac II systems. You can't expect the WSJ to be as enthusiastic a propagandist for the Amiga (or CBM) as you or I might be. Darron
#100002From: Tom RobinsonApr 25, 1990 10:17 PM
It's a not a bad-looking ad. Did you notice they describe the machine as having EIGHT custom chips? I, too, noticed they used the same old fonts, though… *sigh* =Tom=
#100027From: Darron C. KnutsonApr 25, 1990 11:01 PM
Tom, Yes, I read the ad copy about the eight custom chips and also observed the old, all too familiar, fonts in the screen image they used. Overall, I liked the ad. I hope that CBM follows up on it with regular advertising and promotion in business media. Darron
#100064From: Don Curtis/SYSOPApr 26, 1990 12:25 AM
Tom, Depends on what you want to call custom chips, the A2000 has: Agnus Paula Denise Gary Buster 1 8520's for a total of 7 custom chips that I can think of right away. Don
#100300From: Gabe J. FederApr 27, 1990 7:02 AM
You forgot Ramses, the RAM access controller. –Gabe
#100151From: Dean BrownApr 26, 1990 7:27 PM
Tom, The A3000 does have eight custom chips, not counting the 8520's. That machine is _full_ of monster chips. Dean DKB Software
#100230From: RON TROYApr 26, 1990 10:56 PM
The inside is rather interesting given all the custom stuff and all the sockets on the mother board; but it is a bit wierd to see that expansion boards are in horizontally. Ron
#100299From: Gabe J. FederApr 27, 1990 7:01 AM
Damn! I missed it?!!! The 25th? –Gabe
#100373From: Darron C. KnutsonApr 27, 1990 9:12 PM
Yes, the ad appeared in, I believe, the A section of the April 25 WSJ. The article on the rollout appeared on page B4 of the same issue.