Advertising: Killer of innovation
The title may appear dramatic for what is essentially a comment on
the lack of advertising for the Amiga, but it is does show its
effects. Anyone here think that the Intel processor is better the
than Motorola PowerPC? How about the Alpha, is Intel better than
this? If you are an enthusiast who knows anything about computers
the answer should be a resounding NO. The Intel, for various
reasons, is held back by 20 years of legacy to remain compatible
with the past. Unfortunately, it is also the biggest selling
processor in the world. So why do people buy an inferior processor?
The answer is simple, ADVERTISING. Over the last few years Intel
have bombarded the television watching populous with its "Intel
Inside" adverts, featuring colourful dancing technicians and three
dimensional images showing how much fun computing can be. The
market they aim for is the ordinary Joe (or Jane) on the street.
Those who know very little about computers, and to be honest, do
not want to know. Those who want a box that can be switched on and
load a game or application. This is the basis of most consoles-
simplicity of use.
Now let's examine the Amiga. Have you seen any adverts on
television lately? Unlikely, the last one I saw was 1993. Have
Amiga International, or anyone else, placed an advert in the
popular press emphasizing their support for the Amiga? Nope. The
result of this is a lack of knowledge about the Amiga. The only
question people ask is, "Can it run Windows 95", to which the reply
is "No." (OK, the Amiga can but it isn't fast.) It is a sad state
of affairs that when the public think Personal Computer it is
almost synonymous with WIntel PC, with the Amiga dismissed as just
a "games machine." The public desires compatibility with the latest
industry standard applications, and, although many will argue
otherwise, the standard is MS Office. The likes of Wordworth may
perform the same functions at a fraction of a price but it doesn't
have the advertising or even shelf space that Microsoft can
dictate.
The advertisers focus is not simply restricted to getting their
product in the limelight, it also hails it as innovative. During
1995, buzzwords such as "pre-emptive multi-tasking,"
"task-scheduling," and "Plug and Play" surrounded the Windows 95
launch. When the Amiga was quietly launched in 1985, it had all of
these features but did not receive the attention. The blame for
this rests with Commodore, who sold the Amiga as a games machine.
This label has dogged the Amiga through its entire life and is
still felt today. The PC on the other hand was labeled a
workstation, making it the standard for offices and a desirable
object for the home. This paid off during 1993/94 when the PC made
the transition from the office to the home; the Amiga remained a
games machine like the Megadrive and SNES.
Amiga International have a difficult task ahead of them,
changing the publics view of the Amiga will require a great deal of
advertising to even get it back into the limelight. Even Apple have
been unable to shake the WIntel domination so how can a computer
with three previous owners and years out of the marketplace
succeed? Amiga users everywhere can always hope that the Amiga will
be advertised properly instead of ignored like Escom and Commodore
did. The Amiga already has an advantage up its sleeve- its user
base. The informal support that comes from having a community of
users who use the system can never be replaced. It is to the user
base that the Amiga owes its second life, without the dedicated
people who refused to jump ship there would not be an Amiga version
of Quake or Doom. Gateway would not create the next generation
Amiga system, and finally, there would only be Apple standing
between Windows and market domination.
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Last Update: 1/11/2001
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