Andy's comments and positioning...

[Andy Burns]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Richard Gaskin" <ambassador at fourthworld.com>
To: "How to use Revolution" <use-revolution at lists.runrev.com>
Sent: Thursday, February 05, 2004 11:52 AM
Subject: Re: Andy's comments and positioning...


> Jerry Daniels wrote:
>
> > Maybe there are sales figures and cash flow to back the $99 approach. I
> > don't know. Do people convert to more expensive licenses after getting
> > a taste for 99 dollars? Do ten times the number of people buy the $99
> > version than would have purchased the $995 version? Is $495 best?
> > People are buying miniPods for $249 and they have to wait for one! And
> > that's an entertainment item--a toy. This is a professional tool--MUCH
> > more than HyperCard.
>
> Aiming the marketing message at pros also benefits sales to hobbyists:
> while professionals won't touch a tool seen as aimed at hobbyists, every
> hobbyist wants to feel they're using a tool capable of professional
results.
>
> If the positioning includes reference to how easy Rev is to build with,
both
> audiences will sit up and pay attention when the focus is on
> professional-quality results.
>
> In a noisy world it's hard being heard, let alone understood, so the
message
> must be well-honed and concise.  It's far easier to elevate the message
and
> keep it simple than to lower it and explain how you're not really lowering
> it.
>
> -- 
>  Richard Gaskin
>  Fourth World Media Corporation
>  ___________________________________________________________
>  Ambassador at FourthWorld.com       http://www.FourthWorld.com
>


I see I sparked some interest in RR's marketing.

I never programmed in C or Java. I programmed in HyperCard, which produced
quality results but not being a proficient programmer, I loved HyperCard.
All of a sudden I could produce something that I needed, even with it's
limitations.

Revolution is a powerful programming environment. If it was cheap enough to
be available to schools (K-12 and beyond), wouldn't that increase sales by
some factor?

Granted, behind the scenes at RunRev, the cost of experts to produce this
wonderful software may be cost prohibitive at $99.99 for a time, but sales
would eventually overshadow the cost of RunRev's development and advertising
budget, wouldn't it?

I paid for RunRev and didn't blink an eye doing so, as I could afford it,
being retired and a one man band.

How did Sun benefit from Java, giving it away as a free programming
language? It's not an easy language when you're just beginning, agreed. They
had another vision.

Just thinking out loud.

All the best,

Andy