[ubuntu-za] Karma vs Windows 7

[Quintin Beukes]

Hey,

Another important thing to consider in a campaign is the wording of
Linux. Actually, for Ubuntu to be successful they actually need to
strip the word Linux. It sounds cruel, but Ubuntu is the first distro
which has wide desktop use "viability". Canonical is doing great job.

But when you tell someone Linux, they cringe. People are scared of
failure and thus things they don't understand. And Linux has built up
a good reputation for being everything but easy.

So. I have always thought, that if you make a campaign for Ubuntu, you
should leave out the word Linux completely. It has a 2 birds benefit.
Firstly, for those who haven't heard of it, they would be interested
in hearing more about something that could solve their problems.
Secondly, for those who have heard of it as being Linux, they most
probably did so because something was talking about how great it is.
Of those in the first group who ask around, they will hear the same
from others.

Finally, once they come around and the sales person is involved, one
can explain to them what Linux is, and how there can be many Linuxes.
Something like:
"Linux is just a core. It's like having an engine in your car. The
engine can be very complex, but the driver doesn't need to know that.
Then you get many cars which use this same engine. Some are advanced,
for the professional racer. Not easy to use unless you're trained. And
then you get that same engine in a luxury car, which is the biggest
pleasure to drive. Ubuntu is like the latter car, with Linux being
it's engine." Using a real example would be best. Use famous names.
Names are powerful. If you were to integrate names like BMW/Mercedes
into such an analogy, it will have MUCH more power, than just using
the word "car/engine". It's basic "social engineering", so to speak.

An important thing in advertising is to not let the target think too
much. Tell them just enough to get to the sales person, and have the
sales person tell them just enough to create the desired impression.
If the target thinks too much about something they know too little,
they will fill the gaps with the "worst", so as to protect themselves.
Or the optimist will fill the gaps with the "best", which is just as
bad, because they might expect too much, be disappointed and create
bad advertising.

Note that I'm not trying to create an evil ad campaign using terms
like 'target'. Successful advertising uses psychology, which is a
science. So to succeed in it, you need to think of it like a scientist
would. Try and remove yourself, the "user" and "Ubuntu"/"Linux" from
the picture and think of it in a "raw" logical product/target/seller
way. Especially if you're a Linux evangelist. You might have
difficulty letting go of the product. I didn't study sales/psychology,
and these are just my thoughts on the subject. It has actually
surprised me that Canonical hasn't taken some of their funding and
thrown it into this space. I guess they're waiting for the right time,
when they feel Ubuntu is ready for such wide targeting. Till then it's
our job to target the smaller scale.

Linux has failed mainly because of this. Geeks aren't business
men/women. So they never took at it like Microsoft has. And in the
end, Microsoft is still the winner? What's the difference?

People are weak, and will always be susceptible to advertising. Ubuntu
needs to fight in the same ring, and once they are out there, people
will start realizing they were being fooled all this time, and now
have freedom.

Finally, what you want to do, even if very slowly, is create happy
computer users. Even now there is still no such thing. Everyone hates
their computers and everyone complains about Windows. Computers, the
"answer", has become the butt of jokes. Your best advertiser is the
consumer, so aim at making them happy, using Ubuntu.

Quintin Beukes



On Sun, Oct 25, 2009 at 6:02 PM, Raoul Snyman
<raoul.snyman at saturnlaboratories.co.za> wrote:
> On Sunday 25 October 2009 15:56:42 David Robert Lewis (ethnopunk) wrote:
>> To tell you the truth, I don't think cost is the issue in Windows
>> upgrades. Sure its a factor, but telling Windows converts that Ubuntu is
>> FOSS is like telling them, its Linux. There is a major perception
>> problem, based on real issues to do with Linux being "too complicated"
>> or "too geeky". Windows is selling itself as
>
> No. It's amongst your IT friends that the above perception exists. Most
> "ordinary" people have never heard of Linux/Ubuntu.
>
> And it's not "Karma" it's "Karmic"
>
> --
> Raoul Snyman, B.Tech IT (Software Engineering)
> Saturn Laboratories
> m: 082 550 3754
> e: raoul.snyman at saturnlaboratories.co.za
> w: www.saturnlaboratories.co.za
> b: blog.saturnlaboratories.co.za
>
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