1 - An insightful blog post and a scenario not uncommon in the marketing arena. Sadly, IBM & Microsoft are guilty of marketing the products and not the solutions that these products bring. However, in the case of MS Vista, there appear to be none!

2 - Did I really say that? (the software engineer of some years standing)

3 - Ah. Yes. This was between the fourth and the fifth Shimay (8%) and the four buckets of whisky..


---* Bill

4 - FACT - Microsoft don't even have to get out of bed to make billions of dollars from Windows and Office, so their cost of sale is extremely low. And that gives them that enormous budget - they can plaster adverts from one end of a London underground platform to the other... extremely expensive but think of the audience (the all-important end-user audience) every day.

Microsoft also get coverage on certain news sites (ahem) just for breaking wind (actually some Microsoft announcements and flatulence have the same aroma). IBM, and especially Lotus, don't get that kind of coverage. Another example was seen the other day... did anyone notice the noise about the new devices from Archos who are a major force in the media player market? No? No. When Microsoft shipped a new range of Zunes, which sell about as well as Gary Glitter CDs at a Childline fund-raising event, that was big news.

As for the IBM / Lotus marketing, I can't say too much, but I will say that our local marketing people work wonders with what they are given.

5 - Darren, I really appreciate you pitching in and speaking up for your colleagues in IBM marketing.

And yes - the market perceives the IBM and Lotus brand especially as 'not news'.

But. Given that there are less than a handful of actual news articles on computing.co.uk or theregister, or even slashdot - I really have to say (and I speak as a Business partner since 1995) - IBM really has to market its product.

I appreciate that its really difficult in your role - being asked to compete with MS and their bottomless wallets, with nothing more than an empty crisp packet and the abject hostility from the other IBM brands.

Think what its like being an IBM business partner - expected to do the high risk, low reward job of actually promoting a product that IBM themselves (especially here in the UK) have an abject terror of actually marketing.


Especially in the UK. In the US, there actually appears to be IBM sales folks who know how to actually sell it. Germany, of course, spend tens of thousands of Euros supporting DNUG. These are the two biggest markets after all.

Here, the UK should be the third biggest market. So why do I have to spend my time telling IBM folks how to sell Notes ? And if they cant get it after 10+ years, what chance has the new products - Connections and so forth - got ?

I honestly wish I was wrong. Honestly. We have an absolutely fantastic bloody product now. Unbeatable. And its stable, and mostly works. Leading edge - and 8.5 with things like xPages. Wow.

But whats the point in getting excited if IBM cant even get this product adoped by its customers. Where IBM BCS and IGS actively promote migratijon to Exchange and Sharepoint, in order to gouge fat consulting fees from feckless customers ?

So me - I'm trying to break out of just being a 'Little Yellow Bubble' person. Thats my plan. I have the vaulting horse made, and I'm wandering around the exercise yard, shaking dirt out of my trousers....

---* Bill

Clarification: I'm not talking about the 'preaching to the choir' marketing that IBM does by supporting various user group efforts throughout Europe. I'm specifically talking about running actual Ads that inform folks in IT (and hopefully IBM) that Lotus Notes actually exists.

(Let me state for that these are my opinions, do not reflect anyone elses opinions, and I'm not directly connected with any event here in the UK that IBM is sponsoring. Just in case anyone gets an itchy trigger finger. Again).

6 - 850 developers "at Lotus" could be accurate, but that certainly does not mean "850 developers working on Notes and Domino" -- there are several other products around under the Lotus brand.

7 - It's a number designed to embellish. The footnote is "and related products".

8 - with "and related products" being Symphony, Expeditor, Project "Atlantic", stuff like that. When we say that 850 number, we're not referring to the teams for Sametime, Quickr, Connections, WebSphere Portal, etc.

9 - Hmmm, market this: I'm on a site where I have an Intel Celeron Laptop, slow hard drive, hard drive encrytion and McAffee on access (slooooow)virus scanning. Notes7 is acceptable but hardly a performer.

They have invested very heavily in Citrix.

And 8.x standard client is going to....... You've guessed it, run like a dog.

Never fear the jungle drums are beating Vista desktop, Outlook and Sharepoint.

I can just see the marketing here. "Well you know if you just replace ALL your hardware with quad core 4GB machines and SSD it'll run like the wind" "Oh yes and if you get another 100 Citrix servers in your farm you'll never notice the difference"

Really strong marketing statements....

Oh and before we "go off on one" about Vista, this laptop has the blues (screen, regularly that is), and it runs XP. My Vista machine was very happy till I forced all those unsigned Dynadock drivers down it's throat....

10 - Neil - get a Mac.


---* Bill

11 - Neil - install Linux.

12 - Remember that advertising is just a very small part of marketing. They are not synonyms.

13 - Mr Ports - thanks - yes. I absolutely agree. I'd expect a mixed portfolio of spend on existing customers ('the preaching to the choir'), consistent support of journalists in terms of keeping the message going, consistent spending in terms of advertising, and a PR team of 'fluffers' who make sure that the relevant press releases get in front of the right folks.

I can see some of the 'preaching to the choir' stuff. But nothing else. I mean. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. Zip.

So where's the ads ?

And is this why basically everyone outside the little yellow bubble goes 'Whats Lotus Notes'. Aside from IBM salespeople, who seem to fly the length and breadth of the UK, trying to sell Notes customers IBM Portal for 'intranet' projects..

---* Bill

14 - 'I honestly wish I was wrong. Honestly. We have an absolutely fantastic bloody product now. Unbeatable. And its stable, and mostly works. Leading edge - and 8.5 with things like xPages. Wow'

I haven't been here for years and now I know why...and now I also know I won't be welcome for years ! But Bill...what was that line above all about ? It's been 13 years since we first worked together and at last you are now saying you have a good product. Am I ever glad I don't have to do the marketing before the sale and before the consulting...almost qualifies as a wasted life. I thank the powers that be that my world is turning a little faster than yours

15 - I'd love to say your wrong. But I'd be lying.



---* Bill