Re: Etch release advertisement.

On 9/5/06, Dustin Harriman <dustinharriman@gmail.com> wrote:

Joey asked:
"However before I'd like some general questions:"

. What would we want to achieve with the ad?

To generate hype using **non-technical**, punchy language that your
grandma can understand, and lots of cute visuals and simple
interactivity to gain and retain interest.  To reach a maximal
audience cheaply with a message that lasts for many weeks leading up
to and passing the Etch release.

Instead of trying to come up with a clever ad first, then spending
lots to publish it, why not hold a much cheaper contest for others to
come up with and publish their own ad on the Internet, and thereby
"outsource" it?

. Where should it be printed?

**Not** in some printed newspaper.  Newspaper ads are very expensive,
like tens of thousands of dollars for a full page advertisement in a
big paper like the New York Times.  What about all the people who
don't read that particular newspaper on that particular day?  Wouldn't
the Internet be a better place to post the ad?  It would last longer,
and could be way more fun and interactive than a plain paper page
(that most people will flip by in like 3 seconds anyway).  With a web
site, people sympathetic to Debian can email links around, blog it,
link to it in web page mini buttons, etc.  Your target audience does
have a computer, after all. ;)

For those who disagree, please tell me, how big of a spike was there
in downloads of OpenOffice after they spent ~$5,000 recently in a
daily free subway mini-newspaper in New York?
http://www.fundable.org/groupactions/openofficeads
Funny how this effort didn't seem to warrant so much as a mention on
their front web page's "In the media" section!  Case in point.

Instead of wasting ink and trees, a $2000 reward should be rewarded to
a contest-winner who makes the warmest, fuzziest, **non-technical**
publicity website for Debian, by say, Nov. 1st 2006.  Then the Debian
Developers, or leader can vote on the winner and be the judge(s).

Here is a perfect example of the kind of publicity website I'm talking
about, but for FireFox:
http://browsehappy.com/
I think this web site did far more for FireFox than their NY Times ad
ever did.  Where is Debian's equivalent of this site?

. Who prepares the ad?

Some up-and-coming web developer with good artistic and people skills
who wants to make a name for themselves and win a quick $2000 to
design like 6 simple interconnected web pages, that are reasonably web
standards compliant.  If they develop for flash player 7, so be it!

. How large should it be?
   (Maybe smaller depending on less money?)

About 6 magnificently and simply designed web pages with about 8
paragraphs worth of grade-3-reading-level "selling points" on it.  See
next section for the specific selling points.

There should be 2-paragraph interviews with real-life users (with big
photos) giving a favorable endorsement of Debian, each with a
sound-bite-like quotation.  Bonus points if one person is a relatively
hot geek woman.

There could be **a few** glitzy screenshots or youtube-like videos of
something in action like this one:
http://www.lifehacker.com/software/top/hack-attack-top-10-ubuntu-apps-and-tweaks-195437.php
(...and then scroll down to this section and watch the video of XGL in
action: "10. XGL/Compiz = Purdiest graphics you've seen in a while")

Perhaps there could be a link taking them to a live demo CD they can
download and try.

Less is more.

. What exactly should be referenced?

Debian's universality, convenience, non-corporateness, virus-free,
grassroots nature, global teamwork, community values, participation
culture, and global inclusiveness due to the ability to run on very
old and cheap hardware.  These are the marketable things that Debian
has **that anyone can easily identify with**.  Each of these is a
"bullet" deserving a paragraph worth of elaboration.

Also, let's not forget the **golden** opportunity presented by
Microsoft "end-of-lifing" Windows 95/98/ME, and **LOTS** of people
need to find a new Operating System **NOW**, and don't want to pay
money for software or hardware, and **don't understand their
options**.  "Save" these hordes of people!

The other huge marketing opportunity provided by Microsoft on a silver
platter is how fancy your computer will need to be to run Vista.
Vista takes 384 MB ram just with the OS idling!!  So by continuing to
use Microsoft products, you are doomed to eventually pay money for
hardware and software once your version of Windows gets end-of-lifed,
just like Windows 95/98/ME was.  With Debian, you can break free of
this.  Help people take the red pill and break free of the Matrix!

These are the kinds of words that should **not** be referenced
(because they are too technical and beg an abstract explanation that
will unfortunately turn most people off): package, apt, kernel,
distribution.

Cheers,
Dustin Harriman

My Blog: http://ca.blog.360.yahoo.com/dustinharriman
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