I heard an interesting rumor about some cutback in the number of people in
HP Marketing.  That worries me a bit.  The good news is we might get some
new people who might not know that HP has been stealth marketing the HP
e3000 for years.

Our original slogan for the t-shirts for HP World was to suggest that HP
spin off CSY ("Let the Owl Fly Free!").  Read near the end of my message
as to what I think we should do on this subject.

After some reflection I think we should be careful about suggesting a
spin-off of CSY.

I am very satisfied with the commitement and actions of CSY over the past
four years or so.  My issues are basically with the appearance that higher
levels are out-of-sync with what CSY is doing, their product, and what CSY
and their products can offer to HP (profits from HP inventions) and
customers (reliable, forward compatible, etc).

I've heard that Carly has "handlers" who handle much of the stuff for her.
I think we need to find a way to convince them that more advertisement of
the HP e3000 is wanted by a "large" group of existing customers and is in
HP's interest, as well as the customers.  I don't think we need to
embarass upper management or shame them into doing the advertising.

If we suggest that HP spin off CSY, perhaps they would for the wrong
reason.  Let me tell you the major reasons I believe that a spin-off of
CSY might NOT be a good thing.

1.  IA-64.  An independent CSY would probably not have the same resources
for this project.  Until IA-64 and MPE for IA-64 are ready, I think we
would be shooting ourselves in the foot (or worse) if they actually spun
it off.  I am also not sure they would spin it off with enough resources
to complete that promised project.

2.  Hardware.  CSY would still need to buy their PA-RISC hardware from HP.

3.  Support.  CSY would need to buy the response center support.  It would
be a major undertaking for CSY to start their own call center.

4.  Service.  CSY would need to train more 3000-specific CEs or contract
with HP for the service.

5.  Major accounts.  Would HP's major accounts using the HP e3000 feel as
comfortable with just the resources from CSY?  As opposed to the much
larger resources HP could bring to bear on an issue?

Conspicuously absent from the list is the sales force.  What's that you
say?  An HP e3000 sales force?  I believe that is the application software
vendors (at this time).  They are the people championing the e3000 and
selling new customers (I'm one of them).

It seems as though HP is primarily working to keep the existing software
vendors happy, but isn't actively looking for new vendors in the types of
markets where the reliability and ease of maintenance of the e3000 is a
great fit.

I crudely break software developers up into three of categories:

        Corporate (in-house) custom development
        Vertical market application development
        Tools development

How do you reach the hearts and minds of each of the people who recommend
and/or make the decision on the mission-critical systems?

To reach the corporate developers and their management (high enough up
where a 27 year track record like the e3000's is attractive) would involve
things like advertising in golf magazines, in-flight magazines, etc.
Among all of the noise, the message should be that there IS a reliable
mission-critical business server with an excellent track record.

Reaching the vertical application providers (especially new developers)
involves reaching them through the common developers' magazines, business
magazines, vertical-market specific trade shows, etc.  Having some mention
of the HP e3000 and MPE/iX makes it easier for them to hear the messages
as to why the e3000 is a good choice, among the large number of other
messages (developers: think how quickly you scan magazines and ads,
looking to extract useful information).

The "brand marketing" currently being practiced by HP does nothing to
promote the features of the HP e3000 to any of these groups.  Especially
when they don't even typically mention the HP e3000, MPE/iX or TurboIMAGE.
Someone in these organizations who even tried to champion the HP e3000
might be met with "HP e3000 who?" from management.  As long as there is
little mention of the HP e3000, this will probably continue to be the
most common case.

Perhaps getting some of the existing HP e3000 developers to visit (with
HP) some of the vertical market trade shows (where there isn't already an
HP e3000 developer), and where the e3000 is a good fit, might work.
Visiting the booths where the software vendors are might work.
Unfortunately the people who work the show are not always savvy about
reliability and forward compatibility (and other important features of the
platform they sell software for), but perhaps they could provide contact
information for people who are the decision makers.  In case they actually
find real developers and informed managers, then the HP person and an
existing e3000 developer could pitch why they think the e3000 might be a
good fit.

For new, start-up developers, it's a different story.  They are typically
not very visible before or during development.  Perhaps an HP
e3000-specific booth at something like the Software Development (SD)
conferences, or at some of the e-services conferences would be
appropriate.  But, I still think HP should bring a developer along for one
main reason: Credibility.  It's one thing for HP to say the
e3000 is a good fit.  It's another for a developer to say that.

This is the start of where to meet the developers and decision makers, and
a start at winning their hearts and minds.

I can remember IBM coming calling my company to see if we would port to
AIX.  Boy were they eager.

Perhaps we could try "converting" some of the existing developers who are
sick and tired of the UNIX and NT release to release incompatibility and
work-arounds.  That is a much harder task.

Think about one of the good reasons for UNIX and NT: it's common.  Easy to
find people who know it.  Lowest common denominator - me-too.  But when
that has come to dominate the market, professionally I'm embarassed.

So, back to the subject of the t-shirts for HP World, and, more
importantly, the message we want to get across to the management of HP
above CSY:

        Please market your invention (MPE/iX and TurboIMAGE) more
        effectively than you have been.

I believe that the suggestions to "spin off CSY" really had our
frustrations with HP's marketing at the base of the problem, but we were
suggesting a form of "relief" for the problem:  Letting CSY do their own
marketing, where they could present the "case for why the e3000 makes
sense".

At this time, we had gotten very close to ordering a bunch of shirts with
"Let the Own Fly Free!" on the back, and an Owl and "e3000" on the front.

I think our idea of a shirt with an embroidered owl logo and "e3000" or
"HP e3000" or "HP e3000 & CSY" is a fine idea.  I do think that suggesting
that HP spin off CSY may not be a good idea.

I'd like to hear some suggestions for a slogan which reflects the positive
work of CSY and the e3000, shows support for CSY and shows the solidarity
of the installed base of customers and developers, and also suggests that
HP specifically market the e3000 (not just "brand marketing").

The e3000, MPE/iX and TurboIMAGE is not just a me-too product (I guess I
had better remind everyone that UNIX was a Bell Labs invention, Oracle
Database was an Oracle invention, SQL was an IBM invention).

The places in which an e3000 make the most sense don't seem to be the
places that the mediocrity of me-too products are effective.

HP, please market your invention more effectively.

Perhaps not having a slogan on the back of the t-shirts would be more
effective:  everyone who has contact with HP (above CSY) should express
their OWN opinion and their OWN suggestions and their OWN observations on
why they are in the HP e3000 community and what might be done to more
effectively market the e3000.

I also suggest that we ALL take a look at this subject and write a letter
to Carly and to Ann expressing this, and, if attending HP World, order a
t-shirt (maybe we'll take orders as early as next week, there have been a
couple of us working on this project for the past few days).

I'm also open to other slogans, but I really want them to reflect what we
really want, not just one way we hope might get us there.

Let's show our solidarity and commitment to the e3000 with t-shirts (and
nice looking polo shirts) at HP World!

Thanks to everyone who's helped me with many of the ideas I've presented
here.  They are not all mine.  Such is "community".

Rick Gilligan

p.s.  HP's stealth marketing "pissed me off" enough to spend my company's
time and money to go to HP World and help remind HP about the e3000.  I
hope to see many of you there.  If not, be sure to write to HP, complaints
and suggestions are more powerful in writing!