Originally posted by: golem
first of all it depends on the *presentation*
i.e
We are the New AMD and we are SO confident in our new Product we are giving 100,000 away in an unprecedented contest
i planned for "locking a customer in"
.. "we" would "tie in" the NEXT launch of graphics cards with a "dollars off" coupon ... and they would *agree* to accept email advertising .... PLUS they are *required* to fill out a survey at 30, 60 90 days
so they kept getting "fed" propaganda AND - of course, they get the "special deal" on Barcelona when it is announced
these customers would be carefully "cultivated" and well-equipped to "spread the AMD gospel"[/quote]
It just seems incredible risky to me, depending on a lot of variables to work.
The ones that win have to have these characteristics.
1) Not already be ATI fans, cuz they're already promoting the brand for free.
2) Not already be Nvidia fans, cuz they're just as likely to sell the card as keep it. Or bitch about the cards short comings incessantly.
3) Be Neutral and be swayed to ATI's side.
Even if they are 3)
1) They have to have a power supply capable of powering the card. Otherwise they'll sell it and buy something else, or even worse, try and use the card and blow their system.
2) Care enough or be eloquent enough to persuade others to buy the ATI brand.
How many people could that be?
Sony tried something that is similar to this for the London launch of the PS3. They gave away big screen tvs to the first 100 or maybe it was 1000 people who bought the PS3 at a certain store. Created a lot of buzz, even outside of Great Britain, PS3 sales were so bad after the first month (or maybe first week, I forget), some retailers had to drop the price to drum up sales.
The lock in isn't really a lock in either. You're essentially paying them through a discount to buy your next generation. So not only are you giving them a card free this generation, you're giving a discount to buy the next generation. Which again doesn't stop them from selling both the prize and the coupon.
AMD can send them emails, which can be ignored, and surveys which can be filled at random, but AMD can't force them to spread the AMD gospel or to be effective at it if they tried.
Sorry for sounding so negative about this idea. Just bringing out these points to show that even if this promotion is executed extremely well, because of the random nature of giveaways, it still may not work.
[/quote]
ok ... i already *detailed* ALL of this ... encore:
first you *aim* at your customer
--like with Vista's "Give Away Contest", they must have the "proper rig" with a sufficient PS and CPU/RAM minimums ... obviously the GTXers wouldn't get them ... nor the people with 300w generic PSes ...
and like with the Vista Giveaway they must endure a "series" of AMD propaganda videos for which
they must answer cleverly designed questions - to "qualify" them as possible fans - and to make sure they were paying attention ... randomly generated questions ... so no cheat sheet.
then they are considered, first come first served ... the "losers" get coupons for AMD products and future products so NO one "loses" ... and it is easy to tie coupons to specific 'winners' ... so
no sales of coupons ... and after 90 days and 3 follow-up surveys, the HD2900xt is "theirs" for the winners to keep or sell
Don't forget ! ... those 3 surveys of 100,000 customers - if properly written - would give AMD info about their customers to otherwise DIE for ... valuable beyond reasoning in future PR ... priceless info ...
insight into their customer's thoughts, desires, needs and wants - worldwide ... for decades to come
The "winners" are required - for "ownership" and 'warranty service' to answer follow-up questionnaires for which they are FURTHER "rewarded" ... they HAVE TO pay attention to you future emails ... for at least 90 days ... and it would be a pleasure since AMD's marketing has now got "smart" and won't bore them ... and now they are "prepped" for Barcelona
-of course it is a GAMBLE ... life is a gamble
for AMD a great promotion may mean the difference
--life ... or death