Mark Job:

The man in Topeka is just as important to Avid's overall success as James Cameron is. Wedding videos are a noble market, and there are many of those type of Mom and Pop companies in existence.

This is where you keep reading denigration where there isn't any.  Although I wouldn't go all the way to "noble," nobody here has said there's anything wrong with wedding videos.  What I'm saying (and I believe some others are making the same point) is that advertising is aspirational; you advertise qualities of your product that make people want to buy it, and since Media Composer is used extensively in high-end filmmaking, it only makes sense to show that off.  

You obviously disagree, and want Avid to show how it can help what you call the "average" editor (watch out, wedding video guys might feel denigrated if you refer to them as "average").  I think Avid should reach out to that market, too, but I think they're smart to do so through forums, user groups and regional events.  You don't see a lot of Academy Award winning editors in those places, but you do see a lot of people who fit the market you think Avid is missing.

Mark Job:

Did you know that if you drink a brewed coffee and chase it with a can of Coca-Cola, then it gives you a buzz even better than a Red Bull ?

Yeah, dude!  I've lost count of the number of times I've gotten all hopped up on Red Bull and then typed some self-righteous rant on the internet calling people elitist and snobbish for not paying attention to my marketing needs!  It's all good, though!    I just blame the caffeine and use lots of emoticons!

ciao,
Carl 

Guys,

If Marks point is totally wrong then Avid's marketing strategy of the last ... let say... 10 years was perfect. I think it is fair to say it was not! It requires no intelligence of any kind to understand that if you lower the price of a product by a factor 10 in an effort to compete better with your competitors and increase your sales that this also requires an adaption of the market strategy.

I remember when Avatar came out we were all asking why Avid wasn't using the fact that MC was used for editing this movie in any marketing outings AND how this reflected on students in schools using predominately FCP instead of MC academic? We were not asking if Avid could use the Avatar story to sell more MC licenses to users doing weddings or birthdays. That makes no sense.

I agree with Mark that Avid only has the Enterprise marketing method and that this method is useless when trying to sell MC to a church in Africa. There it should be about features that make Avid stand out in comparison to its competitors regarding price in combination with features and, even better, how other churches have successfully used MC for their productions... not how James Cameron did.

 

 

Hi Jeroen (& everyone else),

Why is the only choice being discussed whether to put Hollywood or wedding videos on the Avid home page, and why is that the only marketing that counts in this discussion?  What about ads in a range of trade publications, from Variety to DV User?  What about having booths at NAB and IBC and smaller shows like BVE?  What about user groups and road shows and web seminars and Facebook pages?

Why doesn't any of that count?

The point is there's not one marketing stragegy that's going to reach the entire market for Avid products in one shot.  They talk about Hollywood because of the cachet, they do road shows because that's where many of us see what the products can do first-hand, they put ads in magazines targeted at different segments of the market, and they have a Facebook page that a kid in school might see.  All of that is marketing, and not all of it is touting Hollywood or large broadcast operations.

ciao,
Carl 

camoscato:

Why is the only choice being discussed whether to put Hollywood or wedding videos on the Avid home page, and why is that the only marketing that counts in this discussion?

….No Carl. This is not what my contention is at all ! My problem is not that Avid shows the Academy Award winning, aspirational stuff at all. My point is that Avid ONLY shows this stuff.

camoscato:

What about ads in a range of trade publications, from Variety to DV User?  What about having booths at NAB and IBC and smaller shows like BVE?  What about user groups and road shows and web seminars and Facebook pages?

Why doesn't any of that count?

….I never said there was anything wrong about this stuff. I really think you are missing the point Carl.

Respectfully,

Mark Job

 

camoscato:

What I'm saying (and I believe some others are making the same point) is that advertising is aspirational; you advertise qualities of your product that make people want to buy it, and since Media Composer is used extensively in high-end filmmaking, it only makes sense to show that off.  

…Advertising is not simply "aspirational," as you have suggested. Advertising is also targeted at specific groups and markets. I say Avid is *off target* in its focus. You see, the problem here in this discussion is you are only half right. Yeah, you show all the top end Oscar stuff, but you also half to speak to those who do not as of yet possess Oscars for editing. You seem to be stating this is not necessary, while I'm not so sure about that.

camoscato:

You obviously disagree, and want Avid to show how it can help what you call the "average" editor (watch out, wedding video guys might feel denigrated if you refer to them as "average").

….Yeah, I should have used the phrase, "do not, as of yet possess Oscars."

camoscato:

Yeah, dude!  I've lost count of the number of times I've gotten all hopped up on Red Bull and then typed some self-righteous rant on the internet calling people elitist and snobbish for not paying attention to my marketing needs!  It's all good, though!    I just blame the caffeine and use lots of emoticons!

ciao,
Carl 

….I just blame you

ciao,

Mark

 

*Note # 2 to Avid Marketers: What if you took one of your Oscar winning clients to a Montreal Avid Symposium who actually began his or her career as a small boutique to mid size owner/operator, then worked their way up to editing Hollywood-Oscar winning movies. Now, that would be very cool ! You would have to probably get a bigger hall for that meeting !

Mark Job

Hi Mark,

 

Mark Job:

Yeah, you show all the top end Oscar stuff, but you also half to speak to those who do not as of yet possess Oscars for editing. You seem to be stating this is not necessary, while I'm not so sure about that.

No, I said they already have marketing efforts targeted to people who don't have Oscars.  They have ads in the trade publications those editors read, they have forums that are populated largely by those editors, they have a Facebook page, and they have web seminars and user groups and booths at trade shows.  

You seem to be concentrating only on the website, as though that's the only place someone might find information about Media Composer.

 

Mark Job:

I really think you are missing the point Carl.

I get your point; you think Avid should have some prominent marketing that directly addresses you and speaks directly to your specific needs, and if there is currently any such marketing effort it is obviously a failure because you haven't seen it.

Further, it's arrogant of Avid to prominently display the award-winning work that has been done in Hollywood using Avid products, because there is an unspoken current of elitism and snobbery that says to you Avid is not interested in you using their products because you are not good enough.

The only thing I can think of that would convince you that Avid was interested in having your business is if Avid were to make an ad campaign centered around you and your needs, and to feature that ad campaign on the front page of their website.  

ciao,
Carl 

p.s. 

Mark Job:

I just blame you

For Avid's marketing?  

camoscato:

Hi Mark,

Mark Job:

I really think you are missing the point Carl.

I get your point; you think Avid should have some prominent marketing that directly addresses you and speaks directly to your specific needs, and if there is currently any such marketing effort it is obviously a failure because you haven't seen it.

Further, it's arrogant of Avid to prominently display the award-winning work that has been done in Hollywood using Avid products, because there is an unspoken current of elitism and snobbery that says to you Avid is not interested in you using their products because you are not good enough.

The only thing I can think of that would convince you that Avid was interested in having your business is if Avid were to make an ad campaign centered around you and your needs, and to feature that ad campaign on the front page of their website.  

ciao,
Carl 

….That's  not it at all Carl ! This would be a mental illness ! It's not about Mark Andrew Job personally, I'm simply attempting (and failing miserably at doing so !) to express and suggest a few ideas about targeting a wider base of potential users for Media Composer. This is really all I'm trying to communicate. Somehow, you're trying to put this all back on me, like I'm a messenger who must be shot, or seriously wounded, or something like that. (????) Really Carl, they are, after all, just suggestions, and ideas. This is an open discussion, and you are also entitled to your opinions. 

Respectfully,

Mark Job

 

Hi Mark,

Mark Job:

This is an open discussion, and you are also entitled to your opinions. 

You, too, my friend.  We could keep going round and round, and while I'm sure that would be entertaining, I doubt we'd accomplish much, so I'll just leave it. 

ciao,
Carl 

camoscato:

Hi Mark,

Mark Job:

This is an open discussion, and you are also entitled to your opinions. 

You, too, my friend.  We could keep going round and round, and while I'm sure that would be entertaining, I doubt we'd accomplish much, so I'll just leave it. 

ciao,
Carl 

…. OK.

Mark

 

The way I read it, when Mark refers to "himself", he is doing so in the collective, rhetorical sense, meaning owners of boutique video operations of which he himself, is one.  

Here are some samples from Avid Marketing:

From one of our nice customers here in Sweden: Link1 (Swedish Version Link2 )

.. a couple from Sundance 2011 : Link3, Link4, Link5

BVE 2011 (some Media Composer 5.5 info from one of our beta testers Link6, and regular hard working users Link7 )

Here's another from a regular user when 5.0 was announced with Mat Feury: Link8

None of the above links are big broadcasters.

 

@Freddy: Obviously Freddy with Avid in Sweden gets it. There were some interviews with editors who are cutting the type of short subject documentary, typical of what we are now getting from local independent producers. In one case we came onto the project as a one stop shop for principal photography as well as post on MC. Thanks for the links Freddy.

Mark Job

camoscato:

Why is the only choice being discussed whether to put Hollywood or wedding videos on the Avid home page, and why is that the only marketing that counts in this discussion?  What about ads in a range of trade publications, from Variety to DV User?  What about having booths at NAB and IBC and smaller shows like BVE?  What about user groups and road shows and web seminars and Facebook pages?

Hi Carl,

You are 100% right that Avid's marketing should be a spectrum of methods in which Avid tries to reach as many market segments as they want. I think what Mark is saying is that the spectrum is too small and I see his point. I don't think it would harm if Avid used other productions like documentaries and reality shows as marketing outings. Thousands of TV shows out there from for example mythbusters to BBC horizon, America's next top model, American idols, Top Gear etc...  etc.. etc...

The good thing, Mark, is that Avid has come a long way to where it is today marketing wise but I agree with you that there is still room for improvement.

Hi Jeroen,

jveekeres:

I don't think it would harm if Avid used other productions like documentaries and reality shows as marketing outings. Thousands of TV shows out there from for example mythbusters to BBC horizon, America's next top model, American idols, Top Gear etc...  etc.. etc...

How about Sunny In Philadelphia, Lost, Mad Men, The Ellen Show, or The Amazing Race?  They're all featured on the Media Composer In Action page that you get to from the main MC page.  Or if not there, there are 13 more pages of customer stories if you click on More Customer Stories, and the first page includes several post houses, the CBC, a sports team and a school.  Any of that count?

It's not that I think they shouldn't do what you guys want; I think they're doing it.

ciao,
Carl