Re: Informix Truck Schedule

Path: emory!sol.ctr.columbia.edu!spool.mu.edu!uunet!charon.amdahl.com!amdahl!nsc!pyramid!infmx!billd From: billd@informix.com (William Daul) Newsgroups: comp.databases.informix Message-ID: <1992Feb19.020221.21275@informix.com> Date: 19 Feb 92 02:02:21 GMT References: <1992Feb5.182628.27030@informix.com> <1618@das13.snide.com> <94@logsysv.UUCP> Sender: news@informix.com (Usenet News) Organization: Informix Software, Inc. ======================================= Mobile Marketing Medium ======================================= Las Vegas -- A 70' semi-trailer parked in Informix Software, Inc.'s booth had everything but Merle Haggard singing the truck driver blues. High visibility, plus a controlled product demonstration environment were but two of the benefits this unusual tactic provided. Informix's main objective was to identify itself as a major player in the information management software business. The flashy rig became the major drawing element for the company's 50'x 60' exhibit. Just having an 18-wheeler parked on the show floor was enough to intrigue passersby. Entering the middle of the trailer through sliding doors, you could check out two areas - a 12-seat conference area with a short video presentation set up in the front of the trailer, or a hands-on software demonstration from manufacturers such as IBM and Macintosh. If you wanted information about a specific product application, an escort would take you to the appropriate workstation outside the trailer. While Informix used the semi-trailer to exhibit products, they also let their customers know about their mobile marketing medium -- the truck itself. Informix software typically runs on large systems that are difficult to bring to a customer site for a demonstration. And companies often require the approval of several decision makers before purchasing software. By using a traveling demonstration with all necessary equipment, they can reach key decision makers with one visit. Presentations are often custom-tailored to a customer's specific applications. According to David Saunders, Informix systems engineer manager, the truck has two main functions in the sales process. It's a way for the customer to have a hands-on experience by seeing, touching and observing the product. And, it tells people Informix is willing to go out of their way for its customers. "Because they are willing to invest in this kind of project, it leaves an impression in peoples' minds that this company is an aggressive marketer," says Saunders. It's unknown at this point as to the quality of leads gathered from the truck. But Informix knew a large percentage of attendees visiting the exhibit were checking out the truck. On the second day of Comdex/Fall '90, Informix gathered 1,500 leads. One thousand of those prospects had gone through the truck. Besides sales leads, Informix received inquiries from numerous software companies who wanted to show their products interfacing with Informix software. "I had several computer vendors who wanted to put their machines on the truck, and had at least two terminal vendors wanting to put their new X-Windows terminals on our wall (inside the truck)," says Saunders. While unable to put a dollar value on the amount of overall sales generated by the rig, Informix marketing director Jeff Tingley estimates that it's contributed to sales totaling at least 10 times the amount what the truck cost to develop. "It's been a core ,marketing tool of ours," says Tingley. CS ============================================== ============================================== Contact: Rosanne Siino INFORMIX 415/926-6471 INFORMIX LAUNCHES ROLLING DEMO CENTER 73-Foot Truck Showcases Informix's End-to-End Product Strategy MENLO PARK, Calif, (August 20, 1990) -- Informix Software, Inc. (NASDAQ:IFMX today unveiled a 73-foot truck that will serve as a mobile demonstration center for Informix's full line of information management software products. The customized blue truck enables the company to cost-effectively show its integrated end-to- end software solutions to customers anywhere in the country. "It is important for our customers to see our products, not just hear about them," said Jeff Tingley, director of marketing for Informix. "The networked computing system in the truck gives us an effective way to showcase the tight integration of our products. We can, for example, show our Wingz graphical spreadsheet running across multiple desktop platforms and accessing an Informix-OnLine database on a multiprocessor UNIX-based system. Without the truck, this type of networked demonstration is difficult to bring to a customer site." About the Truck The truck contains a demonstration room with a variety of personal computers and workstations running Informix-based applications. The desktop platforms are networked to a multiprocessor UNIX-based system, enabling Informix to demonstrate its integrated database-through-the-desktop solutions. "The truck's demonstration area highlights not only our products, but also the products of our value-added reseller and OEM partners," said Tingley. "By drawing on the hardware platforms or vertical applications provided by our partners, we can customize demonstrations to the requirements of individual customers." In addition to the demonstration center, the truck includes a twelve-seat theater area for multimedia presentations, and a conference table for customer meetings. A husband and wife team drive and maintain the vehicle, which will be on the road throughout the year. A dedicated systems engineer also accompanies the truck around the country. About the Products The truck is designed to showcase Informix's full line of information management software products. These products include Informix-OnLine, Informix's mainframe replacement database engine that combines fault tolerant OLT? performance with multimedia capabilities; and Wingz, Informix's leading graphic spreadsheet that includes the HyperScript to programming language. With Informix's Wingz-DataLink technology, users can access information from any Informix SQL database into a Wingz worksheet or use HyperScript to build a custom graphical database application. Other Informix products include SmartWare U, an integrated suite of office automation software; the Informix4GL family of fourth generation programming tools that dramatically reduce application development time; Informix-SQL, a menu-driven relational database management system; the Informix-ESQL family of development tools for embedding SQL into C, COBOL and Ada programs; and the Informix-SE database engine for decision support applications. About Informix Informix Software, Inc. is a leading supplier of information management software providing solutions from the database through the desktop. Informix products include powerful distributed database management systems, robust application development tools, and graphical- and character-based productivity software for delivering information