[Linux-aus] Marketing Linux

[ben at geonetrix.com.au]

Hi all,

I've been following this debate for the last few weeks so I s'pose  
I'll have my $0.02 worth :) on the marketing of Linux.

We don't need to spend $350k on cars or anything else. I found the  
best way to market Linux was to hassle radio stations to interview me  
about Software Freedom Day. I scored a gig on local ABC radio and on  
the local community station - this increased awareness of Free  
Software significantly (and hey, IMHO its Free software as well as  
that great example of Free software (Linux) that we should be  
promoting).

I did a bit of a straw poll for Tassie's SFD event when we used  
newspaper advertising, street posters and radio to market SFD and by  
far and away the most effective was the free radio coverage as opposed  
to the relatively expensive newspaper ad and the street posters.

It would be insane to spend $350k with little more than a plan to  
stick some marketing guff on a car. Advertising needs to be targeted  
and I can't see which target we're trying to hit with this one. IMHO  
Linux does not have sufficient brand recognition outside of the tech  
community (and inside the petrol head community) for this sort of  
brief advertising to have any measurable effect - and just what is our  
measure of effectiveness? I haven't heard anything about what this  
project is meant to achieve apart from putting Linux marketing guff on  
a car which will barely register with the viewers of the advertising.  
The Mozilla NYT project had a marketing plan - it worked well, it had  
a measurable effect. The thing I've got to ask this project is whats  
the plan? What are the deliverables? (urgh project management speak is  
infesting my life :( )

Anyhow back to the original point - if we want to market Linux, lets  
look for the small wins first, free radio interviews are out there  
(especially if you have an event to talk about like SFD). If we want  
to go bigger we would need a plan with clearly defined goals and  
achievable outcomes, otherwise we are wasting money which can be used  
on funding the stuff that OSS is really about - cool software  
(preferably a good solid mailserver with a shared calendaring system  
that doesn't suck - well that's what I want anyway :) )

Cheers all,

Czaxx.


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