| Durango |
Getting attention with a me-too product. |
|
No one likes to admit having a
me-too product, and in practice Durango Systems did have a highly
innovative computer system, but it was introduced at a time when
about a hundred other systems were announced. With so
many competitors vying for attention, a strategy was developed that
included a small number of high visibility events.
The launch of the Durango Poppy took place at Atlanta Comdex. The press conference on the evening of the first day of the show was followed by an intimate dinner at an exclusive restaurant. The event was vigorously promoted during the run-up to the show, and Durango gained extra visibility by hiring "Southern Belles" to hand out promotional material at the Atlanta airport - anyone coming to Atlanta during that time was bound to be exposed to Durango and the new Poppy. Immediately after the Atlanta launch, press conferences were held in Paris, London and Munich, with senior Durango personnel completing the circuit in a period of about one week. The Poppy obtained an extraordinary amount of product publicity, in the U.S. and in Europe, which helped establish the company as a major contender in the then fledgling microcomputer business. |