Subject: Re: multiplatform LW, where are we going?
From: Bryant Reif <[email-masked]>
To: Multiple recipients of list <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 18 Apr 1996 23:31:22 -0700

At 10:04 PM 4/18/96 -0700, you wrote:

>As far as Sun workstations go, I think we could do well there too. My one
>concern is with our own idea of exactly who we are aiming LightWave at. The
>Mac is, _relative_to_Sun_, a more "low end" platform. I think one of
>LightWave's biggest problems is that it is caught between two markets. It's
>too good to be considered "low end", but not good enough to directly compete
>with Alias and the other programs you have to morgage your house to buy.

Yes, image is *very* important.  People may perceive LW to be "low end"
simply because it is being ported to every platform under the sun.  People
might think of it in terms of the lowest common denominator.  "You mean it
can be run on a 3 year old Amiga as well as my ONYX InfiniteReality engine?
Well it can't be any good then... besides it's only $1500 not $15,000"

>My own feelings, and those of some others too, have been that we should split
>LightWave into two programs: a LightWave "Lite" type version for hobbiests,
>students, dabblers in 3D, and those who just want to check it out before they
>shell out the big bucks; and a LightWave "Professional" version aimed at
>people who do animation for a living and who would gladly pay twice our new,
>higher price for a really kick-ass program that gave them everything they
>needed to get work done.

You ever hear the story of how Popov vodka came about?  Similar situation.
The company that makes Smirnoff (can't remember the name) couldn't market
it's product very well with other premium vodkas like Stoli or Absolut.
People didn't think that Smirnoff was the same quality as the others.  So
what did they do?  They took the same product that was in Smirnoff and sold
it under a new name, Popov.  They then raised the price of Smirnoff and made
the price of Popov dirt cheep (as all college students know).  The result
was that Smirnoff's sales increased dramatically because of the greater
"perceived value" of the vodka.  The vodka was exactly the same in both
bottles, but Smirnoff "appeared" to be of superior quality due to the higher
price in relation to its cheaper cousin.  Price and placement, 2 of the five
P's in the marketing model.

Most consumers believe that there is a reason why some products are
expensive and others aren't.  

>David Hibsher
>Definitely just speaking for myself this time.
>

Bryant Reif
mailto:[email-masked]
http://www.aiesec.org/~bryant