Entourage and Marketing

Apologies for adding to the wave of "how do we respond to Entourage being on the rocks" threads, and for doing so in such a long-form post, but between some earlier forum comments and watching http://www.ted.com/talks/morgan_spur...ever_sold.html , I've had some trains of thought which may be worth following up on.

I, for one, have never seen any Entourage product advertised anywhere- I bought mine within 48 hours of the first time I saw it reviewed on a tech site. Getting word out would probably do them no end of good. The trouble is to who and how?

1) What is Entourage's market?
2) What is Entourage's "brand"?

It has been posited/reported that they're in the crunch now because they expected education to be their driving market. I can say from the graduate research project that first put me in touch with the iRex iLliad (predecessor to my eDGe) that education is not a market for a startup. For example, "smartboards" aren't a half bad technology, but how many classrooms have them after 5+ years? At the best of times you need to convince all the teachers and administrators in a school system that the tech isn't too big and scary to approach, then wait a few years for the bureaucracy to enact changes. Now more than ever before, k-12 and most public universities don't have any money at all. Unless Entourage can arrange the business case, probably per school district, that "look, we've seen your curriculum and met with your publishers, and if you buy each student an EE/PE and go all-digital on your textbooks and handouts you will save x% of your budget" (for x>~20), I don't see sales happening. MAYBE they have a case at private universities where professors are fresh, curricula are flexible, and students can be coerced into buying whatever the course requires. But in general, even if education is their market, I propose it really shouldn't be.
They've apparently been trying to garner attention by going to tech trade shows. That's great marketing... if their market is technophiles and early-adopters. First-word did get out, and they got some sales on the early-adopter demographic, but the early-adopter wave is nearing shore if it hasn't already beached, and as has been surmised on other threads, technophiles are going to mainly be interested in the crazy-fast ultra-slim gaming tablets that can be overclocked and hacked to run anything, not a big heavy almost-laptop that is locked into a version and a half behind the latest Android and a processor that is only par for the course. So barring fallacies in my logic, the trade show crowd isn't going to get them much more RoI.
Based on my own experience and what I've read from others here, I'm going to propose something crazy: the SINGLE BEST market for the EE and PE are *drumroll* that really bigly huge swath of "average people." Folks who want a portable internet and reading solution larger than their phone, who can't justify an iPad because of the cost, who are skeptical about the dedicated e-readers because they look too small to read comfortably on and most are grayscale-only, who don't want a Kindle DX because at that size, being limited to only reading and static-content web browsing seems lackluster, who can't justify a full laptop because they don't need more than internet, word processing and reading, and who haven't really contemplated "netbooks" because aren't they just the same as laptops only with a really cramped keyboard?

So- how to get word out to "average people" on a secondhand-worn-out-childrens'-shoe-string budget?
TV is right out. Major print publications ditto. And I don't see sponsorship happening either.
Online video... hasn't obviously brought in excessive sales, but that may be because it never got linked in the right places. Putting together any more videos, particularly ones with a proper advertising angle rather than just tech demo/help, would take writing budget, filming equipment/budget, and post-production budget. Or a few of us stepping forward and doing our own creative spins on youtube and accidentally going viral.
Utilikilts has got a fairly good thing going by word-of-mouth: every kilt ships with a dozen or two business cards in the pocket so when the wearer is out and attracts any kind of attention, he can quickly hand out a reference to where to go for more information and possible purchasing. But Utilikilts is a very-niche inherently attention-grabbing product with a tagline that tells you everything worth knowing about the brand- "We sell freedom."

Which leads this rant to question 2- what is the Entourage "brand?" What does an EE or PE say about itself and it's owner? It's a very practical device, but why, on an emotional level, does someone who has never heard of the company want to suddenly take interest? Word-of-mouth is something we-the-customers are uniquely positioned to do for the company, but having props and a message to organize around would certainly help. Anyone know if Entourage has an established marketing message? Their media kit has everything needed to create materials, as far as I can see, but no actual branding. As an informal challenge, can anyone think of something awesome to say? If we come up with a real gem, and reports of the friendliness of the company are true, I'd imagine we could get corporate blessing to distribute our own material in their name

I think your comments about the educational market are spot on in retrospect. Students have always been the most cash-strapped demographic at any level of education. Mention to a group of parents that a class should go all digital and you get a riot demanding to know how the average family is supposed to afford a $500+ device for each of their kids when just buying clothes is a problem.

In contrast, the working professional (of any profession), or any middle-class individual, is exactly the type of person that has $500 to spend, and can benefit from a unified multi-purpose device, especially one that eliminates paper and books.

As for trade show presence, I do believe the majority were educational and publisher tradeshows, but the tech ones like CES are the ones we technophiles perk up and pay attention to

I can't really answer the branding question. I do know that the book form-factor with both an ereader and a tablet are the secret sauce that instantly grabbed my attention. Somehow being able to fold it up and tuck it safely away or carry it is just magic. It's like having a true digital book with just two pages, but that displays anything and everything in the world. Maybe that's "something awesome to say"?

What rocked to me was the interaction between both displays..., that is, linking all the relevant information and hypertexts which are availabe in the web (next to your eyes, next to your book, a whole world of information to be integrated...), with just one click, embedded into your document... is the epitome of annotation!!!
It's annotation taken to a higher level. It is "digital hyper-annotation", and intersemiotically too, because you not only add links, but handwritten graphics, annotations, gestures and signs, personal codes, underlining, highlighting.... You cannot do ALL this unless you do it this way; you cannot go to a library, cross check every name a document contains, look for additional side information and put each ramification of data it into a printed book. If you collect all the side information, you would need a truck to carry a thousand books.

So, summarizing, as I have said in other post, with the 2-display integration, you fit the internet INTO your books and you turn a simple document into a knowledge base...

Other thing which impressed me very favorably was the "sturdiness". I have had my Palm displays broken or cracked in the past, and know firsthand how vulnerable "tablet-like" devices are. The Edge seemed to me to be a solid, resistant, reliable device with its clamshell design. I agree with Boris, it's conceptually like a book, but does not feel fragile or exposed.
The representation was "This is not a toy", this is a real thing.

I think the biggest marketing challenge with the eDGe is how to make people feel like they've bought a thing that will enhance their image/status. That's why people want the ipad. Most who covet the ipad don't even know how it works or what its capacilities are/aren't. But they want it because it looks sexy and it's a status symbol--and they keep reading about it in mainstream media.

Originally Posted by NiaTrue

I think the biggest marketing challenge with the eDGe is how to make people feel like they've bought a thing that will enhance their image/status. That's why people want the ipad.

Appealing to people's vanity is not the only way to sell a product. For an analogy in the smartphone market, iPhones and/or Android may be "cool" at the moment but a lot of us still choose to carry a BlackBerry because our phone is a tool and we need it to work, period. Obligatory reference: http://www.csectioncomics.com/2010/1...lackberry.html

Incidentally, this is the same reason I bought my Edge. It is a tool designed to do a job that nothing else does. Although it has its share of rough edges, like all good design, its form follows function. Hopefully, if there is a version 2.0 it will continue on this path rather than attempting to chase the latest fads.

Best,

Just saw this....

http://www.fastcompany.com/1745709/i...ure-of-tablets

I wasn't suggesting that it's the only way to sell a product, only that products that appeal to such desires often sell better. I, too, obviously, own and eDGe--and a Blackberry--because I buy products that match my need to use them. But not everyone purchasing habits match mine.

The proof in the pudding is the fact that we know the eDGe suits the needs of a certain demographic better than anything else on the market--but no one is buying it! People are lining up instead to buy the sexy but under-performing (for these needs anyway) ipad.

Addendum: Very interestig article about the Kno.

Originally Posted by PsylverMom

Just saw this....

http://www.fastcompany.com/1745709/i...ure-of-tablets

Did I miss in the article where they specified what OS it'll run? I think it's a good idea and looks pretty slick, but 1)if it's windows based, I wouldn't buy it, and 2)not having eink is a big mistake for reading.

I was considering it along with the Edge which obviously won. All the links I have to their site are mysteriously gone. There is still an article on wikipedia says it runs Linux and Webkit.

Regarding the original poster's point about targeting customers who can't afford an iPad...until the recent troubles, the 10" eDGe cost as much as an iPad, and the Pocket eDGe not much less. IMHO, holding this price point even after the technology was outdated with the arrival of Froyo and Pearl EInk, was a major cause of enTourage's undoing. If they had dropped the 10" price gradually during last autumn and winter to $375 or so, they would be selling like hotcakes.

NiaTrue's point about the status symbol is well-taken, but it's hard to see how an inherently large and heavy device is ever going to become a status symbol with today's emphasis on electronic annorexia. These people aren't thinking logically -- just look at all the ink and web pixels spent lauding Apple for trimming the iPad's thickness from 0.5" to 0.34"!

^ And that had long been the criticism lodged at tablet PCs - the price was just crazy in comparison to a regular laptop. Even though it did more than adding simple USB input tablet to a regular PC would, and you were paying for seamless integration, they just didn't take off as more than niche products. I have owned 3 different tablet PCs at different times, but I'm pretty sure I only ever saw one "in the wild" - and we travel to a lot of software development conferences (which also include a non-trivial portion of business analysts and project managers, not just devs). So while programers need a keyboard more than a stylus, they do also tend to go both for what's new/cool and what's high end. Only once in all my years traveling around have I ever seen someone with a tablet PC that I didn't own.

Sorry for dropping off for the past couple days- glad to see there's some lively discussion going on this! Agreed, price-for-[functionality as just a tablet] is not an angle that is going to sell overly many units. Getting through to anyone will largely involve focusing on the great points people have been bringing up, and tying those back to a brand which, I subsequently realized, is named not so much after leading as following >.<;

Sleeping on the concept for the past couple days, I'm thinking of perhaps a series of simple 1-page plugs- bold header, explanatory blurb, pics of the EE and PE posed for show, and a unifying slogan. Ideas include:

If it's really e-paper, shouldn't you be able to e-print to it, e-write on it, e-draw on it, e-share it with others?
Introducing the eDGe and Pocket eDGe. Read, write, draw, and annotate any PDF. Save any writing or drawing to PDF and copy it to a thumb drive or send it electronically.
Welcome to the enTourage.

If it's an e-book, shouldn't it have full e-pages and e-illustrations, and be e-readable for hours on end?
Introducing the eDGe. 9.6 inches of crisp, 16-shade e-paper for over 8 hours of continuous reading.
Welcome to the enTourage.

If it's a tablet, why does it still feel like a phone?
Introducing the eDGe and Pocket eDGe, featuring a custom-integrated large-screen Android OS, full web browser, large-screen movie player, Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint editing tools, support for many existing Android apps, and extensibility via SD cards and USB storage and peripherals.
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Give your thumbs a break.
Introducing the eDGe and Pocket eDGe, with full standard USB keyboard support out of the box for e-mail, web browsing, word processing in standard Microsoft Office formats.
Welcome to the enTourage.

If it's mobile computing, shouldn't it have internet anywhere you are?
Introducing the eDGe and Pocket eDGe, with built-in wi-fi and integrated SIM card slot to bring your existing wireless data plan with you wherever you work.
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An e-...Book? Books are soooo last-century.
Introducing the eDGe and Pocket eDGe. Link any part of any e-document to any other document, media, or web content instantly and effortlessly, creating your very own interconnected knowledge base in the palm of your hand.
Welcome to the enTourage.

A full Windows license fee? For a netbook?
Introducing the eDGe and Pocket eDGe- a competitive 1GHz CPU, 4GB on-board storage, nearly unlimited extensibility through USB and SD, full-featured web browsing, e-mail, document editing, music and video playing, and e-reading software, all in a lightweight free Android OS.
Welcome to the enTourage.

Why is "It just works." the exception?
Introducing the eDGe and Pocket eDGe, featuring a stable, hassle-free Android OS, a selection of professionally maintained Android apps, plug-and-play support for USB storage and peripherals, and connectivity to any PC or Mac, all with no additional software. The friendly and helpful enTourage tech support must get pretty bored...
Welcome to the enTourage.

Introducing the eDGe and Pocket eDGe, the only device that gives you a 100% eReader experience AND a 100% Android tablet. Read an eBook while referencing web sites, checking your email, or listening to music. Or browse the web or watch a video while writing notes.
No restrictions. Welcome to the enTourage.

Sorry, I'm too good at marketing to do it for free.