Adrian J Cotterill, Editor-in-Chief
Just when readers thought it was safe and our software vendor bashing days were (temporarily) over Scala go and do something we think is incredibly stupid and even though we have been really nice to them recently we feel compelled to write, criticise and of course point out the error of their ways.
To be fair (okay, to NOT be fair) we have often questioned the sense that Scala shows with its marketing – their name and their heritage should have meant that they could have built a great brand which really meant something but unfortunately they have no brand values, no master marketing plan and this latest missive from them to their VARs, to us at least just proves our point…
In an email with a subject line of Stability & Experience Main Ingredients of Digital Signage World Leader their latest great brain wave is to question the stability of their competitors.
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As one CEO said to us earlier this week “It’s a disservice to the industry to try and use FUD to build a business. Yes, some competitors have recently departed or closed offices, but those companies were hampered by weak products and/or limiting capital, a culling was long overdue”
The industry is actually quite healthy and those companies who have built their business by delivering value are doing quite well. Is this really the best marketing campaign that a company that has been around as long as Scala can really come up with?
We are the last people who ought to remind you of the old adage that if you don’t have anything nice to say don’t say anything at all but come on Scala, work on your brand, work on your features. You can do better, much better than this.
September 25th, 2009 at 14:21 @639
IF this is all Scala can come up with to try and grab customers…. well maybe they should check WHY people chose NOT to go with Scala in the first place – Lack of features, Cost of rollout (and repeat costs), no decent support system, etc, etc.
Although their ‘key’ message (i.e. check who you are dealing with’ is an important point, I think the underhand way they have done it shows a little desperation themselves. ’20 years’ – well, yes they have, but NOT with the same platform – let’s not forget that Scala was originally a video titling package on the Amiga computers, and only in the latter half of the ’90s did they convert to a PC platform – when Digital View have been around almost as long.
With Scala’s lead mainly coming from their large reseller base (who themselves are often looking for cheaper alternatives to keep themselves afloat in this market), I think they should work WITH the industry to show the overall benefits of digital signage, and put out their stall with the rest of us to let the customers decide what is best for them.
It is interesting that although the first few months of the year were quiet (for Acquire and the rest of the Digital Signage world), we have seen more expansion and sales in the last few months than at any time in the last 11 years!
September 25th, 2009 at 19:33 @856
I very much dislike companies, politicians, people that use FUD as a potential motivator in their communications. All I have to say is “karma.” It all comes back to karma. At some point, if you market based on FUD and if you buy based on FUD…you’re amongst your own kind. And yet, are potentially missing out on a large share of the customer market that is looking for tangible solutions. I agree with Neil…this approach speaks more to desperation than to leadership position! Real leaders inspire…they don’t invoke fear…to encourage business relationships.