Some Advice To AMD

I’ve read AMD saying why Megahertz Don’t Matter Anymore.

It sounds like BS.

If I think that even when I know what they’re saying is true, what must it sound like to those who don’t?

The AMD campaign seems to have Al Gore Syndrome. It sounds like it’s lying even when it isn’t.

Forget The Bells and Whistles

The AMD approach doesn’t take into account what it’s fighting against.

It’s going against a very simple message pounded into people’s heads for 20 years: Measure With MHz. That’s simple, quick, easy. You don’t beat that with a big long cutesy finessed message.

It’s like a Christian missionary trying to convert the Taliban by arguing theological fine points. It won’t work, no matter how many thumbs up you get from the theologians.

Keep It Simple, Stupid

Throw out the cutesy language. Toss out the little bitchy slights of Intel. Give the marketers and writers something else to do. Find some copywriters for auto part ads.

Ban the technical terms. Forbid the big words. Keep it to mostly one or two-syllable words. Write short, simple direct sentences.

You fight fire with fire. You fight simple with simple, and you use terms and concepts just as stuck in people’s heads.

“Works harder”

Two words. A simple positive concept everyone understands. Everything else should work off that one theme: “does more,” “does more work,” “gets more done,” “gets the job done faster.”

Then look at Intel. “Does much less (or little) work”, “can’t do as much.” If you really want to have fun, call the PIV “lazy.” You could have wonderful ads based on that.

Don’t just say it, show it. For example, show a jackrabbit taking really small steps.

You want benchmarks, don’t call it faster. Call it “does more work in the same time.”

Notice I didn’t use a technical term, or even a word with more than two syllables. Keep it simple. Keep it focused. Speak plainly, and keep pounding it in again and again.

To Hell With The Techno-Pseudo-Sophisticates

To hell with any critics to this approach. They aren’t buying the computers; Joe Six-Pack or Corporate Joe is. Success is not making the self-appointed critics happy. Success is selling CPUs.

Joe doesn’t know or want to have to learn buzzwords. He has better things to do, like his real job. He does understand terms like “work harder” and “lazy.”

Besides, what else does all this mean but “works harder?”

Computers are a low priority in most people’s lives. They want something that works well and works fast. If they don’t drool over technical jargon, well, that’s less spit to clean up.

Writing or speaking simply is hard. It takes more thought. Using big words and jargon in front of the wrong audience just proves you’re lazy or dumb.

Jargon is only useful when it expresses thoughts more quickly to an audience that knows what the words mean. When the audience doesn’t know or even needs to know, using jargon just shows poor communication skills.

If you can’t explain these terms simply, then you maybe you really don’t understand them too well, either.

This is not rocket science. This isn’t even really computer science. Unless you make the things, “works harder” works for just about everyone else.

Anything more is but a few additional details and a lot of jive.

Email Ed