Monsoon Marketing& Pledge Drives

It is vogue for CAD vendors to now release their software and all verticals annually, all at once -- or, at least within a month or so. In the past, the base CAD package would be released first, followed many months later by the verticals.

The problem for CAD vendors was that the architect would not upgrade to the new release until the architectural vertical was ready. For customers, it could also be a problem, if some upgraded right away and then were incompatible with those waiting for the verticals.

The Solution: release everything at once!

The Vehicle: "monsoon marketing," as CAD editor Martyn Day calls it, where all information about all products is released during approximately 1/12th of the year.

The Result: vendors invisible for 11/12ths of the year.

This was brought home to me by an upFront.eZine reader from New Zealand who yesterday asked me if there was any news about Revit. "Sorry," I replied, or with words to that effect, "That was March."

I am ready to admit that this is only of concern to us CAD journalists (for then we have nothing to write about for 11/12ths of the year) and CAD marketing people (for then they collect their unemployment cheques during the remaining 11 months).

The most important people in all this, the CAD users, well, they are quite content to be getting their work done without being bothered by the annual pledge drives to refuel the mother ship with $-tokens.