[Grassroots-l] [Olpc-open] [IAEP] G1G1 (was Re: [Community-news] OLPC News (2008-09-29))

[Samuel Klein]

On Sun, Oct 5, 2008 at 3:30 PM, Sameer Verma <sverma at sfsu.edu> wrote:
> On Sun, Oct 5, 2008 at 11:58 AM, Sean DALY <sdaly.be at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Effective marketing is targeted. Last year's typical G1G1 donor was
>> probably a generous IT type with a positive viewpoint concerning Free
>> software, curious about Sugar and perhaps even willing to be an
>> ambassador of the OLPC project. This market doesn't need a marketing
>> message; they are ready to donate and merely eager for practical
>> information (cost, available by Christmas or not, available outside
>> the USA, if so with localized keyboards or not, at same price or not,

+1

That said, while the message doesn't need to be targetted to these
groups, we do need to find them; and while many of them will not be
touched by a MSM publicity blitz, hundreds of thousands of them are
devoted to one or two lists or communities already focused on free
software, new technology, green power, sustainable rural education and
health development, or poverty alleviation.  These are places where
the XO and OLPC as a project are already used as examples of what is
possible. To my surprise, that doesn't mean that these people keep up
with the latest news or know much about what OLPC has done in the past
two years.  I meet a number of them that missed last year's g1g1
entirely.

>> partnership. The most effective merchandising could be what Apple has
>> done for decades: a few decals/stickers slipped in the box before
>> shipment -- easily designed and printed with negligeable
>> picking/packing and shipment cost.
>
> +1

That's a good idea.  I don't know how easy the slipping-into-the-box part is.


> This just came to me while sitting in traffic - a stylized bumper
> sticker: "My other XO is in Mongolia" (or Rwanda, Haiti, etc.
> Randomize the stickers or give them a few to choose from:-)) We have a
> lot of creativity on these lists. Let it rip!

"My other XO is..."  or "my other laptop is..." are great memes.
I've seen some great shirts around the latter concept.

>> Massive buzz could be generated by
>> another technique Apple has used for years: the education discount.
>> Offer the pair at $375 for educators and university students, and $425
>> for others. Imagine thousands of educators holding an XO in their
>> hands, the community feedback potential.

>> I would venture that the less said about the XO-2 at this time, the
>> better. I believe the priority should be to combat the perception that
>> OLPC has fallen short and discussing the future version might merely
>> confuse everyone, in particular leading to speculation that something
>> is not right with the XO-1. What G1G1 can do is remind everyone that
>> hundreds of thousands of OLPC XO-1s have shipped and are shipping, and
>> are serving children from Birmingham to Kigali.
>
> +1
>
> The shipment numbers are impressive, and must be highlighted as much
> as possible. Everyone I've spoken to at first thinks of this as a
> faltered project, but then they hear the numbers and their eyes light
> up. Numbers assure that the project is alive and kicking.

Strongly seconded.  Even my tech-savvy friends who think they have
been following OLPC are surprised by even our lower numbers of 200,000
laptops confirmedly being used regularly by children.  The more we can
spread the message of how successful we have been so far, and how
pervasive the change in Peru and Uruguay is already (not to mention
birmingham and kigali), the more we will inspire people to pass that
message on.

SJ

G1G1 updates : http://wiki.laptop.org/go/G1G1_2008