Computer History Museum

Personal computer (PC) software workshop : marketing and sales

Participants discuss how software products were initially marketed in the 1970s and 1980s, including special programs for the marketing of VisiCalc, WordStar and Peachtree. They identify the differences between marketing a specific product and the need to sell customers on an overall product category. They talk about their use of PR in the trade journals and how they used the various trade shows, especially COMDEX, to promote their products. They also discuss why the initial software publishing model was not effective and how the distribution channels changed over time.

Item Details

Date
2004-05-06 (Made)
Type
Document
Catalogue number
102702028
Organization
Computer History Museum (Publisher)
People
Eric Bender (Participant)
Edward Bride (Moderator)
Bill Goodhew (Participant)
David Grier (Historian)
Michael Mahoney (Historian)
Christopher Morgan (Participant)
John Toole (Participant)
Adam B. Green (Participant)
Seymour Rubinstein (Participant)
Carol Anne Ances (Editor)
Barbara Brizdle (Participant)
Ben Dyer (Participant)
Michael Kolowich (Participant)
Jeff Tarter (Participant)
Connie Galley (Participant)
Janet Abbate (Historian)
John Brackett (Participant)
Dan Fylstra (Participant)
Category
Transcript
Credit line
Software Industry Special Interest Group
Extent
25 p.
Place of publication
USA/MA/Needham
Language
English
Acquisition number
X4621.2008
Subject
SofTech, Comdex, Microsoft, IBM, VISICALC, VISION, WORDSTAR (software), ComputerWorld, VisiCorp, Lotus 1-2-3, Apple II (Computer), Spreadsheet, MicroPro
Archive collection
Oral history collection
Archive hierarchy
CHM Oral History Collection