Marketing Xara
Firstly I should apologize for starting off so clumsily on this board. I am a lover of Xara, and have been from the start, before Corel came along, or Magix. I admire both the creators of this software, and those very savvy teachers of it.
By nature I tend to say what I think, and this sometimes offends. I apologize in advance for that, but I believe people should speak their mind honestly. Many people insist on being politically correct, and will thus avoid constructive criticism, but I like to say it like it is. I think this helps in the long run.
Over the past dozen years I have encountered many people online who invariably say, “Gee, you are a Photoshop wiz!”
I reply, “Thanks, but I actually used Xara. You can see it at xara.com.”
I’ve lost count of the number of times this happened. I’ve spent a great chunk of my life promoting Xara.
From the start I assumed that within a few years everyone would know about Xara. I assumed it would only be a matter of time before it was a household name. Yet after twelve years I find that very little had changed (in terms of fame). People still say, “Golly, you are a Photoshop genius!”
It used to be annoying. Now it’s downright pestiferous!
Am I going to see Xara become well known before I die of old age?
Wondering what must be wrong, I consider Xara’s marketing, and conclude that while their software is wonderful, their marketing leaves a lot to be desired. This is just an objective opinion, so please don’t go postal on me.
An example I cited in another thread (since locked) was the business of having a ‘civilian’ narrate the help videos. I say ‘civilian’ because I mean that a friend or relative was chosen to do this job instead of a professional – probably to save money.
Many people in the software industry tend to do this. They will work for years on a software package, and then use their auntie to narrate their publicity videos, to save a few bucks. They tend to think that artists (voiceover professionals) are not worth the money. “Why would I spend a thousand bucks on some DJ when my own brother can do the same thing for nothing?”
Well, anyone in marketing and promotions will tell you that paying the thousand bucks is worth it, because it pays for itself many times over.
Actually, if I went to a good marketing and promotions company with Xara, and asked them for an appraisal, I think they would give me a list of problems that looked something like this:
1) The name is not very well chosen. ‘Lion Graphics or ‘Sky Studio' (or any number of other names) would have been more effective and more easily remembered than ‘Xara’.
2) The help videos are narrated by a person who is obviously just a friend of the owner. Voice wise, she is just an ordinary person with an English accent. It would probably be wise to use a professional voice person with an American accent. Sure you have to pay them a fee, but good art is expensive, and brings in the business.
3) Advertising. Xara needs to advertise more. We need to see it out there.
4) Artwork samples. Xara needs to display good quality artwork, instead of the ‘paint by numbers’ examples they often show off.
To explain number 4 a little more, before somebody blows a fuse, I will say that I did a Fine Art course for three years, and one of the first things the lecturers had to drum out of us was the habit of copying pretty objects and thinking this was art. Many Xara samples are just that. A guy obtains a photo of a beautiful car, watch, or some other machine, or face, and then recreates it in Xara, photo realistically. We’re supposed to ooh and ahh, but real art critics don’t. They just think it is so much kitsch.
When software designers are in charge of the process of choosing what art to display, they will probably pick the photo-realistic watch as opposed to truly imaginative and creative, original art.
My advice to Xara:
Hire a good marketing director; someone who really understands art. Let this person be in charge of promotions, and let him or her choose samples, voiceover people, and so on. This would recharge Xara and make it into the giant it deserves to be, not only alongside Corel and Illustrator, but way above them.
Maybe it could be renamed also. Hey – I’ll give you a suggestion for a new name, free.
Zara.
There. At least people will pronounce it correctly.
As Gary might say, this of course, is just my opinion.
Relax - take a deep breath. Constructive criticism is good for you.
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