Paul,

> > We should have a slogan competition, perhaps with a prize?
>
> I am all for a competion, but only after we have thought about the
> positioning (the functional and emotional benefits) that we would
> like to communicate. This also requires some thought about what
> competitive database systems are trying to communicate. Brand values
> should be timeless and remain relevant for many years.
>
> If we just do a competition, we will end up with a cute phrase that
> is okay now, but will prove poorly chosen next year. This is how we
> ended up with the current slogan. It is how Sun ended up with the "We
> are the dot in dot-com" disaster.
>
> Functional benefits for Firebird could be:
> - easy: low/no admin, self tuning, single file db possible, etc.
> - scalable from embedded to high-end
> - rich, world-class feature set; innovator
> - strong developer and user community (i.e. future proof)
>
> Emotional benefits could be:
> - low/no risk of failure & angry bosses/customers
> - be part of pushing out the technology frontier
> - open, international, friendly and helpful community
>
> The above is just from the top of my head -- let's discuss. The idea
> that the above benefits and values will continue to be at the core of
> the project for many years; they have been for the past 20.

You have thought about this, that much is sure. Your point is a good
one.

Personally, I dislike the "best os db in the world" as it's a true
copy of the MySQL slogan.

> The slogan should vividly and succinctly convey the message. It does
> not have to be a phrase (see Coke example).
>
> Also, the slogan is but a part of it. Once we have agreed on the
> benefits we need to build up "proof": little examples, stories and
> comparisons that show that we are better, more credible and more
> trustworthy than others at the benefits that we claim.
>
> This is why I phrased my question the way I did, asking what are we
> trying to communicate?

"bring power to your hands"

"bring power to your office"

"powerful, powerful but easy" (from "stern, stren but fair" *g*)

Ah well, it's hard to come up with something useful, nevertheless,
your words about how the slogan should be set up are fine words
and should be taken into account.

With regards,

Martijn Tonies
Database Workbench - developer tool for InterBase, Firebird, MySQL & MS SQL
Server
Upscene Productions
http://www.upscene.com