Discuss ways to promote Mint here

Suggestions and feedback for Linux Mint and the forums
Forum rules
Do not post support questions here. Before you post read: Where to post ideas & feature requests
Post Reply
User avatar
Carl
Level 5
Level 5
Posts: 701
Joined: Wed Apr 15, 2009 5:20 pm
Location: Isle of Wight, UK

Discuss ways to promote Mint here

Post by Carl »

Ok I'll start =]

I think it would be good to create a standard text/Leaflet which people could post on non technical type forums ranging from things like gardening to cooking or other forums/websites which aren't necessarily related to computers in anyway that would explain what Linux Mint is and how it is perfectly capable of doing everything that windows currently does for them as I personally am a member of many gardening forums and other non-pc forums and no that if people actually new that they didn't have to update to widows vista and that they could hang on to there 512mb windows XP computer they would! especially if that meant a £200 saving :wink:
FedoraRefugee

Re: Discuss ways to promote Mint here

Post by FedoraRefugee »

You might want to start by moving this thread to this forum:

http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=58&t=26851

I was a bit negative in that thread but it is not towards the idea of advertising, rather towards the distrowatch preoccupation many seem to hold. "OMG, we are number 1! Woo hoo..."

I do think it is a fine line between advertisements being tasteful and moderate compared to cheesy and overbearing and I really seriously wonder at the effectiveness of this for a Linux distro.

I think a better idea would be ambassadors towards strategic parts of the computer world. Have a group that hit up magazines, both wood pulp and online, and other software reviewers. Keep them informed, ask for feedback, find out what their audience wants.

Another group to watch are computer manufacturers, even small mom and pop retailers looking to sell preinstalled Linux. A great example is here:

http://forums.fedoraforum.org/showthread.php?t=221227

Read about rpstitz's venture and what he is facing, especially as far as his choice of which distro to preinstall on his systems. I am JN4OldSchool in that forum BTW. I feel Mint would be the ideal offering for his systems, but just think if the Mint team would actually reach out to him! Offer him a line of inside support or better yet, find out his exact needs (ie hardware) and tailor make an iso for him. You could reach out to all computer manufacturers you can find. Asus dropped the Linux ball on the eee pc's, but I can understand why. They have hardware difficulties and it is better for their business to simply offer a Windows XP that works 100% than a Linux that works 75%. Just think if Mint could find qualified people to make Mint work 100% on that hardware! Of course this turns into a resource issue and it is a bit of a pipe dream on my part. But what if...

I think Mint is growing the most by word of mouth. Many of us have been recommending it to new folks for a couple years now. I know in Fedora forum 9 out of 10 of us will point to Mint first, many of them (us) use Mint along with Fedora. I think this is the best advertisement you can get. Just keep doing what you are doing. Listen to what your users want and accommodate them. Do not try to be cutting edge, remain stable with everything working out of the box.

This should be an interesting forum, I am looking forward to the ideas that come up.
reverend_nerd

Re: Discuss ways to promote Mint here

Post by reverend_nerd »

How about we use the power of creative commons distributed media to our benefit? In a 15 minutes search I found some nice images that could be used for many purposes, like wallpapers and smart ads.

I know it goes completely against the proposed by Zwopper, using the Dew theme as a base for ads, but my intention is to add some creative thinking in the thing, to find out the limits of the distro promotion.
Other of my tactics is to explore how well the logo and idea fits in photos and ads. In my opinion the logo has a remarkable elegance, able to stand out and transmit a message, regardless of contents of the photo.
Remember, this is just to explore a concept, not intended as a real ad for Mint!
The images I used are in a Creative Commons Non-Commercial 3.0 License.

On the line of "get a taste of mint".
Image

Image

Now, I completely wiped my spare time, need to fill a little more of a report!

Good night to you all!
User avatar
Carl
Level 5
Level 5
Posts: 701
Joined: Wed Apr 15, 2009 5:20 pm
Location: Isle of Wight, UK

Re: Discuss ways to promote Mint here

Post by Carl »

I know you say there just to "explore a concept" but they really work and I do Like them it's the type of thing that I can imagine being on a poster 8)
User avatar
Zwopper
Level 10
Level 10
Posts: 3054
Joined: Fri Nov 30, 2007 12:20 pm
Location: Deep in the Swedish woods
Contact:

Re: Discuss ways to promote Mint here

Post by Zwopper »

reverend_nerd wrote:How about we use the power of creative commons distributed media to our benefit? In a 15 minutes search I found some nice images that could be used for many purposes, like wallpapers and smart ads.

I know it goes completely against the proposed by Zwopper, using the Dew theme as a base for ads, but my intention is to add some creative thinking in the thing, to find out the limits of the distro promotion.
Other of my tactics is to explore how well the logo and idea fits in photos and ads. In my opinion the logo has a remarkable elegance, able to stand out and transmit a message, regardless of contents of the photo.

The images I used are in a Creative Commons Non-Commercial 3.0 License.

On the line of "get a taste of mint".


Now, I completely wiped my spare time, need to fill a little more of a report!

Good night to you all!
Great finds!
I only referred to the "Dew" image as a point of reference, to give a feeling of recognition.
Since the "Dew" layer is semi transparent and rather big(2560x1600)
it can be scaled and used as a partial(or complete) overlay to any image,
I'll whip up an example on one of the images if anyone can point me to it.
[EDIT] I found it - see the post below![/EDIT]
Last edited by Zwopper on Wed Jun 03, 2009 3:50 am, edited 3 times in total.
Image
My artwork at deviantART | My Band - Electric Alchemea
CREA DIEM!

Lenovo U330P | i5 | 16GB | 128GB - SSD | Elemantary OS 0.4
User avatar
Zwopper
Level 10
Level 10
Posts: 3054
Joined: Fri Nov 30, 2007 12:20 pm
Location: Deep in the Swedish woods
Contact:

Re: Discuss ways to promote Mint here

Post by Zwopper »

OK, so here's a few takes on reverend_nerd's "Mint Tea, featuring the "Dew" layer...
I simply resized the "Dew" layer to make it roughly the same size,
then applied the "liquid rescale"(no pun intended!) filter in GIMP to make a perfect fit.
Applied a layer mask to it to edit out the glass and leaves.

Image


For the image below, I simply inverted the layer mask on the "Dew" layer,
polished it a bit and ended up with this:
Image

Here is a variation of the image above with the "Dew" taken of the leaves...
Image

And finally an image where the "Dew" layer covers the whole background image...
Image

One could also make a version with the "Dew" only on the leaves,
so the possibilities are only limited by the imagination.

Opinions anyone?

Oh and by the way, my personal favorite is the first image. :)
Last edited by Zwopper on Wed Jun 03, 2009 4:57 am, edited 2 times in total.
Image
My artwork at deviantART | My Band - Electric Alchemea
CREA DIEM!

Lenovo U330P | i5 | 16GB | 128GB - SSD | Elemantary OS 0.4
exploder
Level 15
Level 15
Posts: 5623
Joined: Tue Feb 13, 2007 10:50 am
Location: HartfordCity, Indiana USA

Re: Discuss ways to promote Mint here

Post by exploder »

I love it! Subtle and elegant, nice!
emorrp1

Re: Discuss ways to promote Mint here

Post by emorrp1 »

I like this first one zwopper, background only, with the glass being really sharp.
User avatar
Zwopper
Level 10
Level 10
Posts: 3054
Joined: Fri Nov 30, 2007 12:20 pm
Location: Deep in the Swedish woods
Contact:

Re: Discuss ways to promote Mint here

Post by Zwopper »

emorrp1 wrote:I like this first one zwopper, background only, with the glass being really sharp.
Thanks! :)
Yeah that's the one that feels most Linux Mint to me as well!
Image
My artwork at deviantART | My Band - Electric Alchemea
CREA DIEM!

Lenovo U330P | i5 | 16GB | 128GB - SSD | Elemantary OS 0.4
User avatar
Carl
Level 5
Level 5
Posts: 701
Joined: Wed Apr 15, 2009 5:20 pm
Location: Isle of Wight, UK

Re: Discuss ways to promote Mint here

Post by Carl »

Zwopper wrote:
emorrp1 wrote:I like this first one zwopper, background only, with the glass being really sharp.
Thanks! :)
Yeah that's the one that feels most Linux Mint to me as well!
I also prefer the 1st one but I don't like the shadow/3d effect on the text :)
User avatar
Zwopper
Level 10
Level 10
Posts: 3054
Joined: Fri Nov 30, 2007 12:20 pm
Location: Deep in the Swedish woods
Contact:

Re: Discuss ways to promote Mint here

Post by Zwopper »

Carl wrote: I also prefer the 1st one but I don't like the shadow/3d effect on the text :)
That is easy to change.
Image
My artwork at deviantART | My Band - Electric Alchemea
CREA DIEM!

Lenovo U330P | i5 | 16GB | 128GB - SSD | Elemantary OS 0.4
facade47

Re: Discuss ways to promote Mint here

Post by facade47 »

reverend_nerd: I love the concepts!
Zwopper: I too like the first of your edits.

My suggestion would be to perhaps place a colon after "Mint" instead of a comma... "Mint: For teas, drinks, and your PC!"

Also, would it look good if the text were lined up with the sloping edge of the glass?

Nice job both of you :D
User avatar
Zwopper
Level 10
Level 10
Posts: 3054
Joined: Fri Nov 30, 2007 12:20 pm
Location: Deep in the Swedish woods
Contact:

Re: Discuss ways to promote Mint here

Post by Zwopper »

facade47 wrote:reverend_nerd: I love the concepts!
Zwopper: I too like the first of your edits.

My suggestion would be to perhaps place a colon after "Mint" instead of a comma... "Mint: For teas, drinks, and your PC!"

Also, would it look good if the text were lined up with the sloping edge of the glass?

Nice job both of you :D
Thanks!
Sure all the edits you talk about are easy to do.
But what's even more important before we take it any further, will this get used?
Otherwise it's better to turn the creative energy towards something else.
Image
My artwork at deviantART | My Band - Electric Alchemea
CREA DIEM!

Lenovo U330P | i5 | 16GB | 128GB - SSD | Elemantary OS 0.4
Jay514

Re: Discuss ways to promote Mint here

Post by Jay514 »

Ok guys,
I posted another banner here ( http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.p ... 54#p156154 ) , take a look &
please give me some feedback.
I'm confused :? In what format the file should be saved, so as the transparency will not show up as a white background,
while using Gimp to save, comments or suggestions welcome.
Thanks,
Jay514
sebmck
Level 1
Level 1
Posts: 8
Joined: Sat Jun 06, 2009 3:08 am

Re: Discuss ways to promote Mint here

Post by sebmck »

What im doing to promote this awesome OS is burning copies of the cd putting a label on it putting it in a official looking case with a sticky note on the inside and a little booklet of the linux mint manual and leaving it in various public places :)
User avatar
Zwopper
Level 10
Level 10
Posts: 3054
Joined: Fri Nov 30, 2007 12:20 pm
Location: Deep in the Swedish woods
Contact:

Re: Discuss ways to promote Mint here

Post by Zwopper »

Thank you minterer! :)
Image
My artwork at deviantART | My Band - Electric Alchemea
CREA DIEM!

Lenovo U330P | i5 | 16GB | 128GB - SSD | Elemantary OS 0.4
User avatar
professorsnapper
Level 2
Level 2
Posts: 87
Joined: Mon Jan 14, 2008 8:21 pm
Location: Northern New South Wales

Re: Discuss ways to promote Mint here

Post by professorsnapper »

cldx3000 wrote:Hey Everyone, this is only my fourth post around here
cldx3000, your great ideas count for far more than a mere tally of posts. Without responding to your suggestions specifically (at this stage), they seem suitably "fresh" & forward-thinking, & get a big Mexican wave from me - I reckon many of them deserve to be explored further. I'll be happy to add my $0.02 to the discussion, of course.

Keen to hear more - keep up the good work!

Snapper.
Image
uilenspiegel

Re: Discuss ways to promote Mint here

Post by uilenspiegel »

Wow opendaily, those are some great ads --- absolutely love the second one.

Since this seems to be the catch-all promotion thread, I'll throw out a bunch of thoughts here. I have no marketing experience at all so feel free to critique or disregard suggestions, no worries.

First thought: it seems pretty clear to me that active promotion isn't the pony to bet on, yet. You've got to wait until you have a budget to invest in advertising and the like, even creative forms of it.

Having said that, I think Mint is firmly destined for great things even without active promotion, for two simple reasons:

- it works really well for almost everything right out of the box. This (plus free) is how you're going to get the casual user to dump windows and come on board.
- it's got an unbelievable, unbelievable, unbelievable look and feel. Pure pleasure. The artistic contributors have obviously been involved from day one and have got it right in every single way: splash, backgrounds, themes, you name it. This (plus free) is why techies will dump whatever they're using (for one box at least) and come on board.

So the day will come when there will be a marketing/advertising budget, it's just not here yet. In the meantime, the popularity of Mint will increase by word of mouth, and the most important thing to do is make it easy for casual users to find out more about it / try it out when they do hear about it.

To that end, important things to do would be (and here I will mostly be repeating things already said by others):

- make sure that a few main places to get info are well-cared for: main website, wikipedia articles, top google search results. Make sure that the key things that make Mint *different* from other Linux distros (and Mac and Windows) are touched on simply and clearly.

- make sure that the pendrive/livecd try-out options are presented prominently and clearly. "You can try it out without changing anything, it's completely safe." Hammer that "completely safe" point --- I promise you, lots of smart people who are intrigued by the idea of linux will hesitate to give it a shot because they are afraid to screw up their one computer. (I'm thinking of real people here: if my old college friends lived next door I could have them all converted to Mint next week. As it is, they live in far away places, and if they are going to pull the trigger and try it out on their own, it's because the links I sent them make them feel safe about doing so.)

- focus on stability and look and feel, don't worry too much about amazing new features. Mint could be much more boring than it is and still keep winning because it just looks so freaking good.

A couple of thoughts about the text side of things:

- "Mint" is a great name. "Linux Mint" is a bit of a mouthful. There's going to come a day when you can stop saying "Linux Mint," just like we don't have to say "Sun Java" (the analogy is inexact, but you understand what I mean). To the extent that you begin to be able to promote "Mint" instead of "Linux Mint," I would jump on that.

- "From freedom came elegance" ... this is a bit of a clunker to my ear. (Oddly I can imagine it sounding better in French, maybe because I can imagine it worked around in the style of "apres moi, le deluge," which has a much finer cut to it; even as a native English speaker, I hear more elegance in French "apres la liberte, l'elegance." But I digress.) I would keep an ear open for other slogans, or perhaps I wouldn't always include the slogan in the artwork, backgrounds, etc. Of course like everything else this is a matter of taste.

Having a great time with Mint so far, my compliments to all who've worked on it.
Post Reply

Return to “Suggestions & Feedback”