Corel's position in the industry

Foster had a very interesting post on this, and here was my comment:

I think many designers consider CorelDRAW a guilty pleasure.

Corel - and often their users also - have a self-esteem problem. We're victims of a very successful marketing strategy from the competition.

There is a basic truth that keeps us hanging on. CorelDRAW is a fantastic product, regardless of price. When price IS brought into the equation, the value is undeniable.

So how can Draw users turn the tables? In 1998, no one was shy to say they liked CorelDRAW. Now we are mocked and demonized, because of fashion, not because of the capabilities of our preferred product.

IMO, it's easier to deal with a fashion issue through a reverse campaign than to compete based on features/benefits of the software itself (esp for the price). Draw has already won that war.

2 ways to go:

One way is to ensure people understand that CorelDRAW is a viable alternative in 2009.

I'm brazen and would go for the gold, since life is short. That means being ultra-aggressive and declaring war.

After my campaign Adobe users would be shaken and hopefully feel like Adobe has offered them poor software, at enormous cost, for a very long time. And, for their users? It's time for a change.

If Adobe is outraged, the forums are buzzing about this campaign, the campaign invokes great emotion and yet backs up the claims with facts? Now we are selling, not just existing.