Yes, it’s true. I just got the invite for next week’s keynote from Salesforce.com’s PR team. And got it confirmed by Oracle. Apparently there is a booth of massive proportions in the center of the Moscone Center that will be touting the Beni-fits of Salesforce.com as well. It’s one thing to have SAP and IBM boothing it up at Open World — there are literally billions to be had from the partnerships that Oracle has with these companies. But Salesforce? Rumor has it that Benioff has opened up the marketing vault and is buying advertising all over San Francisco in anticipation of his marketing coup, so expect to be seeing buses and cabs selling on-demand CRM software that doesn’t belong to Oracle all over town.
I can’t imagine how this happened, but if it sticks it will go down in the annals of competitive marketing as one of the weirdest coups of all time. If it sticks…..
To be accurate, it’s not actually a “keynote” but rather an “Executive Solution Session” – and it’s in Yerba Buena Center, not Moscone.
Justin,
One point for accuracy, though I can assure you, with Michael Dell on the podium with him, Benioff will make this look and smell so much like a keynote it won’t matter what they called it. And, while the “keynote” is in Yerba Buena Center (technically a part of the Moscone complex), the booth, so I am told, is smack-dab in the middle of the Moscone show floor.
Josh
Keynote lineup is at http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/oracle-announces-oracle-openworldr-san-francisco-2009-keynote-lineup,989335.shtml – no Benioff on the schedule …
True enough :), just wanted the facts on the table.
Hmmm…if you are Larry Ellison, you want your enemies closer than your friends. So having Saleforce out in the open is likely a good corporate strategy. Perhaps this is a prelude to some M and A activity?
I think having your enemies close by works well in a parliamentary democracy, not sure it will work well at Open World. I thought of the M&A angle, but it doesnt make a lot of sense. And the problem with letting Benioff out in the open is that his track record doesn’t include lots of diplomatic, measured statements about his competition. This isn’t the performer I’d want entertaining my customers.
Well I work for Oracle in CRM On Demand area and am completely perplexed and frankly “hacked off” by the thought of Benioff being given a stage to boost his ego. What a marketing coup for SFDC (who also have a 110 x 20 foot exhibition stand) !!!!
Stunned, amazed, incredulous, angry… take your pick.
We can all assume you are far from alone in having those sentiments.
Bend-my-ear-off Benioff is arguably one of the most dynamic promoters of technology today- his technology!
The expo provides an excellent format to actually distinguish the hype from reality, where customers can assess SFDC claims against the alternative, one being Oracle CRM on demand (ex siebel).
Ellison isnt stupid, and the acrimony betweeen him and Benioff isnt exactly hidden. This will be Larry’s showdown on what Oracle can do versus SFDC. And when it come to marketing dollars or client wins, Oracle is going to Bend Benioff’s arse off.
Time for some real numbers and statistics. Larry you better be ready, cos this is pretty audacious, you are dealing with a formidable marketing adversary. Ultimate barometer in my opinion: clients that have left SFDC and gone back to Oracle.