BSA Reshapes Campaign

As part of its ongoing effort to get small and medium-size businesses to bring their software licenses into compliance, the Business Software Alliance is cranking up yet another campaign for the 32 days between Oct. 15 and Nov. 15.

This time around, in light of the recent terrorist attacks, the 18-member alliance of software developers is trying a "softer" approach.

For starters, the BSA has changed the name of its effort from the Truce Campaign to the Software Grace Period. Language such as "truce and war against software piracy ... may not be as appropriate, given that the nation faces the prospect of a real war," said Laurie Head, director of marketing communications at the BSA, in Washington. "Grace period in itself sounds a little softer than truce."

And while the campaign will maintain its two-pronged assault on the business community, which consists of a mass mailing and a radio ad blitz, the message in both mediums has been modified.

Language such as "You have until May 31 to get legal," which was in bold letters in a recent Truce Campaign letter, has been replaced with the following: "By participating in the 32-day Software Grace Period that were offering, you can catch up."

Other language changes in the letters include the following:

"Unauthorized copying is the same as stealing. If youre caught, your organization could face penalties totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars" has been changed to "The penalties for copyright infringement are serious—sometimes totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars—and in this economy, who can afford that kind of risk?"

The Software Grace Period starts this week in Los Angeles; Philadelphia; Wilmington, Del.; Omaha, Neb.; Winston-Salem, Greensboro and High Point, N.C.; and Kalamazoo and Battle Creek, Mich.

Originally scheduled to run from Oct. 1 through Oct. 31, the BSA pushed back the launch two weeks to reshape its message.

The accompanying radio spots, which have also been modified, began running last week in the aforementioned cities.