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Sue Elliott, Sales Manager for Canada,
Latin America and the Caribbean, was
joined by Mariann Layne, Manager of
Marketing Services, to launch the first
product introduction for Canadian
operators between March 15-18. The
featured game was none other than that
super graphic space fantasy, Xevious.
Atari hosted a luncheon in each of
three cities in conjunction with the local
distributors: opening in Toronto with Paul
and Jerry Janda of New-Way Sales; pro-
ceeding to Edmonton with Jim
Weatherhead, President, and Nelson
Nickle, Branch Manager, of J.E.
Weatherhead Distributors, Ltd., and con-
cluding in Vancouver once again with
Jim Weatherhead and Jim Niblock,
manager of this J.E. Weatherhead
branch. Approximately 200 operators, all
invited guests of the distributors, were
greeted during the busy pace of the tri-
city itinerary. Some travelled a distance of
500 miles to attend the functions. Ms.
Layne reports, ''The Canadian operators
were so receptive. They were so pleased
to have a manufacturer come into their
town and talk with them directly."
The luncheon activities included
gourmet dining as well as the viewing of
the Xevious game play demonstration
tape and the newly released Xevious
television commercial. The operators
also listened to the captivating sound ef-
fects of the Xevious radio spot. Ms. Layne
spoke to the three groups on the direc-
tion of Atari's advertising and promotion.
She explained that the Dig Dug™* test of
mid-1982, including both Screenvision
and television commercial exposure in
three major markets, produced dramatic
and positive results-not only in regard to
~ATYOUR
- SERVICE
Elaine Shirley may still be a Texan at heart,
but she is incredibly committed to Atari in
spirit and work style. Nearly a decade
ago, she ventured from her native Hous-
ton to vacation in California without an ink-
ling of the transformation her life was
about to undergo. Caught up in the surge
of opportunity that was sweeping the Sili-
con Valley, Elaine decided not to return
home. She has since lost most traces of a
southern accent but has gained so much
in the tradeoff: most recently, a promotion
to Coin-Op Customer Service Manager as
of March 1 and a new baby, Travis, deliv-
ered April 7.
On October 23, 1973, Elaine Shirley,
then Elaine Thompson , reported to the
original Atari facility in Los Gatos, Califor-
its effect on sales and the ordering
behavior of our distributors and operators
in the test markets, but also on the earn-
ings of the game in the locations and the
general awareness factor. This positive in-
formation led us to commit to a larger
television and radio test in 12 major
markets for Xevious. This media blitz
marks the first major consumer advertis-
ing support for a coin video game. ''The
concept was enthusiastically received,"
comments Ms. Layne. "Operators ex-
pressed hope that the new test would be
successful so that similar advertising ef-
forts could be expanded at a later date to
include them." In fact, she adds, "Cana-
dian operators located close to the
border might already experience some
spill-over into their market."
Sue Elliott then addressed each au-
dience on the marketing condition in the
United States. She acknowledged that it
has been difficult the last year for opera-
tors and distributors, but business has
been picking upover February and March.
Those "quick buck" entrepreneurs will not
be around much longer, leaving the indus-
try in the capable hands of those opera-
tors with sound business principles. The
Canadian market has not been as satu -
rated as the U.S. market, which should
help even more to boost a turnaround for
the Canadian operators who do remain.
Summing up their feelings upon re-
turning to the office, Mariann Layne
begins, "It was very encouraging to go in-
to a market and be met with such an en-
thusiastic response. The Canadian oper-
ators who attended are dedicated to their
businesses and are looking for ways to
grow. I enjoyed the opportunity to talk
with them in a relaxed setting after lunch
instead of our usual meetings in the midst
of hubbub on a trade show floor."
In turn, Sue Elliot recaps, "Mariann and
I enjoyed coming up to Canada and ap-
preciate the fine level of acceptance we
were given by the operators. We look for-
ward to coming back."
Winners of the Atari VCS™, given as a
door prize at each luncheon, were Brad
Merrill of OBA Fun and Games in the Sky-
line Hotel (Toronto); Stan Whyte of Bull-
winkle's (Edmonton); and Carlton Gilbert
of Carlton's Amusement Ltd. (Vancouver).
· o ig Dug is engineered and designed by Namco Ud.,
manufactured under license by Atari, Inc. Trademark and ©
Namco, 1982.
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Smiling left to right are Paul Janda, Mariann Layne, Sue Elliott, and Jerry Janda, who re-
caps the shared feelings~ "The day was a heartwarming event. I was pleased to meet so
many operators who believe so strongly in the future of our industry. Many expressed the
belief there is still considerable profit potential to be had if one is willing to invest in the
new and proven games arriving on the market."
nia, to begin a career in which she was
destined for rapid promotion. There she
encountered the unfamiliar printed circuit
board as a stuffer on the Pong® line. She
and PCB soon became old friends . ..
leading her to a succession of positions:
Production Control Clerk, Senior Clerk,
Material Planner, and Material Supervisor.
She also forged another important friend-
ship those first few days on the job which
blossomed on September 24, 1978, when
Elaine married Steve Shirley, a fellow Atari
employee who has since moved on to
form his own company in a specialized
engineering field.
In July of 1979, when the material de-
partments for PCB Assembly and Final
Assembly merged into one unit, Elaine's
upward mobility continued, and she was
appointed Planning Supervisor. A year la-
ter, upon returning to work after having
her first son, Bret, she transferred to Coin-
Op Customer Service to accept the offer
of Warehouse and Shipping Supervisor
under Dari Davidson's direction. Her moti-
vation was simply: "I felt there was more
growth potential in Customer Service. You
really feel involved when you speak direct-
ly to the customer."
In May of 1981, Elaine was promoted to
Office and Materials Manager which
made her responsible for ensuring that
customer inquiries regarding replacement
parts for the coin video games were han-
dled promptly. Her recent move into the
Customer Service Manager role follows
Davidson's rise to Director of Technical
Service.
Elaine remarks that "Customer Service
reflects the old Atari family feeling." In a
professional sense, they all grew up to-
gether and now incorporate into the de-
partment strong expertise from varying
fields of experience, including quality as-
surance and assembly. ''The input is con-
tributed with one thought at the fore-
front-to make our Customer Service the
best in the world ." A satisfied customer's
letter attests to their combined efforts:
continued on next page