The Advantage of Packs

Autodesk recently announced a number of Subscription Advantage Packs that are designed to make the subscription program more attractive to customers and to quickly get new features out to its most loyal customers. A quick recap: Roughly 40% of Autodesk’s total revenue comes from subscriptions now, in year 9 of the switch from upgrades to subscriptions.  But many Autodesk customers have not yet bought into the scheme and Autodesk is doing all it can to entice them  into the fold.  It also needs to sell the concept to resellers, many of whom are still in the mentality of “find a new account, sell something; find a new account ….”.  It’s hard overcome 30 years of selling boxes; the patterns that buyers and sellers fall into clearly take a long time to change. Autodesk released the first Advantage Packs last year, combining product features and web services with specialized libraries and other on-line content.  Autodesk’s VP of Global Subscription and Support, Callan Carpenter, told me that the 2009 release came together very quickly; this year’s roll-out was more controlled and more policies are in place to ensure that the software released in the Packs don’t, for example, create compatibility issues with other, current, releases. But some of the Packs’ content will never make it into the broader releases, since Autodesk wants to differentiate its subscriber and perpetual offerings. One of the most compelling aspects of the Subscriptions is the training content.  Subscribers can access training videos, podcasts, interactive e-learning courses and online versions of Autodesk University courses — a definite plus for those who can’t attend in person.  Mr. Carpenter tells me that the renewal rate is 30% higher among customers who use these e-learning methods, so customers clearly see and are willing to pay for this benefit. However, not all is rosy in Subscription Advantage Pack-land.  One Revit user told me that the Revit Pack includes conceptual energy analysis — which he likes — and a Revit Server Extension — which he believe his small business doesn’t need.  He is confused about whether downloading the Pack would require them to use the Revit Server (I don’t believe it does, but check with your sales rep) because  if it does, he’s not interested.  Technical details aside, this led to an interesting conversation about these Packs: how much of it needs to resonate with a buyer before they download?  25%, 50% or 75%?  The calculation is easier when the Pack is purely additive — no file format changes, no user interface overhaul — and Autodesk needs to work harder to make that point to its subscribers. The Subscription Advantage Pack for Inventor 2011 includes a number of new features such as dynamic sectioning and flexible drawing view orientation; closer integration to BIM apps like Revit; additional interoperability options such as Rhino translators and libraries of mold bases and components.  Subscription Advantage Packs are also available for the 2011 releases of AutoCAD, AutoCAD Architecture, AutoCAD Civil 3D 2011, AutoCAD Map 3D, Navisworks, Revit, and many more.  Lots more info here. The 2009 Subscription Advantage Packs were downloaded 150% more than any prior bonus releases.  We’ll find out soon how the 2010 versions are doing.  What about you:  will you download your products’ Advantage Packs?