Marketing criticisms miss the point

[Scribble]

Of course, as this post demonstrates, people on the internet aren't always going to represent a demographic of people that can even be reached by marketing. There are many reasons to think that the people responding to message board polls are not a group to court.

What if you're trying to sell them new message board polling software?

 

[Family]

For the first time ever on the internet I write:

LOL!

 

[DaveMage]

Sigh. YOU DON'T MATTER. I'm sorry, but you don't. There just aren't enough of you to matter.

Apparently, WotC agrees with you.

But it's OK. I matter to Paizo (or they have me fooled, but either way, it works).

 

[Hussar]

Apparently, WotC agrees with you.

But it's OK. I matter to Paizo.

Why? You bought WOTC material. If you buy everyone's material, it doesn't invalidate my point. No sane business practise would assume that my consumers will buy 100% of my product line. That would be insane and a recipe for Chapter 11.

But, then again, Paizo can operate with much, much smaller numbers than WOTC, so, perhaps you are right. There aren't enough Davemage's in the world (a damn shame, there really should be more), to line WOTC's coffers, but, maybe there are enough to run a smaller operation.

Cool.

 

[Shemeska]

Posted while listening to "Bullet in the Head" by Rage Against the Machine

I'm thinking we'll see a couple of things:

1. When the manual of the planes comes out it will mention the great wheel as a way some people have of viewing the planes.

By changing the definition of many iconic aspects of the planes and its natives, and openly erasing many of them from even existing, that's not a particularly tenable position to take. It's an entirely different setting in 4e, and if they tried to take the position above, I honestly think it would come off as grasping for straws, or just dishonest given some of the (what came off as) really crass bashing of the Great Wheel cosmology that has come from one or two folks over at WotC).

Too little too late perhaps.

 

[DaveMage]

No sane business practise would assume that my consumers will buy 100% of my product line. That would be insane and a recipe for Chapter 11.

And I agree!

But then why was the effort successful to entice me to go from 2E to 3E, and NOT from 3E to 4E? Wouldn't they have gone after the same crowd then as well?

 

[Kzach]

Advil has really annoying, dumb ads on TV.

I still use them when I have a headache.

 

[Scribble]

HEAD ON!

Apply directly where it hurts!

 

[Family]

I like the new 4e TV spot.

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/4dnd/20080611a

/but I take your point.

 

[Mark Chance]

Marketing should not influence the decision.

Marketing is all about influencing the decision. Maybe you and I would like for it to not have effect, but it does. I followed a lot of the 4E marketing, and I agree that it was poorly done. On top of that, my general impressions about the nature of 4E itself has been largely confirmed by other reading. Between poor marketing and what I perceive to be a poor RPG product, my decision has been influenced.