What If It was your job to save the hobby... New Readers!

[blowout]

......video games etc have huge marketing machines behind them and, like it or not, comics need to get with the program...................because at the moment they are just going under the kid's radar..................

[Darthdiesel]

I'm aware of a run in IM called "Armor Wars" that I never read because I was out of comics at the time (sure hope that wasn't along what I'm suggesting here) .

 

Excellent read! Pick up the TPB or IM # 225 and up - 233? The premise is that someone has stolen the plans for IM armor tech and it keeps turning up in the bad guys IM comes across. So IM takes on all armored rogue gallery and goes pretty far, even killing one (Crimson Dynamo or was it the green one?) Not a What If really, but almost as good as Tony Stark on his alcoholic binges at his best...

 

there's an idea: What if Iron Man went drinking and fighting? Oh, that's right...that's been done..

[BronzeBruce13]

So we need Freddie Prinze (sp?) Jr and/or Brittany Spears in a commercial reading a stack of comics and proclaiming them to be something they do for fun... and maybe also associating reading comics with getting them laid somehow?? That's a challenge!

[BronzeBruce13]

Did you see this a way back Carl?

there's more to it but here's the gist...

 

 

Here's one for you Carl...

 

Problem: Modern comics are much too expensive to hope that younger (even most adult) collectors have the funds to buy them in quantity and really support the hobby. Without New Comic sales growing or reaching a solid plateau and maintaining... the hobby's future looks to be a struggle. When I was younger I was able to buy almost every comic put out (and a few duplicates) with just a little lawn mowing, car washing and/or paper route income to supplement my meager allowance. Today, a younger collector would have to be selling weed, renting out his or pulling a "slip and fall" injury at the comic shop to walk away with a 15-20 book stack weekly.

 

Querry:

"What if you were given the task of bringing in as many new readers into the "Ultimate Age" of comics as possible to save the hobby long term...

 

OK Carl...give me your view... what would you do??

 

[comicinvestor-migration]

Cover price is not the question; value is.

 

Comics can't compete against a $2 video game rental for overall value, and kids are like everyone else, and put their money where they see it doing the most good. If that means a DVD and a big bag of chips, then that's where it's going.

 

Also, using Pokeman cards as an example is flawed logic. I see all kinds of "failed card lines" at the local dollar store, and equating a quick-running fad with a sustainable market is just wrong. I feel that $5 a pack is the price point where the companies make money due to the number of unsold, straight-to-dollar store carp they produce. Make 20 sets a year, 2 catch on at $5 a pack, and the other 18 wither on the vine.

 

Comics are far different and while there are books that Marvel could use this strategy with (Ultimate Spider-man for example) it would make it a very tough go for the slow-selling titles.

[Darthdiesel]

OK Carl...give me your view... what would you do??

 

I saw it Bruce, and honestly, I have an opinion but even I balk at answering this one.

 

I retail online almost exclusively with my youngest clientele being rickdogg! My experience in selling is limited. I am not personally familiar with the speculator craze of the 90s and seem to have avoided its pitfalls thus far, but I need more knowledge from experienced guys that have been in the business long enough. I'm under the "tutelage" of a local dealer and he relates his daily dealings with me. Otherwise, I wouldn't have an inkling in how a comic/hobby shop is run.

 

Modern comics are not for children. I donate old Star Comics and appropriate titels to my wife's school, but that's as far as I've involved children into it. When I want to connect with a child, I talk sports, Playstation, Pokemon, Yu-gi-Oh, heroclix, which oddly enough does not segue into comic talk.

 

I ramble...plain and simple, Bruce, what I would do is keep "hitting on" the adolescents with the start of disposable income to get them interested in comics. It is tough as collecting is seen as a waste of time by today's parents. They'd much rather their child be outside, playing sports, being active in the community and not a recluse hoarding collectibles. My parents wanted me to collect things for organizational discipline. But they were adamant that I collect stamps or coins and not those "dirty" comic books...they'll rot your mind they'd always say...sad to say...look at me now, their prophecy has come true

 

[comicinvestor-migration]

What amuses me about this conversation is that we're all worried about comics. Comics aren't for kids anymore, and it's an adult market and will probably remain this way.

 

What I see as interesting developments are the Movies, Cart games like Spider-man, X-Men, etc, super-hero cards, Hero-Clix games and all the other ancillary super-hero items that kids actually enjoy and find value in.

 

That's the key to keeping comic characters fresh and in the mind's of today's youth, not a misbegotten urge to place them back in the 1960's. Times have changed, comics are almost extinct and Marvel/DC need to really hit these new markets. .

 

Let's save the characters and make sure Chase Manhatten doesn't foreclose on the Marvel licenses.

[murph0]

I just don't see it being possible to compete with video games..

 

Brian

[blowout]

.....they don't need to compete directly with video games, but need to carve out their own niche in the market..................kids can't play video games all the time, can they?..............

[comicinvestor-migration]

I just don't see it being possible to compete with video games.

 

I agree totally, and that's the key. Don't think of Spider-man as a comic, but a comic character and compete IN video games. Or like Hero Clix, compete against the hot games of the day, etc., etc.

 

That may not be what comic-fanboys want to hear, but it's fantasy to think that an item (comics) that is priced, targetted and totally marketed towards adults is going to suddenly become hot with kids. That actually goes against the principle of youth marketing; what's hot with adults is automatically seen as lame.

[blowout]

"That actually goes against the principle of youth marketing; what's hot with adults is automatically seen as lame."

 

........sadly, thats true..........maybe we should play more video games to get the kids into comics...........

[comicinvestor-migration]

It's the comic companies that are doing it. All these guys worry about is making their weekly profit targets and if that means hooking the old guys into laying down an extra $25 to 50--cents a comic, semi-annually, then that's a pretty square deal.

 

Of course, that's like clear-cutting a forest and not spending the time, money or effort to plant new ones. Someday in the future, their short-term strategies will come back and bit Jemas and Co on the .

[Guest]

Cover price is not the question; value is.

 

Comics can't compete against a $2 video game rental for overall value, and kids are like everyone else, and put their money where they see it doing the most good. If that means a DVD and a big bag of chips, then that's where it's going.

 

Also, using Pokeman cards as an example is flawed logic. I see all kinds of "failed card lines" at the local dollar store, and equating a quick-running fad with a sustainable market is just wrong.

It's tough at this point for kids to even judge if comics are of value to them: comics are no longer a visible source of entertainment. It's come to the point where there are so few stores that sell comics that you need to be in a comic store to see comics.

 

I think you've taken the Pokemon card example too far - the only point I was making is that items similar to the cost of comics are being bought by kids. You're right, next year it'll be a different fad or interest. Unless we expose kids to comics more, though, it sure as hell won't be comics.

[BronzeBruce13]

CI...

 

from reading your many informative posts I've noticed that you seem to be very "In touch" with the needs, wants and habits of the younger generation. Are you involved in marketing at all or do you have a kid or 2 in that age range?

 

Seeing how you have a better understanding of this generation, I figure you can put together an interesting marketing strategy plan to reach them with our comic problem.

 

If you have the time, I would like your plan...

(feel free to revise.. i just included some of my ideas to start)

 

IDENTIFY PROBLEM:

1. Younger crowd does not notice or consider comics a source of entertainment.

2. Comics currently can't compete with video (and other) related entertainment.

3...

4...

 

PROBLEM SOLVING IDEAS:

1. Create "Fan Line", offered for less (as a loss and leader)... include coupons for items kids use: Blockbuster coupons, Game purchase rebates, GAMING TIPS, etc.

2.

3...

 

IMPLEMENT A PRECISE PLAN:

1.

2.

3

4

[BronzeBruce13]

Actually... anyone who feels they can compose a complete plan... feel free to give it a try.

Try and maintain the format so we can (possibly) combinethe best ideas into a master plan

[Guest]

What ideas do you have, Bruce? I'm assuming from prior posts that you are a 20 year collector... I'd be curious to hear your ideas.

[comicinvestor-migration]

from reading your many informative posts I've noticed that you seem to be very "In touch" with the needs, wants and habits of the younger generation. Are you involved in marketing at all or do you have a kid or 2 in that age range?

 

Used to be, and nope. Just a lot 'a schoolin' and real-world experience.

 

Seeing how you have a better understanding of this generation, I figure you can put together an interesting marketing strategy plan to reach them with our comic problem.

 

I hate to say it, but comics have gone down the adult road too long to ever turn back now. There was a study awhile back that equated cover price increases with lower youth readership, and it was quite obvious that the value comics gave children decreased as the price was raised.

 

Granted, price is not the only factor, but they did spike quite noticeably in the late-80's, early-90's and it was at that point in time where the adults really outnumbered the kids, and it's gotten worse since then. Now virtually all comic buyers are young adults or older. Once adults get ahold of a medium, kids are no longer interested and prices move above their ability to pay.

 

It's not like corner stores just suddenly stopped carrying them, but instead that the Direct market gave the comics companies a different and far more lucrative customer: the comic book store, and it wasn't allowed returns. That was one of the downfalls of the entire industry, as Marvel and DC stopped marketing towards actual consumers and concentrated to promoting to stores (limited editions, variant covers, sell-through bonuses, etc.) since they were the actal customer, not the guy laying down the cash.

 

Just take a look at what's on the stands now compared to when you were a kid. I could collect the entire Marvel monthly lines with my allowance, but if I were to attempt this now, I'd be out some serious "adult cash". There's too many books, at too high a price, for any 10-year old to even contemplate getting involved.

 

My business plan would be to forget comics as a kid's medium and keep scamming the fogies for their monthly fix. I'd instead concentrate on marketing comics characters to kids in the areas that would appeal to them, and you wouldn't have Bendis's big salary creating a high sticker price right off the bat.

 

Video games, movies, RPG games, cards, or any other new market that opens up should be explored by Marvel and DC, thereby keeping the characters alive even if the books themselves wither and fade. It's the old "save the patient by any means necessary" and for me at least, having a Spider-man Something out there is far better than losing it all when comics inevitably fade from the landscape

 

[Guest]

I'll address your post piece-by-piece:

it was quite obvious that the value comics gave children decreased as the price was raised.

True, but kids are happy to spend (or get Mom to pay) on items of less value - don't try to convince me that a $5 pack of cards is better value time and entertainment wise.

It's not like corner stores just suddenly stopped carrying them, but instead that the Direct market gave the comics companies a different and far more lucrative customer: the comic book store, and it wasn't allowed returns.

This is true. It's been a slow process, though, wherein the feeder system of newsstand sales has withered. I started by buying on the newsstand then migrated to the comic stores. We need a new feeder system. Exposing the characters via movies, games, t.v. cartoons etc keeps the characters in the spotlight - can we bridge the gap to increasing comic sales?

My business plan would be to forget comics as a kid's medium and keep scamming the fogies for their monthly fix. I'd instead concentrate on marketing comics characters to kids in the areas that would appeal to them,

This may be what is happening - the target 'kids' may be the 18-25 age group now. In talking to retailers, that is where the new customers are coming from.

[BronzeBruce13]

I've put forth one concept so far obviously. Based from the response and additional observations identifying problems beyond my initial understanding, I think maybe it is a lost cause unless there is a serious budget to launch a broad plan of attack.

 

CI's comment about just trying to keep the characters alive by offering video products, etc. seems a more realistic course of action. When I think of all the options today's kids have for entertainment, I think its a stretch to hope to reach them at this stage until they mature/age a bit more. Maybe the tartget is young adults as someone suggested. If that's the case... the premise will have to be adjusted again.

 

I'll give it more thought and see if we can steer this towards a real solution. With the varying input posted here, I bet we could come up with something if we combine ideas.

[BronzeBruce13]

A related "grass roots" idea is to try and turn on a few yougsters to comics by giving them some. I send a stack of "readers" to a client's grandson every Christmas. I gave him a CGC 9.4 PPSS #1 and 100 various books 2 years ago and he's been collecting ever since... now if I can just reach 99,000 more!

 

Also.. Joanna and others suggested passing comics out for Halloween... splendid idea.