It is relevant. He's saying that in Japan they don't rehash the tired Megatron -> Galvatron cliche the way they do here.

 

True, but they also have different characters for these roles. You couldn't get, say, Lio Convoy meeting Optimus Prime 'cause Hasbro would name them BOTH Optimus Prime... there's a little less 'blanding' of the line in Japan.

 

Not that they're good at much else, when it comes to the stories. :)

True, but they also have different characters for these roles. You couldn't get, say, Lio Convoy meeting Optimus Prime 'cause Hasbro would name them BOTH Optimus Prime... there's a little less 'blanding' of the line in Japan.

 

Not that they're good at much else, when it comes to the stories. :)

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Um..... "Convoy"?

Tough call. If you assume the concept was new to the US shores in 2005, and compare it to - say - the new Ninja Turtle and He-Man? Tough call. I admit, there's been a large amount of 'crap' in the newer TFs lines when compared to G1 or BW's launch.  But that's not to say that there's not a lot of good to be had.

 

But, who wants an action figure of a character that either no one knows, or that just totally sucks? No one likes the guys that are lame - and, well, most of the Armada/Energon cast have been lame. If anything, the shows are hurting sales.

 

Why do non-show characters not sell? Because they're non-entities. In G1 and Beast wars , you at least had tech-specs on each toy to read what the guy was like. Now, you're lucky if a bio is up for a toy while it's even out. So Offshoot over there? Ninety-nine percent of kids have no clue who this is - so why should they buy him?

Yes and no. Even some damn good toys out there don't sell. Yet, the craptaculaer WWE toys are top sellers. The god awful new Zords? They sell. Why do they sell? Kids know who the hell these characters and toys are.

 

GI Joe and Transformers are distant strangers these days, with a few 'names' still familiar for now, but lingering away. It won't be long before 'Starscream' and 'Soundwave' are meaningless.. and even 'Optimus Prime' and 'Megatron' won't guarantee sales anymore, even if the toys are great.

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Not to be too technical, but you're confusing marketing and advertising. Advertising plays a role in marketing, but advertising is only a part of the marketing plan for a product.

Um..... "Convoy"?

 

Fire Convoy != Monster Convoy != First Convoy != Beast Convoy != Big Convoy != Lio Convoy != Gin Rai != Star Saber.

 

They're all different characters, so you don't have to reset them all, and can - unlike the Transformers in the US - cross them over a bit more easily.  That's all I'm saying.

 

If we saw Victory dubbed and brought here for a new 'main line' for Hasbro, you can bet cash money that Star Saber would AGAIN be Optimus Prime - which would be interesting when we see God Gin Rai show up ...

Not to be too technical, but you're confusing marketing and advertising. Advertising plays a role in marketing, but advertising is only a part of the marketing plan for a product.

 

Hasbro sees no difference. (I'm aware of the technical difference, but when HASBRO calls the shows a glorified advertisement... there ya go.)

G1 was twenty years ago. The market was different then. Transformers is just another toy line among many now; back then it was HUGE. Which meant more money for Hasbro, which meant more money for marketing. No toy line is worth that much to a company that it's going to overextend itself on marketing in the hopes that it will start to take off "because the line is worth it". Come on.

Yup.  Everyone knows that the best way to ensure that a product will sell is to not advertise it at all.  Pure marketing genius, right there!  :thumb

 

 

 

*edit*

damned re-positioned "Quote" buttons...  :P

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

:roll

Monster Convoy

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Who?

 

First Convoy

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Who?

Wow, what a turn this thread made.......

What was the point of this all again? Oh yeah

 

 

ARCHER SUXORRZZZ!!!!!!!!

G1 was twenty years ago. The market was different then. Transformers is just another toy line among many now; back then it was HUGE. Which meant more money for Hasbro, which meant more money for marketing. No toy line is worth that much to a company that it's going to overextend itself on marketing in the hopes that it will start to take off "because the line is worth it". Come on.

Yup.  Everyone knows that the best way to ensure that a product will sell is to not advertise it at all.  Pure marketing genius, right there!  :thumb

*edit*

damned re-positioned "Quote" buttons...  :P

:roll

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smartass. All I'm saying is that Hasbro isn't in business to provide fanboys with plastic wank material. They're in business to make money. If the TF line doesn't sell, they're not going to kill themselves to make it happen no matter what. That's my point. The bottom line has to come in at some point.

 

I just don't believe that advertising / marketing dollars are the answer to every problem. Sometimes the interest just isn't there.