Wow! Marketing have really raised their game!
Hmmm.... they tell you what it does (you turn into a panther and you turn invisible, gaining stealth). They warn you that it's not a combat power, so nobody can complain about being ripped off when it isn't useful in combat. And they keep it short, so people can't complain about this minor non-combat power being an overhyped money-grab.
I guess your complaint is that they didn't sell it hard enough? Man. Can't win for losing.
One forum name, two members: Molly Hackett & Heliphyneau.
AE arcs:
27327 - Enter the Homunculi
176837 - Homunculi 2: Tectonic Boogaloo -- UPDATED
In all fairness, the ad says that the Panther Stealth Power turns you invisible. Normally a stealth power has a description "Only up close will enemies see you", this doesn't have that description.
American Dawg, Starblaze, Neanderthal Joe, Shining Dawn, Tokamak Dragon, Stinger Incarnate, Burning Tyger, Dover Tornado, Big Roach, Dark Paladin, Archmage Wylde, Kings Row Hornet, Prancing Deer
Avogadro, Science Lord
Edgar Nightcraft, Doc Cicada, Chupa Macabre, Dr Forchtenstein, Blood Shrew
you either like the idea of turning into a sneaky panther or you don't- the basic effect is pretty clear cut.
specifying what the power isn't is simple due diligence on the ALL SALES FINAL Marketplace.
The Nethergoat Archive: all my memories, all my characters, all my thoughts on CoH...eventually.
My City Was Gone
They warn you that it's not a combat power, so nobody can complain about being ripped off when it isn't useful in combat. And they keep it short, so people can't complain about this minor non-combat power being an overhyped money-grab.
|
I can't seem to figure out the in game link to see the detailed info for this power(or they named it something completely unintuitive), and I won't ever buy anything more than a few dollars without being well informed.
So how much stealth does it have? (player responses deleted) So it is practically useless for stealthing missions, which tend to have cramped quarters that force you in very close proximity to enemies unless you can teleport past them or fly above them if the ceiling is high enough. Well, there goes my interest in the power out the window. |
reading the OP I assumed that it was a serious compliment. I thought the detail from marketing was excellent. The mentioning of its limitations was very good.
Then at some point I realized that the OP was being sarcastic. I'm not sure where I realized that or why they don't like the marketing.
it is almost enough to make me swear off making bizarre sarcastic rants and posts myself, now that I see how foolish it makes you look.
what's to pitch?
you either like the idea of turning into a sneaky panther or you don't- the basic effect is pretty clear cut. specifying what the power isn't is simple due diligence on the ALL SALES FINAL Marketplace. |
Imagine the meetings with clients at the ad agency...
"So what's to sell? This is just some glorified sugar water."
"Dude, you just blew the Pepsi account!"
"So?"
Most products are marketed based on the premise of roping in suckers. Paragon deserves recognition for being a bit more respectful than that.
reading the OP I assumed that it was a serious compliment. I thought the detail from marketing was excellent. The mentioning of its limitations was very good.
Then at some point I realized that the OP was being sarcastic. I'm not sure where I realized that or why they don't like the marketing. it is almost enough to make me swear off making bizarre sarcastic rants and posts myself, now that I see how foolish it makes you look. |
Dr. Todt's theme.
i make stuff...
Hey check this out... the superlative description for the new Panther stealth power really takes Paragon's marketing to the next level.
You can read it here but look at what they've done in the description: How's that for an amazing sales pitch?! Two neat paragraphs only three short sentences. No extraneous guff or irrelevant details just a simple "this is what it is, this is when you can use it and then an entire paragraph dedicated to telling you what it won't do. Perfect: No unrealistic raising of user expectation, no unwitting exhortation to rush out and buy the product (because now we know what it won't do, we're going to buy it on impulse, right?) There's no unnecessary hype - or even a waste of space outlining the features and benefits of said travel power cuz... it's a panther stealth power and it turns everything off when you use it... that's all you need to know. EVER! Brilliant stuff Paragon Marketing. You have finally excelled yourselves! Black Pebble, I salute you! Superlative work that leaves us other professional marketeers dead in your wake. |
"Bombarding the CoH/V fora with verbosity since January, 2006"
Djinniman, level 50 inv/fire tanker, on Victory
-and 40 others on various servers
A CoH Comic: Kid Eros in "One Light"
what's to pitch?
you either like the idea of turning into a sneaky panther or you don't- the basic effect is pretty clear cut. specifying what the power isn't is simple due diligence on the ALL SALES FINAL Marketplace. |
Most products are marketed based on the premise of roping in suckers. Paragon deserves recognition for being a bit more respectful than that.
|
![Confused](images/smilies/confused.gif)
Where's the competition? If you read it as criticism you may just be inferring.
But ok... let's compare and contrast some examples with the above and see how they stack up.
How about this example?
Liger Pet Location: Powers > Permanent Powers > Pet Use this power to summon a liger - it's only our favorite animal. This rare predator has a mane of a lion and is striped like a tiger with our own unique twist: a scorpion tail! |
Let's try another - a totally "like for like" example by comparing another travel power desciption:
Flying Carpet Travel Power Location: Powers > Permanent Powers > Travel Activate this Persian-type carpet with its own golden magic lantern and soar across the skies like Aladdin! All characters in your account can access this fantastic power. It's usable at Level 4. For all characters in your account. |
See the difference? It makes you imagine being there "soaring across the skies like Alladin" - and there's no mention in that description that it'll detoggle your powers.
Yes, there is a need to let the customer know what will happen before they buy, but it's completely inappropriate in your marketing introduction. Marketing is about generating interest.
Coincidentally here's some of the best marketing I've seen recently - albeit to an audience that's already solidly sold but this is pretty ace - except it's come from the Community team, not marketing. This wins because it's just a very brief sentence which encourages you to click the link and then suddenly you're presented with a huge "Wow-Factor" - you only have to read the posts following to know how well that went down.
Paragon can do marketing sometimes, but sadly the marketing team frequently turn out sub-par stuff. Considering how great this game really is, that's a real shame.
![](http://repeat-offenders.net/savecoh/SaveCOH_Blue_leaderboard.jpg)
Thelonious Monk
I took a marketing class for my minor in college. For some reason, my slogan "Buy this or else you're an idiot" just didn't catch on.
We've been saving Paragon City for eight and a half years. It's time to do it one more time.
(If you love this game as much as I do, please read that post.)
You don't know much about marketing do you? It's getting people interested in the product and wanting to know more.
|
In this case a paragraph of hyperbole would accomplish what?
Players are either going to like the power or not, you're not convincing anyone of anything with a few lines of marketing speak.
The Nethergoat Archive: all my memories, all my characters, all my thoughts on CoH...eventually.
My City Was Gone
"Activate this Persian-type carpet" = "Transform into a black panther"
"with its own golden magic lantern" != presumably there is no such thing for the panther power
"soar across the skies like Aladdin" = "turn invisible to stalk your prey from the shadows"
"It's usable at Level 4." = "usable at Level 4"
"For all characters in your account" = "this power will be unlocked on all characters on your account"
no disclaimer != "When the Panther Stealth Power is active, all powers become disabled and untoggled (although use of one Vanity Pet is allowed)."
So the marketing statements are almost a direct match. Apparently you think soaring across the sky like Aladdin is cooler than turning invisible to stalk your prey from the shadows, but that's not marketing's fault.
And you object to them telling people it detoggles? You want them to have winter hordes of angry customers who buy it and then find out it detoggles and want their money back?
Marketing departments are what brought us the "sugar is sugar" commercials paid for by the Corn industry. Yes, it is, but sugar is also what is making this nation incredibly fat, and that includes your high fructose corn syrup. I am actually happy that the marketing team here finally learned that people want to make informed decisions when it comes to their money. I wish more companies would actually admit the truth of their product, and let customers make informed decisions.
Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
"I was just the one with the most unsolicited sombrero." - Traegus
Yes, it is, but sugar is also what is making this nation incredibly fat, and that includes your high fructose corn syrup.
|
![Big Grin](images/smilies/biggrin.gif)
Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
"I was just the one with the most unsolicited sombrero." - Traegus
High-sugar diets are one of the leading causes of obesity in our country. Yes, people are responsible for what they eat, but there's been a large marketing push from the corn and other sugar industries to try to make themselves seem like the healthier alternative for a long time now. If people are told over and over again that sugar is healthier than red meat, they're going to believe it eventually, even if it's not true. Yes, it is a tangent, but this is the problem with marketing trying to show us all of the good with none of the bad, and never being called on it - people begin to believe the marketing.
|
But let's agree to disagree before we derail this thread any further.
![Smile](images/smilies/smile.gif)
High-sugar diets are one of the leading causes of obesity in our country. Yes, people are responsible for what they eat, but there's been a large marketing push from the corn and other sugar industries to try to make themselves seem like the healthier alternative for a long time now. If people are told over and over again that sugar is healthier than red meat, they're going to believe it eventually, even if it's not true. Yes, it is a tangent, but this is the problem with marketing trying to show us all of the good with none of the bad, and never being called on it - people begin to believe the marketing.
|
I'm not in the least bit obese and I avoid exercise as much as possible. She was very active but never was one for exercise. She was never obese either.
People can always find someone else to blame instead of taking personal responsibility for their own actions.
If the game spit out 20 dollar bills people would complain that they weren't sequentially numbered. If they were sequentially numbered people would complain that they weren't random enough.
Black Pebble is my new hero.
I'm not in the least bit obese and I avoid exercise as much as possible. She was very active but never was one for exercise. She was never obese either.
|
Not saying you have no control over it. If you tried to be obese, I'm sure you could manage to do it. Likewise, just because one is predisposed to obesity doesn't mean that they have to be obese. With a good diet and exercise, anyone has the capacity to be a healthy weight.
I do think, however, that our particular culture that rewards people for sedentary lifestyles, that is driven by non-stop passive entertainment (television and the Internet), and in which eating healthy is considerably more difficult and usually more expensive than shoveling a steady stream of junk food down, it's hard not to be obese no matter what your metabolism is. Sure, we can fight it, but do we as a society really want to?
We've been saving Paragon City for eight and a half years. It's time to do it one more time.
(If you love this game as much as I do, please read that post.)
I suspect that the genetic makeup of Americans changed dramatically around 1974 when the obesity epidemic began. Also people suddenly started losing their willpower.
People will always choose to explain massive trends as if they were simply the result of 100 million people happening to change their behavior for unrelated reasons at the same time.
Hey check this out... the superlative description for the new Panther stealth power really takes Paragon's marketing to the next level.
You can read it here but look at what they've done in the description:
When the Panther Stealth Power is active, all powers become disabled and untoggled (although use of one Vanity Pet is allowed).
Perfect: No unrealistic raising of user expectation, no unwitting exhortation to rush out and buy the product (because now we know what it won't do, we're going to buy it on impulse, right?) There's no unnecessary hype - or even a waste of space outlining the features and benefits of said travel power cuz... it's a panther stealth power and it turns everything off when you use it... that's all you need to know. EVER!
Brilliant stuff Paragon Marketing. You have finally excelled yourselves! Black Pebble, I salute you! Superlative work that leaves us other professional marketeers dead in your wake.
Thelonious Monk