danielray Posted August 27, 2007 Author Share Posted August 27, 2007 Okay, dropping the issue aside about rifles, would there be a reason for someone to become an investor in drum corps? We keep seeing that drum corps just squeak by with their budgets. Not an investor... really, as you really couldn't make the cash back, at this stage, through drum corps itself. But... For a sponsor, for example, it would be an excellent and cheap (a few million) way to generate some buzz about a new product nationally. Imagine each corps equipment trailer and bus side panels done up to promote the corps/tour + new product. Example... Pepsi is looking at launching a new drink. These corps will already be touring everywhere, literally, spidering out all over the country. They are actually traveling with a refrigerated semi-truck, and keep a cold stash of the product to hand out to curious onlookers, people and kids hanging around a rehearsal site and can have a huge presence at each show. Traveling with the corps would be some marketing lackey (likely a student intern working for Pepsi or their ad agency), that would capture and record people's reactions (on video) and could ask them questions about the product. These could be compiled and condensed into a comprehensive study that would gauge how best to tweak the message for various regions based on their reactions... all within a short period. So, you are seeding and generating buzz nationwide for a product launch, while at the same time capturing great, site specific (places where they sell drinks - stadiums, schools, etc.) research all over the country. That is just one example... there are loads of options... just a matter of getting creative. Also, how about this... There is a next wave of potential lawsuits related to the fast food and packaged food industries. If you were McDonalds, wouldn't drum corps be the ultimate answer back to the PR mess of Supersized? McDonalds is frantically trying to come out with super healthy lines of food... experimenting with new concepts. Wouldn't they love to be able to say that such incredibly healthy musical athletes ate one meal a day at McDonalds for 3 months? (I know McDonalds sponsored DCI a little bit ages ago... but this is a different concept, different angle and entirely different level) How about Kraft Foods? Nestle? Wouldn't they love to say that these kids ate every single meal for 3 months consisting of exclusively their products? Again... there is a long list... it is just not taking the right steps and engaging the right companies (hire an agency to go after corporate sponsorship... they take 20%) to go after the right opportunities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sburstall Posted August 27, 2007 Share Posted August 27, 2007 (edited) Not an investor... really, as you really couldn't make the cash back, at this stage, through drum corps itself.But... For a sponsor, for example, it would be an excellent and cheap (a few million) way to generate some buzz about a new product nationally. Imagine each corps equipment trailer and bus side panels done up to promote the corps/tour + new product. Example... Pepsi is looking at launching a new drink. These corps will already be touring everywhere, literally, spidering out all over the country. They are actually traveling with a refrigerated semi-truck, and keep a cold stash of the product to hand out to curious onlookers, people and kids hanging around a rehearsal site and can have a huge presence at each show. Traveling with the corps would be some marketing lackey (likely a student intern working for Pepsi or their ad agency), that would capture and record people's reactions (on video) and could ask them questions about the product. These could be compiled and condensed into a comprehensive study that would gauge how best to tweak the message for various regions based on their reactions... all within a short period. So, you are seeding and generating buzz nationwide for a product launch, while at the same time capturing great, site specific (places where they sell drinks - stadiums, schools, etc.) research all over the country. That is just one example... there are loads of options... just a matter of getting creative. Also, how about this... There is a next wave of potential lawsuits related to the fast food and packaged food industries. If you were McDonalds, wouldn't drum corps be the ultimate answer back to the PR mess of Supersized? McDonalds is frantically trying to come out with super healthy lines of food... experimenting with new concepts. Wouldn't they love to be able to say that such incredibly healthy musical athletes ate one meal a day at McDonalds for 3 months? (I know McDonalds sponsored DCI a little bit ages ago... but this is a different concept, different angle and entirely different level) How about Kraft Foods? Nestle? Wouldn't they love to say that these kids ate every single meal for 3 months consisting of exclusively their products? Again... there is a long list... it is just not taking the right steps and engaging the right companies (hire an agency to go after corporate sponsorship... they take 20%) to go after the right opportunities. So basically it comes down to drum corps not really fitting the ideals that many large companies are looking for in a promotional vehicle. The idea that rifles have some part of corps not getting sponcers shows how minute of a issue it is. There are much larger and more fundamental issues to contend with than just rifles and it doesn't look like it would be possible (probably due to the high litigecy of today's US). Edited August 27, 2007 by sburstall Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danielray Posted August 27, 2007 Author Share Posted August 27, 2007 Man... this thread has pretty much beaten this one into the ground in several different directions... have we juiced this topic yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sburstall Posted August 27, 2007 Share Posted August 27, 2007 (edited) I guess I care more whether Naruto is the illegitamate son of the 4th hokage than one person's opinion that spinning of rifles are bad for marketing of drum corps. (this is to show the irrelavency of both ideas) Edited August 27, 2007 by sburstall Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SF2K4 Posted August 27, 2007 Share Posted August 27, 2007 Yea, but how far does it go? Will "low bid" show up, losing hornlines and drumlines their good equipment for what is "cost effective"? And what about companies that make our MTXs, Dinkles, and Bandos? Would corporations support them or go a more "comfortable" route and say make do with (insert shoe name) by Nike?Serious question. Will Corporate America be in it to HELP US, or not give two ****s, and be in it just to help THEM. Seriously, I want those questions answered. I'm a mechanical engineering major, not a business or marketing major. I understand the concepts of business but I really do want to know from someone who is "in the know" so to speak in today's marketing world what the overall effect on drum corps would be with big-name corporate sponsorship. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danielray Posted August 27, 2007 Author Share Posted August 27, 2007 Yea, but how far does it go? Will "low bid" show up, losing hornlines and drumlines their good equipment for what is "cost effective"? And what about companies that make our MTXs, Dinkles, and Bandos? Would corporations support them or go a more "comfortable" route and say make do with (insert shoe name) by Nike?Serious question. Will Corporate America be in it to HELP US, or not give two ****s, and be in it just to help THEM. Companies like Nike or Adidas wouldn't get into creating a custom shoe for marching. There is just not enough money in it these days. That isn't to say that it couldn't be possible to do a limited run of a tweaked existing shoe and spin it as a marching shoe. With a couple million band kids out there, it could be interesting to capture a few % of that if they didn't have to do much to get it. I see FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) companies to be more of the opportunity. This is everything from food to soaps to tobacco. Speaking about tobacco... if drum corps created a strict anti-tobacco policy for participants... there is plenty of cash out there that could be picked up to support something like drum corps as an youth anti-smoking initiative. It makes sense with the whole bit about horns/lungs and athleticism. Seriously, I want those questions answered. I'm a mechanical engineering major, not a business or marketing major. I understand the concepts of business but I really do want to know from someone who is "in the know" so to speak in today's marketing world what the overall effect on drum corps would be with big-name corporate sponsorship. The overall effect would be that some thing would be forced to be stepped up a bit in terms of the way they are operated in order to get the cash. There are some things about the activity that are run very well. There are other things that are a bit amateurish or sloppy (generally due to lack of resources). I'd say that things wouldn't end up being all that different (though some insignificant compromises should be expected), but I think the overall result would be that organizations would end up running a bit more off the field like they do on... which would probably be the largest difference. It's a chicken/egg scenario, however, since the next level of support can't happen until these things are stepped up.. and the next level of support is needed to have the resources to really step these thing up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BD2Rings Posted August 28, 2007 Share Posted August 28, 2007 I hope I don't repeat what has already been said, but I have not read this entire thread. Back in the days that this dinosaur marched, rifles made sense. You don't have to look any further the the 27th Lancers uniforms and choice of performance music. Crown Imperial and Danny Boy leant themselves very well to the entire package. Madison Scouts could bring an entire stadium to it's feet with a company front in the middle of 'Stars and Stripes Forever'. Over the years there has been a gradual shift away from the origins of military marching music. Blue Devils chose an approach more in jazz in the mid '70s, but the drill was still symetrical and the marching was a set 24 inch step. I know, as we used to drill completely across the field, side line to side line with our eyes closed. We used to hit it pretty close too. So even with the likes of Channel One Suite, the Tuxedo Jacket and color guard riding boots still allowed for rifles to support at least the military origin theme. The BDs once had a weekend camp on Treasure Island in the middle of San Francisco Bay. Mind you this was a naval base at the time. The guys in the naval color guard couldn't take their eyes off the BD rifle line. Granted the ladies were an attractive lot, but the naval color guard wanted our rifle line to teach them how to do what our ladies where doing. Go figure. True story too. As the field shows became more of a repackaged Broadway, the rifles meant less and less. There are a great number of historical shows were the rifles just did not fit in. Everybody picture SCV and Phantom of the Opera. I can easily visualize those masks that covered half of the members faces. Conceptually, how does rifle use fit anywhere in that show? When the Cadets had that door as their major prop, what use did the rifles have there? The only place in the entire 2007 DCI top 12 where rifles made any sense (that I can immediately think of) was a classic line of 'Drop your weapons', and they did. Even this however, was based on a police perspective, and not a military one. As drum corps has become less military and more Hollywood fru fru, rifles have lost their place of importance. Since we no longer have any memory of marching military, we should collectively kiss off the use of rifles and replace them with additional Broadway props. At least our shows would make more sense, even to ourselves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guard Diva Posted August 28, 2007 Share Posted August 28, 2007 (edited) I guess all in all, yes, the activity is an ever evolving art form. I happen to like it how it is. I liked it better 15 years ago, butI still like it enough to watch and contineu doing it....when it changes to the point where I don't like it, i'll stop attending, supporting, and participating, just like many of the old schoolers that don't like what it has become have already done. In the meantime, I know that when it changes to the point where I no longer like, that's when new crop of fans who DO like it even more will step up and take my place. All in all, change in evitable. We all have certain things we like and don't like about the activity, and as we stop watching, others will start. You can't please everyone all of the time....I just hope that it stays the way I happen to like it for as long as possible. And when I no longer like it, I'll move along and make way for the folks that do.....but I hope that's not for a long time yet and I won't give up without some effort! Edited August 28, 2007 by Guard Diva Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueemrld8 Posted August 28, 2007 Share Posted August 28, 2007 about rifles: WWTD? (what would Tevye do?) :P As far as those who think DCI needs sponsership, remember, it is a non-profit. All it needs is to find someone who needs a tax shelter :P I am actually a little surprised that the organization doesn't have a branch that looks for these people. U know, like colleges hitting up alumni for cash. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stifled4mallettechnique Posted August 28, 2007 Share Posted August 28, 2007 Wow. Why am I surprised that danielray just tried to steer the topic into smoke-free drum corps? What next, dude? All corps vehicles must run on CNG? (Which wouldn't be bad if the corps didn't have to pay for the new vehicles, but I doubt they'd be freebies.) All corps must change their names to that of an endangered animal species to promote their plight? I don't buy the sponsorship argument any more than the first failed argument about gun deaths. Perhaps the next argument will be that certain corps are hiding WMDs? It's a PC thing, pure and simple. And just as silly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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