SOUVIES

[Jeff Ream]

It has more impact than posting on DCP though, as minimal as that might be.

the wrong kind of impact honestly.

i havent bought any souvies from anyone this year, because, IMO, most of it is lame or a hideous shade of green or brown.

that said, I didn't hear anyone at Allentown bashing G7 booths. Only real idiot I heard was a corps alum sharing his displeasure with his corps recent placements loudly in front of the booth with other alumni.

[Peel Paint]

If souvie sales are down for the G7, will they really make the connection between their actions and their sales results?

Given their egotism, probably not. Same with a lack of response to fundraising appeals.

[Jeff Ream]

If souvie sales are down for the G7, will they really make the connection between their actions and their sales results?

some will probably blame "haters"

[ElSuarez]

The G7 corps will be watching to see if souvie sales are off compared to other corps, where they have some way of gauging that. They're not going to give a rat's patootie whether the volunteers staffing the souvie wagon were hassled or whether negative notes were slipped in the fuel fund can. What difference does that make? They know they're going to lose part of their fan base. They think it's worth the risk. If you disagree, don't buy their stuff, don't contribute in response to fundraising appeals, and consider emailing the director and calmly, rationally, and politely saying why and urging them to reconsider. No, that probably won't matter, either, because again, they know they'll lose some fans, but it's certainly got some chance of having a more positive result than rude/aggressive/anonymous confrontation.

The G7 proposals do not give fans who disagree with them a license to be rude. Be an adult when you express your viewpoint.

This is the one part of this proposal that makes no rational sense at all. Why would any business risk losing existing fan base/customers? It seems absolutely absurd to go after a new share of a different market which you are speculating will be larger than the existing one that you already have. Where is this huge mass of consumers just waiting to spend their money on this new idea? I highly doubt there is a large segment of the population out there thinking along the lines of "Gee if they would just combine this drum corps thing with NASCAR then I would make sure to take an annual family trip to this event." The closest thing we have now to this is probably the 4th of July celebration at the Rose Bowl. Five or six corps were added to the existing fireworks show in Pasadena. The majority of the people attending this event was there to see the fireworks and really did not pay that much attention to the corps when they performed. I don't see drum corps gaining huge inroads to new fans through this type of endeavor.

[soccerguy315]

the wrong kind of impact honestly.

i havent bought any souvies from anyone this year, because, IMO, most of it is lame or a hideous shade of green or brown.

that said, I didn't hear anyone at Allentown bashing G7 booths. Only real idiot I heard was a corps alum sharing his displeasure with his corps recent placements loudly in front of the booth with other alumni.

that's fine. Crown sent me a fundraising letter last year. I hope they send me one again, then I can respond in writing to whoever takes care of the donations. I will do the same for anyone else who sends me a request.

[Jeff Ream]

This is the one part of this proposal that makes no rational sense at all. Why would any business risk losing existing fan base/customers? It seems absolutely absurd to go after a new share of a different market which you are speculating will be larger than the existing one that you already have. Where is this huge mass of consumers just waiting to spend their money on this new idea? I highly doubt there is a large segment of the population out there thinking along the lines of "Gee if they would just combine this drum corps thing with NASCAR then I would make sure to take an annual family trip to this event." The closest thing we have now to this is probably the 4th of July celebration at the Rose Bowl. Five or six corps were added to the existing fireworks show in Pasadena. The majority of the people attending this event was there to see the fireworks and really did not pay that much attention to the corps when they performed. I don't see drum corps gaining huge inroads to new fans through this type of endeavor.

i would pay to see the marketing research used to justify this

[Peel Paint]

This is the one part of this proposal that makes no rational sense at all. Why would any business risk losing existing fan base/customers? It seems absolutely absurd to go after a new share of a different market which you are speculating will be larger than the existing one that you already have. Where is this huge mass of consumers just waiting to spend their money on this new idea? I highly doubt there is a large segment of the population out there thinking along the lines of "Gee if they would just combine this drum corps thing with NASCAR then I would make sure to take an annual family trip to this event." The closest thing we have now to this is probably the 4th of July celebration at the Rose Bowl. Five or six corps were added to the existing fireworks show in Pasadena. The majority of the people attending this event was there to see the fireworks and really did not pay that much attention to the corps when they performed. I don't see drum corps gaining huge inroads to new fans through this type of endeavor.

I think in Hop's and Gibbs' mind, it does make sense, though, that it's worth risking some "small" (in their minds) part of the fan base--THEY DON"T LIKE NON-DONATING DINOSAUR-FANS--to have a chance to gain the woodwind fanbase. Bring in woodwinds, bring their parents to the shows, bring more band fans in... etc.

[N.E. Brigand]

This is the one part of this proposal that makes no rational sense at all. Why would any business risk losing existing fan base/customers? It seems absolutely absurd to go after a new share of a different market which you are speculating will be larger than the existing one that you already have.

Is it perhaps because they think the current business model is failing? I work for a performing arts organization that has announced a big change that it knows will cause some current patrons to leave. That's not ideal, but the alternative appeared to be going out of business.

[Getintoyourcolor]

Cadets are selling more souvies this year than in recent memory. Why? Because people love the show and want to remember it. They do not give a crap about G7. They want joy.

[BOBSMYTH]

Is it perhaps because they think the current business model is failing? I work for a performing arts organization that has announced a big change that it knows will cause some current patrons to leave. That's not ideal, but the alternative appeared to be going out of business.

It is a good thing that DCI is not faced with making that choice, from everything that I can see.

DCI is facing many challenges (we could come up with a list - in another thread) but they are nowhere near going out of business.

"Current business model is failing" is a great sound bite but is a pretty meaningless term when you try to unpack it. (What part of the business is failing? Can't we just fix that part?) That term does nothing to help define the root cause of the problem(s).

Yet, that is exactly one of the terms that was repeated and repeated until it became accepted by enough people - so that it could then be used against DCI in order to justify all of the rest of the G7 power/money grab.