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Posts: 10581
Location: NJ | Exposure means a ton
I have seen new artists with imports
The market has changed
Imho there is still life in the brand if managed correctly
Remember there are companies that sell every guitar they build and are backordered for years |
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Posts: 1769
Location: When?? | @OMA - >>>most people nowadays do not watch videos of anyone PLAYING instruments.<<<
You and I must be looking at a whole different internet. I see available thousands upon thousands of videos of all kinds of people playing all types of instruments. Most don't get huge numbers of views, but some, even though not exactly "famous", get millions of views and have tens of thousands of loyal and dedicated subscriber fans. That translates to an awful lot of viewer eyes, many from fellow musicians, looking at instruments in the hands of popular players. No doubt the potential to harness lots of cheap exposure for the simple cost of a new $600 guitar. Problem is, like I mentioned before, these people do not typically come with a professionally experienced ethic and established grounding that can be trusted to represent the brand in a light that the company expects and would be willing to put themselves into any type of partnership seat with. Certainly not for that price. That is the blockage point that keeps the small-endorser scenario from actually taking place on a myriad of different product types, not just musical instruments. Too risky from an associative liability standpoint. Always has been. But they're definitely out there in video abundance playing instruments (sadly, most of which are not new-purchase, USA-made ones). |
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Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | I am not talking about the internet.
I am talking about Videos in the Mass Media.
Most people on Late Night shows have Takamines if the have an acoustic guitar.
YOU see video on YouTube of people playing instruments
because that is What You Are Looking For.
Me Too.
All of my favorite YouTube channels are Lesson Videos and Concert Videos.
But if you just looking for a "Music Video", MOST do not have anyone actually "Playing".
I typed "music video" into YT...
One of the Top Three was Ed Sheeran...
So I figure that HE would be playing an instrument... NO.
Riding in a car, eating pizza.
Next video, Childish Gambino. Donald Glover. No Instruments.
Third video, The Academic. This has people playing instruments, sorta.
Mostly some folks clowning around with a Looper.
But, back to "normal" non-musicians...
The go to YouTube to watch stupid people hurt themselves, and cats playing the piano.
Type in "most viewed" in the search, and tell me how many guitar videos you find.
But I will concede that there ARE music videos out there.
I watch PBS all Saturday evening to see ACL, and the other music shows.
I just seem to remember seeing MORE music on Broadcast TV in the 1980's.
I'm sorry. But I just don't see instrumental talent being showcased on my TV screen.
I am old, so I have no idea what the "kids" are watching on their smart phones.
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Posts: 553
Location: Denmark | Once there was a thread about what made (us) choose Ovation. In my case it had nothing to do with idols or rational considerations like sound or playability but more the aestetics and appearance which means a lot to me. Other people might choose differently.
Edited by tpa 2018-05-12 5:23 AM
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 10581
Location: NJ | I always ask young people who are playing an Ovation why they are using that guitar.
always the same answer ....
it is different from what all my friends play....
funny how Ovation can't seem to capitalize on that one point!! |
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Posts: 1769
Location: When?? | @OMA - >>>I am not talking about the internet. I am talking about Videos in the Mass Media. <<<
Thank you for the lively conversation and debate. Always a pleasure to chew the prospective fat.
Yep. I agree. Internet and broadcast TV are two different venues.. though both have eyes watching performers whom those eyes admire, and watching eyes belong to potential market consumers no matter the screen type as long as they are interested in the content. Since very few performers are born into famous resources with a network TV camera pointing at them in the cradle, the vast numbers come up through various exposure ranks just like they always have.. and the internet is by far the most viable in today's upcoming rank mediums. Those who newly appear on major broadcast media seven years from now will certainly have had their performing image on the YouTube-type internet today, no doubt. If companies like DW were able to seek a low cost investment today in what can blossom nicely in the future, I can think of no better source of scouting and monitoring for that than the current internet "stars" of today.
However, the risk in actually putting low investment cost product into their hands is.. well.. see my prior post. IMO, one safe way to do that (if they could afford it) would be to take x-number of guitars out of stock and host a viewer-voting guitar competition among those online "stars" for which the winners would receive the guitars, and thus most likely continue to carry at least some level of faithful loyalty (and attached public persona) to the brand into the potential stardom of their future. That would give relatively low cost exposure to both the competing player and the voting viewer (millions of eyes). But, then again, I don't run the DW marketing department or have control over the cost of the x-number of guitars and hosting expenses it would take to do such a thing.. but it sure has worked for other companies (Lego comes to mind) who have taken that course with various durable-product types. I own a candy company. And even though a few pieces of free candy are far, far less expensive than a musical instrument, the taste buds are leaps and bounds above any other form of effective advertising. Point being.. taste, sight and sound are each unique percipient senses that instantly cause the consumer take notice. Just a different cost and profit scale for them as opposed to us. But it works.
Edited by Love O Fair 2018-05-12 1:29 PM
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Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | alpep - 2018-05-12 8:29 AM
I always ask young people who are playing an Ovation why they are using that guitar.
always the same answer ....
it is different from what all my friends play....
funny how Ovation can't seem to capitalize on that one point!!
Next marketing Slogan...
"It is not a Martin or a Taylor...
and it is not meant to be." 
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Posts: 10581
Location: NJ | What exactly does famous mean?
Aren’t we all famous? But in varying degrees?
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 10581
Location: NJ | What exactly does famous mean?
Aren’t we all famous? But in varying degrees?
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February 2016
Posts: 1769
Location: When?? | @alpep - >>>What exactly does famous mean? <<<
If the question pinioned on what I said above about being born into "famous" resources, Hank Williams Junior or Ashley Campbell would be a couple examples of many. Aside from that, I surely agree on all of us being famous by varying degrees. My cat thinks I'm famous every time she hears me play the can opener. Oh, and a kid once asked me for an autograph because I drove a dragster at his local track. My brother was totally rolling in laughter fits when that one happened, but hey, I signed the kid's program (though my life's public fame graph plummeted quite sharply 10 seconds later, never to rise again). |
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Posts: 11
| But jgorse you could have bought a great used American made Ovation for much less than a thousand pounds.
Nerdydave, I could have and you are right but I would have run the risk of cracked tops, warped necks, the older pickup systems which aren't as good as the newer ones and buying a secondhand Ovation would have done nothing to help the new Ovation company either.
My point is that Ovation need to sell guitars to people at all levels brand new and if they want to support USA manufacturing jobs they need to find a way to get the cost of those USA made instruments down or they will forever be a boutique operation selling high end guitars to artists and wealthy amateurs in small quantities.
The 2007 Ovation price list here shows a Custom Elite 2078 LX was $2449 http://www.jedistar.com/pdf/ovation/ovation_pricelist_2007.pdf
The 2018 pricelist shows the same guitar now costs $3570 - that's very nearly 50% inflation in ten years.
The question has to be why?
Ovation are right in my view to source their lower and middle range guitars from the far East, getting Ovations into the hands of beginners is important as they will be the people who buy a better Ovation in 5-10 years. I am a relative newcomer to guitar but my far Eastern made 2778AX5 is a really nice guitar and far too good for me at present. When I get better I hope I will be able to buy a USA made Ovation and I hope that the brand flourish over the coming years.
As for all the stuff about social media and youtubers I totally agree.
Jon
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A new chapter???
