Skip to main content

Blog question about marketing

OK,it seems like we always hear how the belts are only important because they're important to Mattel,so they can't change them without giving Mattel lead time. This gives the impression WWE wants the merchandise to correspond with the product.
 
If that's the case,are the belt designs the ONLY important thing? Because the marketing lately seems all off to me. If I'm Joe Mark,I watch 5 hours a week of CM Punk calling the fans losers,and Cole,King,and whoever else telling me Punk is a sucky dbag I should not respect because he only wins by cheating BUT I should buy his new compilation DVD (Did You Know it's the number 1 non sport sporting entertainment episodic video) for six hours of Punky goodness,and buy the new video game he's on the cover of and commercial for,and buy his new canary yellow GTS shirt. Why? I know *I* would still like to sport that shirt,but I'm a smarky a-hole. Why would a "typical" casual person buy all this Punk stuff that seemingly came out the day after he turned heel? Did the booking team have the turn planned out in advance or not?
 
Now on the flipside,look at Ryback. He main evented against Punk as a face in the last two PPVs. For HIAC he was defacto the #1 biggest (active) babyface. So if I'm Joe Mark again,I love Ryback,right? Well,Ryback waqsn't even originally in the new video game that came out while he was breaking into the title scene. He'll be DLC introduced later. WTF?!?! 
I'm not really an action figure collector,so correct me if I'm wrong,but I don't think there's a Ryback action figure,or SD figure,or brawl buddy,or figural soap,or ANYTHING. I'm sure you can get the shirt on Shopzone, but as far as my local mall,there's only one store that sells wrestling shirts,Hot Topic,and the only have three: Yes!!,No!!,and guess who,dastardly heel CM Punk. Come to think of it,I think Bryan is technically a heel too,even though he's the most popular guy on the roster!
 
So what's the deal? Admittedly the figure thing may be Mattel's fault (I swear to god my local Kmart currently has Flashpoint figures) but some of this has to be on WWE. A smart company would have released the Punk DVD,the game,THEN turn Punk heel,and right then be shipping out action figures and shirts of your new hero Big Hungry Ryback,and THEN be like oh yeah Because You Demanded It here's new paid DLC of your new favorite face!!!!!
 
I can understand that,and I'm just some idiot. Why can't they?

This guy gets it.

Comments

  1. Dude... calm down.

    Just wait, and let's see how the story they're telling plays out.

    ReplyDelete
  2. It's funny, I went to WWE's website to watch the Punk video, and the comment section is nothing but kids crying that Punk cheated throughout his entire title reign.


    WHAT?


    Technically, he has yet to actually cheat in any of his title defenses.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I think it has more to do with the seat-of-the-pants style show booking that's been going on. The on TV product changes so fast that they don't have time to market it properly (as a lot of that stuff needs to be planned months in advance). WWE had NO idea Ryback would be getting a semi-main event push until it happened on TV, so Mattel, and K-Mart had no idea either (and neither did we).

    ReplyDelete
  4. If WWE is all worried about merchandising with Mattel as far as the WWE Championship belt is concerned, wouldn't a new design be a boost for merchandise sales? The same design has been around for almost 8 years now.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Yeah but you're just a stupid mark wrestling fan. You don't understand business like the daughter of a rich guy and her ex pro wrestler roid rage husband.

    ReplyDelete
  6. True. When was the last time he actively cheated to win a match, much less a title defense? I guess you had the Maddox thing but until it's "proven" Maddox was working for him, Punk hasn't actively cheated to keep his title. Maybe he'd get more heat if he actually did screw someone over by hitting them with brass knucks, putting his feet on the ropes or something like that.

    ReplyDelete
  7. That's about right for huge corporations; their internal communication sucks and then customers get conflicting messages about how the company has the best service for "x" while being told to upgrade to "y" for the best service. The marketing guys are usually just trying to play catch-up to everyone else unless it's a company where marketing drives the ship, in which case everyone is trying to live up to every stupid promise that was made in the commercials. But yeah, the WWE isn't much different than any other huge company.

    ReplyDelete
  8. The TV product doesn't change *enough*.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Regarding action figures; it basically takes WAY too long to make them to care about who's hot or not and who's good and who's evil. Not to mention Mattel's bullshit involving every case having to have at least one Randy Orton, John Cena, Edge, HHH, or freaking Rey Mysterio Jr and have them be the one there is the most of in each case. They only want "popular" guys and only in the last year have they tried to work in wiggle room in the case assortments to reflect the actual WWE television programing.

    As such, you get shit like CM Punk's first short hair, Nexux/Pipebomb version being short-packed because Mattel did not think Punk was going to be resigned and as such did not want to give him major shelf presence, meaning that you had the fucking figure going for $60-80 bucks until Mattel reworked the subsequent wave to include the figure in higher quantity and meet demand.

    You have also shit with Zach Ryder's figure: he was a HUGE shelf-warmer when he first came out, no one bought him but then just as they stopped releasing his figure, he turned face/started his webshow and WHAM! Zach's figure was going for around $80-90 bucks because no one bought his figure when it came out and the ones that were on the shelves were then promptly grabbed up the second he got popular, to flip them for 3-4 times they paid retail-wise for them. Or Dolph Ziggler, who didn't have a new action figure for ages and as such, his earlier ones started going for big bucks since they were not available in stores.

    Not to mention shit like all of the action figures of John Morrison that Mattel made that no one NO ONE bought. Or the recent mess with Randy Orton, who's most recent action figure shelf-warmed so badly that they had to make the repack of it one per case as damage control, since they couldn't give his spot to another wrestler or pull the figure for a later wave due to contractual matters.

    The only guys Mattel has made a huge point about rushing out to meet fan demand are Rock and Brock Lesner. And last time I checked, Brock's new figure still hasn't hit retail.....

    ReplyDelete
  10. That said; the Punk thing is hilarious in that he still has merch out there (and it's among their top selling stuff) and yet he STILL gets buried by the WWE on-air as part of their bullshit defense of the worthless sack of shit John Cena (who won't turn heel because of merch sales, even though they bury everyone else as badly as they do so they CAN'T sell merch, so that they can use the "Only Cena should be the top guy because of merch sales" while ignoring the fact that this is only because they freaking bury anyone who threatens to replace Cena as top merc guy).

    Hell, I would not be shocked if most if not all of the merch Punk has were agreed to because of the new contract he had signed and that had they know that Punk LEGITIMATELY would threaten their Saint Cena in retrospect, they probably would never of agreed to give Punk his own DVD or three-four shirts and other merch since they would soon as turn Punk heel and treat him like a pariah than even acknowledge that they finally have someone to replace the tired and stale Cena at the top. Fuck, remember that they even had Vince come out and basically trash Punk's latest t-shirt on the air, calling it ugly and stupid looking. Way to bury your top guy! At least Rock just mocked the color scheme of Cena's shirts.

    ReplyDelete
  11. This is why I cant use any official WWE stuff the discussion is insufferable

    ReplyDelete
  12. Respect THIS BUSINESS damnit!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Yeah...it's kind of surprising this is one of the longest running championship belts EVER for the WWE. I do like the continuity as it seems somewhat lame to be constantly changing your belt design. But I think this one has had its time in the sun. And what happened to Punk's new belt? Are they waiting until he loses to debut it?

    ReplyDelete
  14. So, I stopped watching after the Maddox thing. They never followed up on that angle and explained what was going on with the blatant ref screwjob?!?! HOW?!?!

    ReplyDelete
  15. I guess that means they're doing a good job with the Punk character's reputation to the target audience.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I don't think it's as a big deal as you guys are making out- correct me if I'm wrong but we bought all the action figures whether heel or not when we were younger- and I would have bought the WWF wrestling games/magazines whether it was a megaface like Hogan or an undercard heel like Virgil on the front cover. Kids will still buy the Punk DVD because they're fascinated by him and enjoy booing him. My opinion anyways!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Jesse, are you a gimmick?

    ReplyDelete
  18. btw: afaik no one from within the WWE who has any sort of "stroke" has ever stated public that the "merch sales are the reason for no Cena heel turn". correct me if I am wrong, but for all we know this is just a rumor.

    ReplyDelete
  19. the answer to the initial question is simple: the WWE knows (or at least: thinks to know) that CM Punk mostly appeals to people who don't really care if he is a heel or not (or even prefer him being a heel).

    ReplyDelete
  20. I believe that would be his title defense against Alberto Del Rio on Raw, late last year when he used the exposed turnbuckle to assist with the GTS, when he was a face, funnily enough.

    ReplyDelete
  21. You bring up something interesting. We hear about how when Vince finally becomes a fan of someone, like Bret or Foley after great performances or character development, they get pushed hard. Lots of people say that Vince is the biggest wrestling fan of all.

    But what about Stephanie? It seems like the only one she's a fan of is her husband. Does she even have any real WRESTLING aptitude (yes, yes...I know the joke is if Vince has any himself anymore)?

    ReplyDelete
  22. Maybe they didn't like what the dude they hired came up with.

    ReplyDelete
  23. They did follow up on it: Maddox basically cost Ryback the title because of bitterness that Vince wouldn't hire him as a wrestler and would only use Maddox as a referee and that he screwed Ryback not to help Punk but to "make a statement" about how he felt about how unfair it was that Ryback had a job as a wrestler while he was stuck in the limbo hell of being a referee.....

    ReplyDelete
  24. I would agree and also suggest that most of the DVD releases are aimed at smarks and even fans like me (and some others around here) who don't even watch the regular product anymore. I mean the Clash set? Steamboat? I would venture 90% of the buyers for those sets fall into the smark or non-viewer category. I wouldn't be surprised if a good 30% or more of the Clash set buys came from people who no longer watch. to me the DVD sets exist in a somewhat different universe (no pun intended) than the other merchandising they do. It is their last olive branch to the fans they ran off. Sure a few sets like that ill-fated john Morrison set or the cheapy superstar sets are aimed at the current fan base and especially kids, but I think the vast majority over the years have been about retaining some revenue from the "lost" fan. And to their credit, and maybe my stupidity, they have certainly grabbed quite a bit of my money, long after I bought a single shirt, ticket, or ppv.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Agree about the action figure, disagree about the DVDs. We all bought Bundy and Studd and Savage and other heels (my action figure period was 85-87ish) to fight Hogan and Andre and George Steele and the rest. On the DVD front though, I think the market for the current kiddie mark audience is limited for a Punk DVD. What makes a Punk DVD marketable is the smark audience and the folks that we see around here for example who buy DVD sets without ever spending money on ppvs, shirts, or possibly even watching Raw regularly.

    ReplyDelete
  26. um, that's how ALL action figures work. You produce and pack the big names and you short pack the aliens. It happened with the original Star Wars figures from Kenner in 1978. It's why an obscure character from the bar scene is worth more than Luke (except for the telescoping lightsaber figure that had a short run, but I digress). And now that the collector's market is around, they still pack the big name characters because that is what sells to most of the audience, but they have the added bonus of creating excitement in the collector's marketplace for the line and getting places like comic book shops to order full cases just for the short packed figures. It's a win/win for the toy maker. Nothing nefarious by mattel or WWE to keep Cena or Orton or anyone else on top nor to hold anyone down simply by making figures. And every company has misfires. The DVD set of Morrison and the action figure shows they thought he was going to be a big star. Lucas thought Jar Jar Bynks was going to be huge too. Hindsight is 20/20.

    Ocham's razor. Conspiracy theories are generally way too convoluted to ever make sense.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Without a trace of irony. You are seriously right about all that.

    ReplyDelete
  28. IN OTHER NEWS: Scott used my catch-phrase...

    ReplyDelete
  29. And then...nothing? That's fucking idiotic.

    ReplyDelete
  30. in other news, haven't we all stolen it by now

    ReplyDelete
  31. You absolutely must take into account that THQ sucks as a publisher and could really care less about the game once it has been released, besides of course how much money it makes. They have the worst online play out of any video game on the market (SvR05 had better online, and that was on PS2. Also, Wrestlemania 21 shipped with online completely broken, and since it was they couldn't even patch it... people actually had to return the game to stores!) and the rosters are notoriously out of date. We didn't get former WCW/ECW talent in a video game until October 2002.

    Now, with that said, Ryback is already on the disc. The DLC, like all other DLC from THQ, will be 108.00KB, meaning you're just downloading a code to unlock them from the game. Ryback, along with Sandow, Caesar, Usos and the rest of them were modeled the same time everyone else was... they are just held back so THQ can make more money. It has nothing to do with timing, face/heel status or anything else. We're talking about the same company that animated The Brock Lock in 2003, removed it in 2006 and is now making you buy it in 2012, ok?

    WWE '13, by some miracle, is an enjoyable game and because I have a bevy of friends that can circumnavigate the shitty online play and make it fun, I invest time and money into it. I bought Fan Axxxxeesssss (old Scott Keith joke, there) because for $20 you actually get a lot of stuff, including 20+ wrestlers, all with at least four or five trademark moves.


    The action figure issue, I believe, is because it takes a lot longer to make one, mass produce it and enter it into a series that's planned eight months down the line. I remember way back in 1998 waiting fourteen months (from the time of his debut) for a Kane figure, and that was when they were making six every two months. Also consider that Mattel is a company that makes A LOT of other toys, whereas Jakks wasn't. Plus, both companies would much rather make and sell 6-12 John Cena figures than one Ryback. It's a written rule in the action figure world that popular wrestlers are to be made available at all times and unpopular wrestlers get one, maybe two, releases a year. Some are even Internet/RingsideCollectables/Figures Inc./Comic-Con exclusives.


    tl;dr: HAHAHAHAHAHA MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEEEEEY-EEEEEE-EEE!

    ReplyDelete
  32. THIS JUST IN: Kyle doesn't use question marks, Back to you Kyle.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Watching WWE is like living Momento or 50 First Dates. I watch RAW and get annoyed that I'm watching a show aimed at 12 yr olds and written by soap opera rejects. I walk away annoyed and yearn for the past. A week goes by, I forget that it's a show for kids. Tune in again on Monday and the process starts all over again. My life 2003-present.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Downvotes are running wild today.

    ReplyDelete
  35. I vote for this guy is an idiot. The Punk shirt was designed to annoy everyone, that's why it was yellow. Letting a video game dictate what you do on tv is beyond stupid. Nobody gives a shit about the cover. And the DVD was marketed to hardcore fans who wouldn't give a shit if he was heel or a face.

    ReplyDelete
  36. to be fair, afaik the most important ppvs and special dvds about current guys that draw (Cena, Undertaker, ...) are considered good sellers as well.

    but you are obviously right about them not only catering to current fans but regularly releasing stuff that they think "we" will buy.

    ReplyDelete
  37. You bring up an interesting question - do kids buy WWE DVDs at all? They made those Superstar sets (at a good price too) to hook younger viewers, which I liked. Everything else seems marketed to adults.

    ReplyDelete
  38. Disregard my reply to your other post - spot on there Com.

    ReplyDelete
  39. All the DLC characters on PS3 are 3 mb. I haven't had any issues with online play this year. Had some awesome triple threat matches against a couple of buddies.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Not to mention, the guy who is the #1 Baby Face IN THS BUSINESS....gets booed out of the building nearly everywhere.
    They had a chance to make Ryback the man, but they balked in favor of pleasing Dwayne. He wants an established champion to defeat.
    YOU KNOW they are waiting for Dwayne to win the title so he can cut a promo calling Cena's belt "a toy" or some shit, and introduce the new looking strap.

    ReplyDelete
  41. By the way, if there are any people here in Marketing tonight....kill yourself.

    ReplyDelete
  42. My own personal view on Stephanie is that she's the type of booker that comes up with an idea first, and then just plugs in whatever wrestler is available and/or most popular to make it work.


    Contrast that with the truly great bookers, who would allow wrestlers to show what they could do first, and THEN figure out the best ways to utilize them.

    ReplyDelete
  43. I love how everyone speaks negatively about Morrison's DVD - yeah, it seemed a bit out-of-place when a guy like Jericho hadn't had one at that point, but the actual DVD was fantastic. Definitely one of the best compilation discs they've ever done, there are some GREAT matches.

    ReplyDelete
  44. It was Vince M.

    ReplyDelete
  45. Untrue, or at least partially. Vince said in an interview about 2 years ago that Skip Sheffield would be "his next John Cena". And now, lo and behold, he is.

    ReplyDelete
  46. I see that one terrible Flex Force or whatever it is Orton with no kneepads EVERYWHERE. I've been shopping the clearance aisles for stuff for my nieces and in the middle of them there are always about fifty unsold Ortons looking like a chomo.

    ReplyDelete
  47. I never watched it. my intent was not to bash Morrison or the DVD. It was to point out that they put out a DVD set designed to appeal to the kiddies rather than how most DVD sets are put out for smarks and old time fans. Even if he took off and was main eventing now, the point is that no other wrestler has got a DVD set with less accomplished.

    ReplyDelete
  48. Whoever downvoted a Bill Hicks quote...also kill yourself.

    ReplyDelete
  49. Not even close.


    Ryback gets cheered.

    ReplyDelete
  50. WATCHA GONNA DO BROTHER!

    ReplyDelete
  51. That wasn't it. Maddox was forced into a match against Ryback as punishment. Ryback beat the shit out of him and shoved him into an ambulance.

    ReplyDelete
  52. I said VINCE'S John Cena. I'm not fully sure what that entails but I suspect it involves the feeding of grapes and lots of baby oil.

    ReplyDelete
  53. This guy gets it. Now I have.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment