VALIANTfans.com Message Board

[Dr. Solar]

This is a discussion from the VEI thread, how would you launch at San Diego?

The issues at hand seem to be:

Con - San Diego is so big that announcements can get lost in the noise.

Con - News from smaller publishers may be shadowed by announcements from major publishers

Pro - San Diego is the largest congregation of comic book fans at any time anywhere.


I'm writing up what I would do, I'm curious what others think. Some seem to think it would be easy to make an announcement at San Diego, some think it would be difficult.

If your business was riding on this launch, how would you do it?

I'm curious about your reasoning for doing the things you would do, and what you would hope to achieve.

[ian_house]

I'd stab someone with a branded item... got enough attention this year.

Or protest it outside...

[magnusr]

I'd announce before the show and be available at the show with material. As for the current discussion, I think that if VEI has nothing yet to show, they did right not to try an announcement.

/Magnus

[iggy101us]

For the record, I didn’t say that it would be easy to make an announcement at SDCC. It certainly would require a lot of planning, work, and follow-through.

I think the key to any announcement is the ability to follow up and come through with what you said you’re going to do. In Dark Horse’s case last year, they said they would publish comics using GK characters. They had a soft timeline and they came through and published comics a year later. Whether it’s a long-term success is still up in the air so early in the game.

In VEI’s case, their stated intention is to eventually publish comics (per the unofficial Valiant Zero party discussions). They can officially announce their intentions and let fans know what titles they are planning to launch and the rough timeline if that’s available. They don’t necessarily have to have a finished product in hand for such an announcement. Later on, they can update fans about their development progress as artists are hired and give some preview art. But they have to make good on any promises to have any credibility.

If I had $1 million personally invested in a project, I would have a team of competent professionals who can deliver. I would have risk mitigation and contingencies if something doesn’t work. I would set and manage expectations and not over-promise and under-deliver. I know it’s easier said than done and it requires a lot of hard work and probably even more luck. It’s certainly not easy to launch successful comics (even for the big publishers).

[Daniel Jackson]

[geocarr]

I agree with magnus in that I believe a small start-up publisher like VEI has to have material in hand when they make an announcement. They have to have seomthing tangible to go along with their words. Even thought the Valiant/Acclaim characters still have some recognizability among comic fans, given the amoutn of time since last being published, I don't think a start-up with no big writers/artists attached can announce words without goods. I think Dark Horse got away with it because they are Dark Horse and Jim Shooter is still a big name to many. My 2 cents.

[iggy101us]

[Dr. Solar]

Here's what I would do.

Assuming comics were ready to launch, and it was time for an announcement, here’s how I would do it at San Diego Comic-Con:

Preparation:

First, I would quietly solicit the first issues of the first series in May, with a July twenty-whatever release date, the first day of Comic-Con. I would contact direct market dealers and let them know that this series was going to be heavily promoted the week of its release at Comic-Con, but not much beforehand.

Second, I would make 5 prologue books for the new series. Maybe each would focus on a different character, and these would only be available at Comic-Con.

Third, I would also print a small number of Gold Logo versions of these prologue books, maybe 500 of each.

Fourth, I would reserve a panel for Saturday afternoon.

Fifth, I would get a decent sized booth.

At the show:

I would sell the first issue at the booth.

I’d Contact all of the dealers a few weeks before the show and sell them the first 4 of the prologue books for a low price, so they can make a good profit on them, to entice them to prominently display the books. The goal would be to have these books on display at every booth that sells comics.

Each of these issues would be bagged and boarded, and include a wraparound banner (like hardcover books sometimes get), promoting the panel on Saturday. Each copy displayed would be an advertisement for the panel, and also indicate that the only place to get the fifth prologue book is at the panel, and they will be free to every attendee of that panel.

At the panel, I would make the big announcement, and give everyone the last prologue book.

I would give away the Gold Logo versions of the prologue books on succeeding days at the con, issue 1 on Wednesday, issue 2 on Thursday, issue 3 on Friday, etc. The trick, I would only give them to people that were wearing a costume of a Valiant character, or wearing a Valiant t-shirt. I would sell cheap Valiant t-shirts at the booth, so people could buy one if they didn’t already have one, and have a small changing room at the booth for people to change into the shirt before they got their gold logo comic.

The whole point of this is to entice people to advertise for you. At a show like San Diego, it is hard to cut through the noise. Put a thousand t-shirts in the crowd, and only give the cool freebie to people that wear the shirt, and you might make an impact.

For something to be successful at Comic-Con, a critical mass is needed, but then it takes over. The goal is to get to the point that people are asking what is going on with all the people in Valiant shirts and costumes. I would bribe people with valuable, exclusive stuff in exchange for them marketing my stuff.

[Dr. Solar]

Interestingly, an article just popped up on Bleeding Cool about publishers advertising at Comic-Con, just after I wrote this. Read the article here.

Funny, the Galactus hats were one of the things I noticed that made me write what I did above.

[geocarr]

Genius my dear boy, simply genius. [Cue mad scientist laugh]

[JonesyAZ]

Your ideas sound awesome, Sean! I believe that this would generate great interest in the product as well.

When my "A Dark Halo" album was nearing completion, we had the opportunity to have the first two songs featured in a Nintendo title...for free. That single move generated enough interest in 2006 that I am still selling copies online today, with no advertising!

If VEI puts some serious advertising effort into their product once they are ready, that effort will yield a humungous payback, for sure

[X-O HoboJoe]

Excellent ideas!

[dave]

They should consider hiring you for marketing Sean. Seriously.

[Dr. Solar]

[JonesyAZ]

[Dr. Solar]

[aggr1103]

I'd start out viral - generate interest from the hardest of hardcore fans. I'd probably promote stuff with booths at the smaller cons leading up to SDCC - Megacon, Heroes Con, etc.

Instead of hosting a panel at the con itself for an announcement, I'd probably host some sort of party/after party on one night of the con and invite all the media I could. I'd do it near the convention center, but not in it. Have the announcement there. Free booze and hot women will bring in media.

Game companies do this at E3 to promote new products so they don't get swallowed up in all the other stuff going on (at least some of them used to).

[iggy101us]

[Dr. Solar]

[Draco]

Like What the good DR said above, so to add to that for people to help promote, i would print up large bags that are big enough for people to put their other items in.
A nice new Valiant logo centred on both sides of a white bag that could be also put on your back.
Give these out at the booth and you have ready made walking promos.

[slym2none]

[iggy101us]

[slym2none]

[iggy101us]

D'OH!

[Unblessed]

How to announce at SDCC...




















Carrier Pigeon. Duh.

[slym2none]

-slym

[etos45]

Well this is too obvious... can anyone say Only the Valiant exclusive announcement? That should generate enough hype right before SDCC that they could have a panel of at least 200,000 people for the grand unveiling....


...or you could just do the Sean thing...

[Dr. Solar]

[JonesyAZ]

[Dr. Solar]

[JonesyAZ]

AWESOME!!! I had a feeling that the answer would have been "no" in regard to the majority of listeners being from this site (since I found you guys first). I hope that you continue to grow in popularity, because I prefer your format over even CGS. You guys allow yourselves to argue about a topic, go off-topic, then when you're ON topic, the passion for the subject matter is always there.

[dave]

[Dr. Solar]

[grifter78]

[X-O HoboJoe]

[slym2none]

Lots of t-shirt giveaways, Shadowman masks, Harbinger "power" glasses, that sort of thing... and bullhorns. Lots of bullhorns.

Oh yeah, a cincture wormhole in the middle of the convention center would attract quite a bit of of media attention.



-slym

[aggr1103]

Whatever gets done - overhype will kill a book that gets reamed by critics. If VEI ever does decide to do anything they are dealing with comic characters that are around 20 years old now and most people don't remember pre unity work - they remember the glut of later issues and Deathmate.

[Dr. Solar]

[wrunow]

[rjrjr]

[Dr. Solar]

[iggy101us]

VEI should hire HPOA as their director of marketing.

[Blood of Heroes]

[VEI Reborn]

I would pass free T-shirts out at the door.


Valiant symbol with "We are back" + Bloodshot, X-O, Harby kids on it.


I would also hack into the screens and have a short video. Valiant symbol with "The count down begins...."


I would also make sure I wasnt present. This would create buzz as to if it was a hoax or not. A few weeks later I would make an official announcement

[Dr. Solar]

[jbtheo]

It really wouldn't be that hard to promote; it would just be a lot of work and money up front. Newsarama and Wizard would be good places to start. They would need a fairly large booth at San Diego comic con, and it wouldn't hurt to go to the other conventions: NYC, Wondercon, Wizard World, etc.

I think the industry would be surprised on how good the VEI launch could potentially be. A lot of people remember Valiant, and would probably support them once they got the ball rolling. Nostaligia is a big selling point nowadays.