Another reason for MOTU fans to be angry

[Earth 2 Chris]

^I can see your point, and would agree with it on almost any retail line. But this line is built around the notion of a club. People are encouraged to join this club, to make sure they get EVERYTHING the line has to offer. Mattel goes out of it's way to engage the MOTU fans, and make it personal.

To me, it's the equivalent of having a real world social club, and only randomly inviting a few members to a party. The rest of the membership is left scratching it's head saying "What the!?!" It divides the group and angers those left out.

I don't even collect MOTUC. Don't have a single figure, but I work in marketing, and things like this fascinate me...especially when a company can't seem to learn from their mistakes.

Chris

[ctc]

>It's weird this stuff still goes on considering it's largely proven that it can lead to alienating your customer base.

I chalk it up to inertia. I do believe they're still operating under the old paradigm, and it takes a company this big a LONG time to shift gears. Plus: it cheeses people off, but they're still buying; so the top decision makers probably don't see a problem. Yet.

>I guess I'm gonna be in the unpopular opinion camp, but...I thought this was brilliant marketing and FUN.

Unmutual! Unmutual!

>I just feel this is another case of those who didn't get what they (didn't even know they) wanted and are crying foul

Hee heee.... good way of putting it, and I can agree that little surprises like this are neat. I think one of the problems for a lot of fans is that the price point for stuff like this is kinda high; so you can't count the weirder figures as an impulse buy, and there's a lingering feeling of resentment over having to subscribe; getting whatever comes down the pike for the sake of the things you might really like.... and a feeling of having to jump through hoops to get stuff.

The "didn't even know they wanted" bit is pretty spot on as well. A lot of collectors have a completist mentality.... the whole idea of the subscription plays on this.... so when little things like this come and go so fast it becomes a sticking point. Exacerbated when you cruise the secondary market for what you missed and see it listing for five times the release price.

>I work in marketing

Unmutual! Unmutual!

>things like this fascinate me...especially when a company can't seem to learn from their mistakes

Well.... again; I don't know if it's EXACTLY a mistake, since the product is still moving. Sure, it makes a fair number of folks angry but they're still buying. PAYING customers are the goal, happiness may facilitate that but it's not neccessary.

>It's a fine line between ****ing off their target market and feeding collectors' addictive compulsions

Like that. Hell; I wouldn't be surprised of the rage induced tirades actually add to the hype. It's an odd thing to think from OUR end, as fans and consumers.... but the company's perspective is not neccessarily our own.

Don C.

[domino]

This is still one of my favorite lines and I will continue to support it. I have had very little in the way of QC problems with any of my figures. A couple do have some minor issues but nothing that makes me mad. I even had to call Digital River a few years ago and had no problems getting a billing issue resolved. Would I have liked to had a Spirit of Hordak? Sure, but I am not going to get mad that I missed it. I am sure I will be able to pick one up somewhere and with the quick sellout, I have to believe it will be back up on the site soon.

[B-Lister]

I would probably be more upset if I were a completist, or if it were a figure I care about.

But my honest reaction is "I am surprised they didn't do it sooner."

Not that I think it is brilliant, I think keeping something from the very people who want it most is stupid.

[huedell]

..... People need to relax and look at this from a perspective other than "Matty f***ked us over again!!"

....so far it's kept MOTUC going for five years with multiple yearly subs and Castle freakin Grayskull - can't have ****ed too many off that badly I guess. Sorry, but from a marketing standpoint, Matty's taking all the trophies this time.

I don't know if your post brightened my viewpoint in this thread by putting things more in my brand of perspective OR if I still find the detractors' cases so overwhelmingly solid and united with others of their ilk that I'm even more bummed because it seems like you're straight-out taunting that group unjustifiably. Whatever the case, you still make some interesting points within your post.

I'm actually leaning more towards the overall conclusion that B-lister posted above:

I would probably be more upset if I were a completist, or if it were a figure I care about.

But my honest reaction is "I am surprised they didn't do it sooner."

Not that I think it is brilliant, I think keeping something from the very people who want it most is stupid.

[B-Lister]

After reading the bio I definitely don't want it. It serves no purpose that a regular version of Hordak couldn't equally serve. Plus I consider the figure incomplete. For the same money you'd spend on Matty (and a hell of a lot less than you'll spend in the aftermarket) you get a regular Hordak that includes two more accessories (the staff and imp).

[Earth 2 Chris]

AFI has a feature on this figure:

http://www.actionfigureinsider.com/main/afi-first-look-motuc-spirit-of-hordak-packaging

ToyGuru said yesterday on the MattyCollector message boards that there would be more surprise sales of this figure on MattyCollector.com upcoming as well as an “Early Access” sale of the figure to fans that are sub holders. However he did also say that there were not 1:1 figures made so that every sub holder could get one, so if you want him and you see him, you had best snatch him up!

So...you have a line that is only available online, because they say retail chains won't support it. You ask folks to subscribe so they won't miss a figure...then you don't make enough figures to meet the demand of the very Fan Club that these figures are made for.

I rest my case.

Chris

[BlackKnight]

AFI has a feature on this figure:

http://www.actionfigureinsider.com/main/afi-first-look-motuc-spirit-of-hordak-packaging

So...you have a line that is only available online, because they say retail chains won't support it. You ask folks to subscribe so they won't miss a figure...then you don't make enough figures to meet the demand of the very Fan Club that these figures are made for.

I rest my case.

Chris

... Well come on Man..
The False Sell Outs...
The Buy the Subscription or Else Additude ...
The Convention Exclusives ...
ToyFare Marketing, with Entries always in the Top 10 ...
Ofcourse the Online Only ....

It's really always been this way with this line ....
It's really just silly to think it wouldn't go further.

[Den82]

So much for May being all about making money rather than spending. The regular sub figures this month already set me back $118.78. I happen to like this Spirit of Hordak figure, so I'm going to take a stab at trying to get one tomorrow.

They made the subscription sound so easy and affordable (for the price of a coffee a day! Or whatever). Then they hit us with Castle Grayskull and then the Filmation subscription and now secret figures. I don't even want to look at what I've spent on this line already.

The thing that annoys me the most is the obvious lies and scare tactics. Like the threat of the line ending if not enough subs were purchased or Castle Grayskull not going into production if not enough people pre-ordered, etc.

I went for all of them, but I know it was all corporate bull.

[Figuremod73]

They made the subscription sound so easy and affordable (for the price of a coffee a day! Or whatever). Then they hit us with Castle Grayskull and then the Filmation subscription and now secret figures. I don't even want to look at what I've spent on this line already.

So....are they ever going to get around to doing Blackstar?