Damn straight. I find it strange that sheep are universally known as fucking stupid animals, and yet we as humans seem determined to imitate them.Mass market only works if you set the trends, not follow them.
By the time something is a trend it's too late to follow it. The kind of logic that goes behind reasoning like "Verant make millions from Everquest, therefore if we make a MMOG we'll also make millions" is faulty, pure and simple. They made millions because they were right there at the start of popular MMOGing along with Origin. They pitched a mass-market idea to a largely untapped market and it worked. Everyone since has achieved considerably less success, in most cases, the result has been total failure. Why? Because the so called "trend" being set is completely misinterpreted. MMOGs aren't the next big thing, EQ2 is.
You can't expect to give the market something they've already got and hope to succeed, because you'll wind up on the pages of that thick-ass tome "Failed Enterprises of the Age of Communication." The real trick is giving the people something they don't have. Even better if they actually want it, but it's just as good convincing them that they want it, although that incurs a larger cost. It's a simple matter of supply and demand, with the added bonus that with effective marketing you can dictate the demand.
"You want/need this. You don't have it. We can give it to you."
Pretty stirring, huh? Much more profound than.
"Forget that. Have this. It's like what you've got, but better."
No thanks, o mighty shepherd, I'm already happy with these emerald green pastures, and the rumour going around the herd is that the farmer who gave us this is going to give us a bigger greener pasture in 6 months time.
Sure, the grass may be greener on the other side, and there's bound to be a small portion who buy into that, but imagine how many more bought into nice green grass when all they had was bare topsoil.
You know, that might even be simple enough for a marketing exec to understand, although they'd probably have to get somebody to read it for them. Maybe if I presented it with colorful learning aids and a couple of pie charts it might even get through to the pathetic little fucks.
i was just asking what happened, that`s all.
