To put the word out or not put the word out

[LA Guy]

I thought I'd put this to a poll.  One way or another, you guys are bound to have an opinion.  My suggestion (see separate thread) was to advertise in a discreet way in a magazine like Details or Departures, or try to get some sort of editorial attention.  Web advertisement is also possible (a google ad, for example.)  I'm interested to see what you guys think.

 

[gqelements]

I think this board has a healthy citizenship, which may be diluted by an en masse advertisement campaign. Majority of those that have found their way here were looking for something like this, a niche for opinionated yet knowledgeable style aficionados. An advertising campaign, which is the nutshell of what you are proposing, makes this place susceptible to the fate of GQ forum. Myself and the likes of Ambulance Chaser and CT guy, have ran from that place, and I would think, would like to prevent that verbal diarrhea from poisoning this environment.
Although any online community can welcome controlled growth, not many will benefit from a sheer explosion, promised by such advertising proposals. Such growth is hard to manage from perspectives of IT infrastructure and social interaction alike. If any editorial attention this forum may require, it would be from the industry publications and professional circles, as such would benefit us as the citizens of this community, as well as the companies, industries and representatives willing to listen and participate in our online discussions and debates.

 

[Alias]

When any internet forum experiences a rapid growth, some sort of crowd control must occur. Some sites turn into pay sites to help weed out the idiots who like to register and wreak havoc. And yeah, imagine if +40,000 people started getting their shirts from Jantzen. My orders will take a year to complete.

 

[vero_group]

Why advertise if no one is going to make any money in the deal? Advertising should pay for itself and provide a return, IMHO.

It's up to "j" really -- he owns this thing. If anyone is to profit from advertising of the forum, it should be him.

 

[MikeF]

I object on account of Jantzen alone. I will never be able to get another shirt from Ricky if this forum gets any more popular than it already is.

 

[LA Guy]

Ouch. I agree on the Jantzen thing. However, I think that J., with the help pf the rest of us, could make this into a really interesting underground movement. I suggested several ways of capping the membership in another post - I guess that that doesn't solve the Jantzen dilemna though. However, I imagine that Ricky would be happy for the extra business, and might even cut special deals to forum members if his business really explodes. It might even prompt an explosion in the value-mtm industry, which would be beneficial to all of us.

Also, I think that it would be possible to convince industry and Ebay to just plain support this community. It's easy to see the merits of supporting a community of people who are actually passionate about their products. A lot of consumers are wary of traditional lifestyle advertisement, and this type of underground, de facto advertisement is definitely something to look for in the future. Why shouldn't we lead the way?

Since this is J's forum, and a lot of the work would fall on him and Steve (though I am, and I am sure that others are too are willing to take on a share of the duties.) So the majority of raised money would obviously go to him. But there could also be a co-op system implemented, where current members could likewise benefit. After all, it is you folks who make this happen...

Think about it guys, seriously.

 

[dah328]

As the poll reflects, if it ain't broke....

 

[ken]

I think the problem with any gung ho campaign of an internet forum is that nobody really knows who anybody else really is. For all you know, I could be a tattoo-less, clean-shaven nerd who's only rugby experience is a playground soccer game where we habitually pick up the ball. For all I know, LAG, you could own one pair of Sonoma jeans, wear Etnies and have dreads. Kalra might right be who he says he is.
Obviously those are long-shots, but wouldn't it be more fun to expand the 'Style Forum' from a simple internet hang-out to a community, w/a heirarchy and meetings and dues and events? From there, monetary considerations would be easier to discuss, because we'd all have a better feel for who we really are.

 

[gregory]

I have to register my disagreement with the plan.

This is a great idylic community for so many of us. I don't want it to change in any way.

And judging from the poll numbers, I am far from being alone.

There are benefits to the plan, but they are far outweighed by drawbacks.

 

[ken]

OK, I think I finally see what you're talking about. There probably is money to be made, but only if LAG, Steve, Thracozaag, A Harris, etc. are doing the reviewing/endorsing. There's plenty of people on this forum who just don't have enough experience to be trusted.
But I do agree an independant review service is a good idea.

 

[LA Guy]

For all I know, LAG, you could own one pair of Sonoma jeans, wear Etnies and have dreads.

True confessions:

1) I actually sort of like the shape of some skate shoes, though I much prefer Gravis to Etnies, and don't own any of either right now - I'm sort into Nike Terminators right now, and am at this moment wearing a very beat up pair
2) An Asian guy with dreads? I'd have to be a lot skinnier (and I *really* like burritos, so even if I ran an extra 5 miles a day, I probably wouldn't be skinny/cut) and a lot cooler to be able to pull that off. No, it's super short hair for me.
3) I actually like somewhat baggy jeans sometimes - Paper Denim's ICON is one of my favorite cuts. It's either baggy bootleg or slim bootleg for me these days. Very occasionally, I'll rock a straight leg pair of ancient, ancient Lucky jeans that have been washes, by my reckoning, about 200 times.
Yep. They came by their vintageness honestly.

As for the poll, I think that you guys may have misunderstood what I am proposing. I'm not trying to change the nature of the forum - I think that's it's strength. I am just suggesting that the forum could be more influential (imagine if Zegna changed to a fully canvassed construction and a slightly less boxy cut just because the comments on the forum are so widely read. Or if Ebay counterfeiters started to find that profits were going down, down, down... ) The only changes to the forum would be to preserve the integrity of the membership - which would impact current members only in that their memberships would be so much more valuable.

 

[dah328]

As for the poll, I think that you guys may have misunderstood what I am proposing.  I'm not trying to change the nature of the forum - I think that's it's strength.  I am just suggesting that the forum could be more influential (imagine if Zegna changed to a fully canvassed construction and a slightly less boxy cut just because the comments on the forum are so widely read.  Or if Ebay counterfeiters started to find that profits were going down, down, down... )  The only changes to the forum would be to preserve the integrity of the membership - which would impact current members only in that their memberships would be so much more valuable.

Don't think that enthusiasts have that much of an influence on mass-marketed brands.  For them, selling RTW to the average Joe is going to be a higher margin business with fewer headaches.  Also, should you in fact convince Zegna that there's an appropriate market for fully-canvassed suits, you've demonstrated to them an increase in demand which will be met with increased price.  In your other thread, Acole hit the nail on the head -- we're exchanging knowledge here to exploit inefficient markets.  I have neither the time nor the money to hope for any more than that.

dan

 

[HRHAndrew]

Boy, LA Guy didn't even vote for the top option.

 

[quill]

I can't really address the fashion aspect of this proposal, as I'm really very much a novice. But in light of this "public expansion" topic, you might want to take a look at (or consider) Malcolm Gladwell's book The Tipping Point. Gladwell is a New Yorker staff writer who wrote this book about societal events and/or trends that "take off" all of a sudden. The gist of the book is that such events follow the same course that epidemics do, and at some point reach the "tipping point," where they cease to be small and become huge or explosive. He analzyes famous examples of this occurence, and also offers insight as to how to make it happen (this goes to LA Guy's point of making this board more influential). But what I'm not really hearing yet, in this discussion (or I've simply not caught it), is what the one overriding and compelling advantage for the majority of folks on this board would be. I'm not saying there isn't one...I just haven't heard one expressed yet (with no disrespect intended to LA Guy for starting what I think is a very interesting topic).

 

[ken]

But what I'm not really hearing yet, in this discussion (or I've simply not caught it), is what the one overriding and compelling advantage for the majority of folks on this board would be.

the acquiring of some scratch

shallow? maybe

practical? definitely