dinoiii
January 2nd, 2006, 03:34 PM
Dinoiii’s Rant IV: Knowing When It’s Time to Move On
Strange similarities between the following:
Phish
In 2004, the band Phish ended its 21-year music career by playing two concerts on the mud-soaked hills of Vermont. Due to days of rain, which made for flooded fields and standstill trafiic, 1000s of fans abandoned their cars on the highway and walked for miles to hear the last sounds of their favorite band. During the final set, the band’s keyboardest, Page McConnell, actually broke down crying as he tried to get through a song. The band took their bows after the encore and officially said good-bye to Phish, promising to reinvent themselves in other genres, formats, and acts.
Deep Purple
That October, the band Deep Purple played a series of dates in Russia, with fifty-nine year old lead singer Ian Gillian – a bandana covering his now receding hairline – still attempting to “rock.” Formed in 1968 in Germany, this British group had worldwide hits like “In Rock,” “Black Night,” “Fireball,” and “Machine Head.” With a newfound popularity in previously off-limit markets, the band was reliving the days of its youth – and shattering thousands of middle-aged suburbanites’ images of them, perceptions based on what Deep Purple was like in the seventies.
Seinfeld
In 1998, the cast of Seinfeld decided that it was time to end their amazing run. The show was the cornerstone of Thursday night television for millions of Americans, and was still at the top of the Nielsen ratings, but the cast publicly stated that they wanted to end on a high note, without creating new shows that lacked comedic genius. They were afraid of getting tired. Seinfeld has now generated more than a billion dollars through syndication and DVD sales.
Barbie
At the same time that Seinfeld and Phish decide to go out on top, brands like Barbie struggle to meet expectations (ok, ok – so this is what they tell me ... WINK, WINK!). For Barbie, at least, all of Mattel’s product extensions and brand saturation aren’t making memories that lead to purchases. Sales are down $14 million in just a year. Maybe Mattel should accept what consumers are telling them: “Slow down, we need a break.” Maybe they should stop altogether.
Experimental & Applied Science (EAS)
In 1993, the marketing genius of the Philips family – Bill, not only revolutionized a lagging industry through the wonders of advertising plastered about his Muscle Media 2000 magazine (the cult classic, not the watered-down version that it would ultimately become) and his authoring of the first three Sports Supplement Review books, but he also offered the first real product to make noise – creatine monohydrate – its hype, marketed under the name Phosphagen. Challenge me on the advertising genius – funny no one remembered Byrd and / or Almada until they opted to do a little marketing of their own. Prior to this time, the only thing coming out of the EAS camp was V2G (essentially, Vanadium) back in 1989. The supplement was pretty worthless, but it did offer the industry the opportunity to look at taurine in a new light – but it was this accessory item, and NOT what the supplement was being touted as that showed the true promise.
In 1995, the rave that was Phosphagen began to die out. Understanding the product life cycle all too well, Bill brought us the introduction of Phosphagen HP. No longer would you have to mix your CM with carbs, you get them both in a neat little package. And it tasted better – so, hey we bought into our new “revolutionary” transport system (i.e. – carbs). I always thought the guy was genius – likely someone that could talk a turtle out of its shell. Perhaps, that explains the surge in naked turtles circa 1993 – hmmm...another case we’ve solved.
Bill moved on with the promotion of his Body For Life book in 1999 (Again, here’s a situation where TC Luoma would state that he had contributed to this piece of work with the initial intention being for fat housewives – to this day, this is something that could never be verified – nonetheless, the by product and its marketing remains Bills). With Mr. Phillips all but leaving the company (exception being his contract status), you saw the sparkle and fade of the highly touted second generation HP line, inclusive of Methoxy Factor HP and Muscle Drive HP (which was simply protein with minute quantities of methoxy in it), and the third generation of the HP line boasting the wonders of Ecdymax HP, Insuload HP, and Phosphagen XT (which was simply Insuload + Phosphagen, but with a faulty science design).
Yes, Bill knew when it was precisely the time to jump out of the EAS limelight as what was to come would mark the fall of the company he brought to greatness. Make no mistake, however, I don’t discredit ANY of his accomplishments. A marketing genius is in fact what the industry needed at a time when it had nothing. The science is NOT what makes the industry – it is and always has been the marketing, but much can be said about all aspects of sales.
Today, in a post-Bill EAS – you see them clamoring on with a whole slew of athletic-designed supplements, with their new NFL association. Outside of a shiny new red look, these products now suffer from lack of innovation by that very association. Trying to escape this lack of innovation tag, they offered heavy promotion of their new Muscle Armor product in attempts to win back its hardcore musclehead crowd. Imagine the disappointment suffered by EAS-users with the discovery of its “new” marvel ingredients: HMB, Glutamine, Arginine, BCAA, and Taurine. While this may have been “revolutionary” back in 1993, today it remains the same ole, same ole.
So what?
EAS has the dubious honors of sharing similarity with Barbie and not with the earlier favorable subset of groups above. The point here is that your blockbuster of yesterday could very well be getting in the way of tomorrow’s blockbuster. The cash cow makes it easy to resist the temptation (and risk) of trying something new. Sometimes being remarkable is about knowing when it’s time to move on and force your team to invent the next great thing instead of milking yesterday’s hit just a little too long. Don’t get caught up in the advertising when you have some pretty innovative companies in the likes of Designer Supplements, Anabolic Extreme, and Gaspari – to name a few.
Note: EAS, Phosphagen, Methoxy Factor, Muscle Drive, Ecdymax, Insuload, and Body For Life are all trademarks of their respective trademark holders.
Strange similarities between the following:
Phish
In 2004, the band Phish ended its 21-year music career by playing two concerts on the mud-soaked hills of Vermont. Due to days of rain, which made for flooded fields and standstill trafiic, 1000s of fans abandoned their cars on the highway and walked for miles to hear the last sounds of their favorite band. During the final set, the band’s keyboardest, Page McConnell, actually broke down crying as he tried to get through a song. The band took their bows after the encore and officially said good-bye to Phish, promising to reinvent themselves in other genres, formats, and acts.
Deep Purple
That October, the band Deep Purple played a series of dates in Russia, with fifty-nine year old lead singer Ian Gillian – a bandana covering his now receding hairline – still attempting to “rock.” Formed in 1968 in Germany, this British group had worldwide hits like “In Rock,” “Black Night,” “Fireball,” and “Machine Head.” With a newfound popularity in previously off-limit markets, the band was reliving the days of its youth – and shattering thousands of middle-aged suburbanites’ images of them, perceptions based on what Deep Purple was like in the seventies.
Seinfeld
In 1998, the cast of Seinfeld decided that it was time to end their amazing run. The show was the cornerstone of Thursday night television for millions of Americans, and was still at the top of the Nielsen ratings, but the cast publicly stated that they wanted to end on a high note, without creating new shows that lacked comedic genius. They were afraid of getting tired. Seinfeld has now generated more than a billion dollars through syndication and DVD sales.
Barbie
At the same time that Seinfeld and Phish decide to go out on top, brands like Barbie struggle to meet expectations (ok, ok – so this is what they tell me ... WINK, WINK!). For Barbie, at least, all of Mattel’s product extensions and brand saturation aren’t making memories that lead to purchases. Sales are down $14 million in just a year. Maybe Mattel should accept what consumers are telling them: “Slow down, we need a break.” Maybe they should stop altogether.
Experimental & Applied Science (EAS)
In 1993, the marketing genius of the Philips family – Bill, not only revolutionized a lagging industry through the wonders of advertising plastered about his Muscle Media 2000 magazine (the cult classic, not the watered-down version that it would ultimately become) and his authoring of the first three Sports Supplement Review books, but he also offered the first real product to make noise – creatine monohydrate – its hype, marketed under the name Phosphagen. Challenge me on the advertising genius – funny no one remembered Byrd and / or Almada until they opted to do a little marketing of their own. Prior to this time, the only thing coming out of the EAS camp was V2G (essentially, Vanadium) back in 1989. The supplement was pretty worthless, but it did offer the industry the opportunity to look at taurine in a new light – but it was this accessory item, and NOT what the supplement was being touted as that showed the true promise.
In 1995, the rave that was Phosphagen began to die out. Understanding the product life cycle all too well, Bill brought us the introduction of Phosphagen HP. No longer would you have to mix your CM with carbs, you get them both in a neat little package. And it tasted better – so, hey we bought into our new “revolutionary” transport system (i.e. – carbs). I always thought the guy was genius – likely someone that could talk a turtle out of its shell. Perhaps, that explains the surge in naked turtles circa 1993 – hmmm...another case we’ve solved.
Bill moved on with the promotion of his Body For Life book in 1999 (Again, here’s a situation where TC Luoma would state that he had contributed to this piece of work with the initial intention being for fat housewives – to this day, this is something that could never be verified – nonetheless, the by product and its marketing remains Bills). With Mr. Phillips all but leaving the company (exception being his contract status), you saw the sparkle and fade of the highly touted second generation HP line, inclusive of Methoxy Factor HP and Muscle Drive HP (which was simply protein with minute quantities of methoxy in it), and the third generation of the HP line boasting the wonders of Ecdymax HP, Insuload HP, and Phosphagen XT (which was simply Insuload + Phosphagen, but with a faulty science design).
Yes, Bill knew when it was precisely the time to jump out of the EAS limelight as what was to come would mark the fall of the company he brought to greatness. Make no mistake, however, I don’t discredit ANY of his accomplishments. A marketing genius is in fact what the industry needed at a time when it had nothing. The science is NOT what makes the industry – it is and always has been the marketing, but much can be said about all aspects of sales.
Today, in a post-Bill EAS – you see them clamoring on with a whole slew of athletic-designed supplements, with their new NFL association. Outside of a shiny new red look, these products now suffer from lack of innovation by that very association. Trying to escape this lack of innovation tag, they offered heavy promotion of their new Muscle Armor product in attempts to win back its hardcore musclehead crowd. Imagine the disappointment suffered by EAS-users with the discovery of its “new” marvel ingredients: HMB, Glutamine, Arginine, BCAA, and Taurine. While this may have been “revolutionary” back in 1993, today it remains the same ole, same ole.
So what?
EAS has the dubious honors of sharing similarity with Barbie and not with the earlier favorable subset of groups above. The point here is that your blockbuster of yesterday could very well be getting in the way of tomorrow’s blockbuster. The cash cow makes it easy to resist the temptation (and risk) of trying something new. Sometimes being remarkable is about knowing when it’s time to move on and force your team to invent the next great thing instead of milking yesterday’s hit just a little too long. Don’t get caught up in the advertising when you have some pretty innovative companies in the likes of Designer Supplements, Anabolic Extreme, and Gaspari – to name a few.
Note: EAS, Phosphagen, Methoxy Factor, Muscle Drive, Ecdymax, Insuload, and Body For Life are all trademarks of their respective trademark holders.