Pink Poogle Toy Forum

Indeed. He's a business savvy man. And a business savvy guy knows that the average demographic age range of neopets players (Gen Y Internet users (ages 8-22)) are also the ones with the shortest attention span. Keeping the site popular has been well an issue about future measures. Most companies invested in that demographic usually use the pump and dump economic technique. Why? Because that demographic loses intrest so quickly, the best way to make a profit is by taking what you can while the popularity is at it's peak. Normally, through advanced massive marketing techniques. It starts as a small fad...but then the merchandise comes next, and usually the kiss of death is a movie. At the peak time a movie is released, the most public awareness of said item and merchandise hits max, and then....death. Have you ever noticed the biggest trends always get marketed out the wazoo when a film tie in is released, and then suddenly, within 6 months after the film the intrest is lost, and the fad is no more? That's the case for this demographic. Need examples of history?

80's:
Alvin and the Chipmunks: Movie + Mass Merchandising = Death.

Transformers: Movie + Mass Merchandising = Death. (resurrected later, but never hit the figures and popularity as prior.)

He-Man: Movie + Mass Merchandising = Death.

90's-00's:

Pokemon. Movie + Mass Merchandising = Death.

Yu-Gi-Oh=Movie + Mass Merchandising = Death.


I could list a thousand more...but hey...let's try not to make this post too long, shall we?

And here's your Neopets tie in:

"Neopets chairman and CEO Doug Dohring said he is considering a movie next. "Our view is that if we do a Pixar-quality film with Neopets -- and we're in no rush to do that because we're already highly profitable -- we believe that will provide the right positioning and umbrella as to who we really are and what our content is like," he said." *source=hollywood reporter interview

Translation: "Our view is if we do a film, we'll be in the best position to sell merchandise since public awareness will be at it's peak."




The advertisors have always been there. Neo is rated one of the "stickiest" site for it's age demographic. To an advertisor, that's music to their ears. The longer the ads are seen=the more affect they have on the consumer. There is a GOOD reason cereal boxes for chidren are on the lower shelves at the grocery store and the adult cereal on the top shelves. Advertisors aren't dumb. Take a look at this quote:

Doug Dohring:
"Miramax came to us and wanted us to promote 'Spy Kids,' the movie. It was about 10 days from coming out in theaters. So we created what we called the 'Spy Kids' Theater. And our users could go into the 'Spy Kids' Theater and they could click through a trailer of the movie. If the users want to go there, they go there. It's not forced on the user in any way. So we integrate the advertiser's product into the content."

Yep, Mirimax came to THEM. Not the other way around. Advertisors aren't running away...not at all.





With a pump-and-dump technique that I currently suspect and have been pointing out, this is what the advertising rush is actually doing, killing the site. Your Neopets Movie will be the kiss of death. History always repeats itself.