Comic-Con has come and gone, but it has left a lasting impression on many that will only be forgotten by next year’s offerings. Now, I realize Comic-Con was a while ago, but if you’ve ever been to the event you understand that it takes time to digest. With all the stimulation, people, sneak peaks, celebrities and madness – it’s normal to take a while to fully understand what you just experienced
Plenty of Comic-Con coverage has already been through the internet life-cycle and conversation has moved on. But, there is an aspect of Comic-Con that is always overlooked and I want to dive into it. I want to look deeper into the marketing implications of the event.
Comic-Con is a spectacle in every sense of the word, it’s pure madness; it’s a perfect look at marketing in today’s fragmented world.
If I had to sum up the whole experience in one word it would be: stimulation. Everyone brings their A-team, with their A material and puts on their A-game and then blows it all up on steroids. With so many different vendors, studios and retailers it is a battle of the fittest. This is where Comic-Con verifies some fundamental marketing theory.
Mass marketing vs niche marketing…
Comic-Con is the ultimate test of mass vs niche marketing. On one end of the spectrum you see huge companies with huge budgets – like Sony, Marvel, WB, DC, AMC, Hasbro and many other major networks, studios and companys. They all come with large scale booths, trying to stand out from everyone else. They can do this because of their massive budgets and already high awareness.
As many major companies which were present, there were an equal amount on Indie comics, retailers and studios. There were rows and rows of unknown artists, writers and productions which had their time in the spotlight at Comic-Con. Granted they didn’t have the same crowds that the massive companies did, but that didn’t mean they weren’t busy.
This shows the perfect comparison between mass marketing and niche marketing. Most everyone does well at Comic-Con, it’s everyones’ most successful show every year. This shows that generally mass marketing and niche marketing are both successful. Although, the mass marketing strategies make much more money at Comic-Con, it’s mostly because of the larger scale which they present everything on.
Which strategy is right for you – mass or niche? The important things to keep in mind are: what your company is, what resources you have, and what target markets and opportunities you are presented with. If you’re a major company like Marvel, or Sony and you can invest massive amounts money, time, and energy into projects and in return make huge sums of money, you can try and target the masses. If you’re Paul, and you have a successful small comic book, and you don’t have the resources to market to the masses… you must find your niche. When you do, as long as your product is strong you should be successful.
Comic-Con was the perfect comparison of mass vs niche marketing and how they both can work. It also was the perfect illustration of what it took to be successful at both approaches and could be considered a case study on today’s two most popular marketing strategies.
