priest
06-19-2010, 06:12 AM
Firstly, let me say, thank you for the welcome I have received off of everybody so far. It has been appreciated. I have taken on board the feedback everybody gave me, and hope this is an improved effort. And, obviously, you enjoy it of course. With this column, I’m going to try and introduce myself a bit more, whilst talking about a topic Fenixx brought up recently and giving my own take on it.
I am 21 years of age and am a student. Well, technically, not anymore. I completed my Business Management with Marketing degree a few weeks ago. I enjoyed my final year much more than I did the previous two, mainly because it focused on international marketing, which I found quite interesting. One of the principles of the topic was that for most international company’s, there is an emphasis on market segmentation. This, basically, would be categorising consumers into segments based on their traits and characteristics, before deciding on which would be most lucrative for their business. This would become their target market. This is because it is much cheaper to try and satisfy one segment than satisfy them all; as all segments have different tastes and wants. Whilst bearing this in mind, it has made me conclude the following, to which I’m sure some of you agree, and some of you disagree:
The WWE TVPG era is not coming to an end.
Some of you may look at that and say ‘no shit’, given Daniel Bryan was released for the ‘crime’ of choking someone for a few seconds with a tie. But at this moment in time, we are still not 100% it is not a work. Even if it isn’t, the WWE are supposedly looking to bring him back in the near future anyway once the heat has died down. Many of us, me included, are hoping the current NXT angle was the beginning of the end for the PG era. But I do not see this happening, and this is why.
We are all big wrestling fans. We wouldn’t be here otherwise. But what do we do when a wrestler becomes our favourite? We write a column on them. We tell our friends we ‘digged’ their promo. The current target market for the WWE is kids. What do the kids do when they love a wrestler? They beg their parents for their shirts. They want the lunchboxes. They want the DVD’s. See the difference? Only one of the groups is generating any real revenue for the WWE.
So why now? Why has the WWE waited until now to make it PG? One of the reasons could be the dominance they have in the market right now. Previously, WWE was a growing product. After the success of Wrestlemania, the growth accelerated at a rapid pace. The market was soon in the palm of their hand. That was until WCW came along. WCW paved the way forward with an edgier product, with more realistic and ‘adult’ storylines. The WWE was replaced as number 1, for the time being at least. WWE modified their product to fit in with the times with The Attitude Era, and WWE soon became top dogs again. Since then, WWE have experienced dominance once again. Today, the market is basically a monopoly, or at best an oligopoly if you want to include UFC. This basically means WWE can take risks with their product. They can do what they want, within reason, because the consumer has little alternatives. Without WWE, what would we do? Watch TNA? With Hogan and his belief that he is still a draw and we actually give a shit about him? The truth is if we want to watch wrestling that contains booking in a logical way, we have little alternatives past the WWE.
The WWE know this. They know, by and large, the older generation will remain loyal. I don’t follow the ratings of RAW and Smackdown!, but I can guess since the PG era began, the ratings haven’t dropped that much. PPV buys may be down slightly, but with the constant plugs of wweshop and DX, Cena, Rey Mysterio and even Santino merchandise being given exposure, the WWE know what they are trying to do. Kids want to wear the orange t-shirt with a mask on and two green glow sticks in the air. And the WWE are happy for them to do this.
Obviously, one day the PG era will come to an end. That day could be close for all I know. I’m not Vince McMahon or any of the directors. But I don’t see it. Not when I look at the crowd at any WWE show. Not when the WWE has no real competition. I have given up hope of TNA making WWE think twice about their product, but I do have hope that perhaps one day UFC can do so. I was recently given the new UFC video game for my birthday (my stepdads attempt perhaps at making me follow something more ‘manly’). Could some of the teenage and young adult generation be swayed by UFC’s more ‘real’ product? I can certainly see it. With UFC becoming more mainstream, and guys like Rampage Jackson given more exposure, I don’t see why not. If this was to happen and the ratings were to drop, maybe WWE would think again about their current product and whether the time was right for us to see steel chairs, blood and, dare I say it, perhaps even the odd tie choke now and again.
Several wrestlers, including the likes of John Cena, Triple H and Kane, have come out and voiced their support for the PG era. They say that the previous product wasn’t suitable for their kids, whereas they are now proud of the way it has become a family entertainment business. It is a fair assessment, as storylines containing issues such as necrophilia probably aren’t the best lessons or kids. But the kids can’t go the arenas by themselves. They can’t buy the t-shirts with their own money. They can’t even order the pay-per-views. They need their parents to do this. The WWE knows this. By trying to create a ‘family’ product, they are getting the best of both worlds. But this carries a dangerous problem, as explained in my international marketing module. Targeting too many segments leads to a confused product. It’s a bit similar to the ‘too many cooks spoilt the broth’ saying. WWE needs to be, at worst, tolerable for the parents. But it is the kids who are the ones that are going to be excited by the product when they see Horny and his Tadpole Splash.
We are not the current target market. We are not the current market segment that the WWE is looking to satisfy. The WWE seems content with their position at the moment. I don’t see it changing, as much as I’d like it to. I hope I’m wrong, but, for the foreseeable future at least, I think a car reversing into another car whilst the passenger hasn’t securely fastened their seatbelt is about as extreme as it’s going to get.
So, The Lord has spoken. What do you think? Do you think the WWE product is changing? Let me know what you guys think, and any criticisms are of course welcome, I am still a baby when it comes to column writing after all.
I am 21 years of age and am a student. Well, technically, not anymore. I completed my Business Management with Marketing degree a few weeks ago. I enjoyed my final year much more than I did the previous two, mainly because it focused on international marketing, which I found quite interesting. One of the principles of the topic was that for most international company’s, there is an emphasis on market segmentation. This, basically, would be categorising consumers into segments based on their traits and characteristics, before deciding on which would be most lucrative for their business. This would become their target market. This is because it is much cheaper to try and satisfy one segment than satisfy them all; as all segments have different tastes and wants. Whilst bearing this in mind, it has made me conclude the following, to which I’m sure some of you agree, and some of you disagree:
The WWE TVPG era is not coming to an end.
Some of you may look at that and say ‘no shit’, given Daniel Bryan was released for the ‘crime’ of choking someone for a few seconds with a tie. But at this moment in time, we are still not 100% it is not a work. Even if it isn’t, the WWE are supposedly looking to bring him back in the near future anyway once the heat has died down. Many of us, me included, are hoping the current NXT angle was the beginning of the end for the PG era. But I do not see this happening, and this is why.
We are all big wrestling fans. We wouldn’t be here otherwise. But what do we do when a wrestler becomes our favourite? We write a column on them. We tell our friends we ‘digged’ their promo. The current target market for the WWE is kids. What do the kids do when they love a wrestler? They beg their parents for their shirts. They want the lunchboxes. They want the DVD’s. See the difference? Only one of the groups is generating any real revenue for the WWE.
So why now? Why has the WWE waited until now to make it PG? One of the reasons could be the dominance they have in the market right now. Previously, WWE was a growing product. After the success of Wrestlemania, the growth accelerated at a rapid pace. The market was soon in the palm of their hand. That was until WCW came along. WCW paved the way forward with an edgier product, with more realistic and ‘adult’ storylines. The WWE was replaced as number 1, for the time being at least. WWE modified their product to fit in with the times with The Attitude Era, and WWE soon became top dogs again. Since then, WWE have experienced dominance once again. Today, the market is basically a monopoly, or at best an oligopoly if you want to include UFC. This basically means WWE can take risks with their product. They can do what they want, within reason, because the consumer has little alternatives. Without WWE, what would we do? Watch TNA? With Hogan and his belief that he is still a draw and we actually give a shit about him? The truth is if we want to watch wrestling that contains booking in a logical way, we have little alternatives past the WWE.
The WWE know this. They know, by and large, the older generation will remain loyal. I don’t follow the ratings of RAW and Smackdown!, but I can guess since the PG era began, the ratings haven’t dropped that much. PPV buys may be down slightly, but with the constant plugs of wweshop and DX, Cena, Rey Mysterio and even Santino merchandise being given exposure, the WWE know what they are trying to do. Kids want to wear the orange t-shirt with a mask on and two green glow sticks in the air. And the WWE are happy for them to do this.
Obviously, one day the PG era will come to an end. That day could be close for all I know. I’m not Vince McMahon or any of the directors. But I don’t see it. Not when I look at the crowd at any WWE show. Not when the WWE has no real competition. I have given up hope of TNA making WWE think twice about their product, but I do have hope that perhaps one day UFC can do so. I was recently given the new UFC video game for my birthday (my stepdads attempt perhaps at making me follow something more ‘manly’). Could some of the teenage and young adult generation be swayed by UFC’s more ‘real’ product? I can certainly see it. With UFC becoming more mainstream, and guys like Rampage Jackson given more exposure, I don’t see why not. If this was to happen and the ratings were to drop, maybe WWE would think again about their current product and whether the time was right for us to see steel chairs, blood and, dare I say it, perhaps even the odd tie choke now and again.
Several wrestlers, including the likes of John Cena, Triple H and Kane, have come out and voiced their support for the PG era. They say that the previous product wasn’t suitable for their kids, whereas they are now proud of the way it has become a family entertainment business. It is a fair assessment, as storylines containing issues such as necrophilia probably aren’t the best lessons or kids. But the kids can’t go the arenas by themselves. They can’t buy the t-shirts with their own money. They can’t even order the pay-per-views. They need their parents to do this. The WWE knows this. By trying to create a ‘family’ product, they are getting the best of both worlds. But this carries a dangerous problem, as explained in my international marketing module. Targeting too many segments leads to a confused product. It’s a bit similar to the ‘too many cooks spoilt the broth’ saying. WWE needs to be, at worst, tolerable for the parents. But it is the kids who are the ones that are going to be excited by the product when they see Horny and his Tadpole Splash.
We are not the current target market. We are not the current market segment that the WWE is looking to satisfy. The WWE seems content with their position at the moment. I don’t see it changing, as much as I’d like it to. I hope I’m wrong, but, for the foreseeable future at least, I think a car reversing into another car whilst the passenger hasn’t securely fastened their seatbelt is about as extreme as it’s going to get.
So, The Lord has spoken. What do you think? Do you think the WWE product is changing? Let me know what you guys think, and any criticisms are of course welcome, I am still a baby when it comes to column writing after all.