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I have been thinking about this all day since my business recitation at 9am today: What makes me choose which gaming gear to purchase? Looks, cost, prestige of the item, feel, or features?
This was all set off by an example of the class's discussion leader; He was show casing two sets of different speakers. One set was small, grey, and from where I was sitting cheap looking(we'll call this set A). The other set was tall, sleek black with a luminate blue light indicating power, and looked pretty baller (set B). He then played some instrumental piece through both, set B had terrible musical quality while set A had phenomenal musical quality. He then identified the brands of both speakers, set A was some quality speaker line that I can't recall the name of, while set B was some generic line. At this point I was thinking about a keyboard thread that I had seen on TL.net about which ones to buy, and that most of them looked like shit in my eyes (grey, looked straight out of the 90's), but I thought that they must be quality just because someone with a high post count had recommended them.
In the example of the keyboard, I had completely disregarded the look in favor of a trusted recommendation and assumed functionality, both of which the producer had no real control over (besides making a competent product of course). The company spent no money at all in marketing towards me, yet I still bought and recommended their product. In fact, they saved money not putting fancy lights or a sleek paint job on the keyboard, and still charged me a hefty $200 for their product. Why is this possible? I think it's because the keyboard has an image of prestige in my mind because of both its high cost and because a TLer recommended it. To be honest, they could have shipped me a piece of garbage 1990 keyboard and I would have been screwed out of $200.
So back to the discussion leader's demonstration. He asked the class, without giving us pricing for either sets, which set people would rather buy. The class was split about 70% to 30%, the 70% wanting to buy set B and the 30% wanting to buy set A. People wanting to buy set B gave an interesting response, they said that they would rather buy the inferior sounding set because of the look. They argued that if they didn't play music while they had guests over, that they would impress more than set A. People arguing for set A obviously argued that their set had superior sound output, and that the prestige of the brand would impress guests more then a flashy paint job and blue light. The discussion leader then gave prices for both sets, set A costs $300 and set B costs $30. Nobody changed their mind, big surprise.
So how then should Razer/Steel Series advertise to us as a community? Well, there are a few of us on TL.net that buy gear based solely on functionality (to get the maximum amount out of our keyboards), while others discriminate by price, macro controls, and looks. Almost all of us, however, are effected by recommendations given by people we look up to in the community. For example, if Artosis, Tasteless, Day9, and Idra all recommended a keyboard I would probably buy it. I trust all of their opinions, because I look up to their skills. However, if Razer pays them all to speak favorably about their product, I could care less about what they have to say. I would see Razer's money and marketing executives speaking favorably about their products, not my friends. This is why I think sponsorship for products is silly, forcing players to use your gear makes them worse off unless they explicitly want to use it.
Look at the new line of Razer SC2 gear coming out. I'm not going to buy it. Why? I mean I like the look of it, I think apm technology is pretty nifty too. I also like other Razer products, I own a Deathadder and a Razer mouse pad. I'm branded to them, in terms of mouses. But I think this new line of gear is stupid, I don't want it. It looks childish, and I don't want people looking at it when they come into my room. I also don't want to wear it to a lan. It's TOO pretentious..
So what, thats one sale lost for them I guess..
What do you guys think? How should they promote their products, and what should they change?
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Not to derail or anything, but this phenomena happens pretty much everywhere notably in high-end audio and clothing from boutiques/department stores.
1. Social Value. The unit design, manufacturer's image, or the designer brand name matters a lot in terms of "social value" to a lot of people. If I have a Razer product, it's not about owning a mouse, its about owning an image that people will see and will react towards.
2. Regarding this comment: "For example, if Artosis, Tasteless, Day9, and Idra all recommended a keyboard I would probably buy it. I trust all of their opinions, because I look up to their skills. However, if Razer pays them all to speak favorably about their product, I could care less about what they have to say. " --> I'm not saying these guys are paid off but most "known" reviewers of products on youtube and forums are sent a pre-production or production sample for them to keep, so even though they aren't getting any money they are happy and will slightly be inclined to give favor to the company that sent them the sample product for them to keep.
3. Competitive pricing has a lot do with number of sales. IMHO, the logitech mini optical was successful because of it's very competitive retail price, readily available everywhere (back then), and pro-gamers started using them without a sponsorship from logitech. I do not know how much Razer mice cost, but I will ballpark at 40~80 dollars. As a consumer, I will do some research before purchasing and if the more expensive mouse has gimmicky features which I won't use then it pretty much seals the deal for me. Why pay more for features I don't need/use.
4. Razer is doing fine I believe, but a lot of their products seems gimmicky and there are some quality control issues. Perhaps instead of advertising who they are, maybe they should re-invest that money into R&D for a fresh standpoint on gaming peripherals.
Juss my 2cents.
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is awesome32274 Posts
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Personally when I buy a more expensive brand even though it's quality is equal to a cheaper brand it is due to sponsorship and not advertisement. Take Red Bull as an example. Energy drinks taste so much alike and yet Red Bull cost like 500% more than a no name product. If I decide to still buy a Red Bull it is not because I think it tastes better it is because they sponsor all sorts of stuff that I like (rally and all sorts of funsports) and pump money into the repective sport so that it grows. Basically I see them helping something that I enjoy so I decide to help them.
So for me at least, Razer and all the other brands that sponsor e-sports are doing their advertisement just fine.
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Do keyboards really make such a big difference? I use keyboards from the mid 90's and they work just fine. Well the 2 key on one misbehaves sometimes when I play BW. I find a group of units just hanging out somewhere on the map and group 1&3 fights the enemies alone. Could just be me tho since it seems to work just fine when I write.
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I really don't think they should change the way they advertise things just like I completely agree with using hot blondes in beer ads. Sometimes, it feels unethical, but what the hell, if you don't like it, don't buy it.
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On October 30 2010 11:25 Eatme wrote:
Do keyboards really make such a big difference? I use keyboards from the mid 90's and they work just fine. Well the 2 key on one misbehaves sometimes when I play BW. I find a group of units just hanging out somewhere on the map and group 1&3 fights the enemies alone. Could just be me tho since it seems to work just fine when I write.
depends on the games you play. For SC and SC2 I think it depends more on what you think is comfortable than anything else.
For games like WoW, having accessible macro keys are always good, something that some keyboards put in stupid places (like mine)
Or, because I generally play FPS' I enjoy my keyboard. It has keys that are close together, as well as they have half the distance for key presses. Meaning that it takes less time for me to press a key on my keyboard than those that use generic ones. This means that situations where a fraction of a second matters (who shoots first) can lean more in my favor based on equipment.
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Form follows function.
I don't care how snazzy or aesthetically pleasing something looks if it can't do what it's supposed to do in the first place.
I could buy the sleakest, most baller-looking cell phone in the world... but if I can't make a call or send a text message with it, it's just a paperweight.
If two things perform equally well on a functional level, then I'll compare the aesthetics. Usually, there are a trillion different kinds of the same product you're looking for, so you generally have your pick of the litter when considering other things after functionality (price, aesthetics, etc.).
But I always look at functionality first. Does it have the things I *need* in that product?
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Most people will choose design over quality, no surprise there.
I don't see the point buying a nice looking expensive speaker that can't produce decent sound. It's just plain stupid.
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Im buying PC gear just from SS or Razer why ? its simple, really look ----> I give my money to SS/R ---> They sponsor my favorite teams ---> they are happy cause they are still sponsored, im happy cause they show my epic shows : )
its the same as problematic of Nike / addidas what ever just look... Nike is sponsoring NBA ? i like watch em jumping so i give my money to Nike besides to Chinies even they are so much cheaper.
Its not Q how they should sell they products on their web but how they are doing it on tournaments they are sponsoring.
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United States22883 Posts
I honestly think the way Razer advertises their products is a bit ingenuous. They promote useless frills, hype largely meaningless numbers like CPI and tag old designs with silly new names to make them seem more important or rare. And up until a few years ago, their reliability was extremely poor.
That said, I own an Abyssus, DeathAdder and Goliathus Control pad and I think all three are excellent. I also research my accessories heavily and pay very close attention to performance, coming from an FPS background. I also own a Steelseries 5L, Siberia and 6gv2.
I care purely about performance and price (I turn off the lights on all the mice) and that's why I choose these products. I wish Razer fired their entire marketting team, however, and gave more money to their engineers.
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EPT
