NEW PRODUCT: HOT TOYS: STAR WARS EPISODE III: REVENGE OF THE SITH™ ANAKIN SKYWALKER™ 1/6TH SCALE COLLECTIBLE FIGURE - Sat Aug 19, 2023 9:33 pm
Diana wrote:I'm quite disgusted by the whole process. I wonder whether announcing a limit actually increases interest, or whether a limited PO-window would end up with about the same number of pre-orders. And whether any potential difference in these numbers justifies this stressful experience. I doubt it.
GubernatorFan wrote:What I really don't understand is this: at $410, this is an expensive but not impossibly so (by Hot Toys standards) figure. Why make it so exclusive and put would-be buyers through such hoops? They could have easily sold 8000 of them, and probably more (as Mark pointed out, the people in queue were at least 10000). Are people buying these at this price only because there are only 3000 of them? Maybe I was raised right, but I don't find any measure of pleasure in having something that is purposefully denied to someone else. If they are smart (and we already know they are willing to be shady in various ways), they will make sure that everyone on the waiting list gets a chance to buy, without worrying too much if the final production run remains at 3000 (or whatever the official number). It would be dishonest, but at least more customers would be satisfied.
Re: "whether announcing a limit actually increases interest, or whether a limited PO-window would end up with about the same number of pre-orders" -- I respectfully don't think those are the right parameters of the analysis here. I think for HT this isn't actually about selling any or more of Artisan Anakins. Sure, they are profiting on these Anakins and not losing money no matter what. But we are in a totally different corner of the marketing world than any regular HT Star Wars, DC or Marvel figure or whatever. This is a flagship promo product to build the brand (so, the $ made on this figure itself are a tertiary consideration). Also, FOMO (fear of missing out) is the gold standard of Luxury Branding. If they are "smart," the absolute last thing that they would ever even remotely consider doing would be to make sure everyone on the waiting list gets any chance to buy.
If they hadn't "put would-be buyers through such hoops" of a "stressful experience," then the previous 7 pages of this very thread wouldn't exist, nor similar threads on Sideshow Freaks, and YouTube videos, and Facebook pages, and all that. Like they say, "you can't buy that kind of buzz." It's not about the Anakins but rather, every other HT figure, now or future gets added cachet and prestige from being so desirable and talked about. Like, not only are HT Brands worth the $, but you're lucky if you can get one at all. It's the exact definition of intangible marketing for a Luxury (Aspirational) Brand. If they had done instead what we would all consider to be the normal, reasonable customer-friendly approach to marketing, nobody would be talking about this any more than any random Iron Man HT figure #300. I enjoyed the last 7 pages of this thread like a sporting event, I was happy and relieved knowing Sky will get one (and Stryker deserves laurels and a triumphal march in his honor). But it all plays directly into an exact Branding script that the HT guys wrote for us. They would be happy to read this thread -- including all the times Howard gets callled a bastard, indeed, that kind of response intensity probably makes HT the happiest.