Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Kickstarter, Chickens, And Marketing

The Chicken Scratchin' book continues to fund until March 6th. It's slow but sure. Here are some observations about popular projects on kickstarter that seem to always fund above and beyond the requested amount:
Coffee: mostly new improved ways to brew it, dispense it etc... One of the projects that raised big bucks was an affordable espresso machine, which hasn't seemed to come to fruition...at least from the comments I've read, production is way behind and folks are unhappy. Now, I like coffee, in fact I love coffee, but I guess having the 'perfect' cup every time is less important to me than it is to others.
Wallets: Esp. super skinny. I guess this is for the 'hipsters' in their skinny jeans. Lord knows you don't want a big bulge in your back pocket, or the front pocket. What more than ID, credit card and a little cash do you need anyway? There are even some that you can slide your smart phone into. Wow. Since I'm not skinny and my jeans are baggy I guess this really isn't for me. I can go into any leather shop or amazon and find a pretty good wallet. I'm still amazed at how many of these projects to 're-invent' the wallet there are out there!
Pens: This is truly interesting to me, as hardly anyone writes anymore. We all type, or text or when I write it is more like printing and I just use one of my art pens. They make these pens out of vintage wood from liquor casks, or sustainable, reclaimed, recylcled, upcycled wood that came from who knows where. It's a pen for crips sake. Do we really need 6,000 more of these on the earth for folks who've forgotten how to write?
Watches: Ok, I admit to being totally baffled by this one. I use my phone to tell time. It's super easy and I don't have to look at my wrist. Hell, I look at my phone about 5,000 times a day, so I usually know where I am and what time it is. There are so many different versions of watches being made on kickstarter I have to wonder if I somehow fell asleep and went backwards in time.
Oh yeah, one more, Playing Cards: there are more artist designed or machine designed decks of cards raising money on kickstarter, along with the odd ball Tarot versions left and right. How often do all y'all play cards? And what card games are you playing? Or maybe you're just framing these beautiful works of art and using the usual cards to play your poker with. Oh, no wait, you can play poker on the computer with virtual cards. All of this scrambles my brain. And it is to say; there is no other Chicken Scratchin' book project being marketed out there...just me, maybe I need to do like everyone else and make a Coffee Drinking Chicken with a watch and skinny wallet writing on a deck of cards...Nah!  So take a look here. Let's make a chicken book just for fun.
One last thing, I have received at least six solicitations from various marketing firms that have formed just for the online crowdfunding model.  My answer is NO. Stop sending your damned emails saying, "How nice your project is, I can help you..."
They want money to bug the hell out of your social networks....I can do that myself, thank you!

1 comment:

Phyl Campbell said...

Ha Ha!! I know what you mean about the marketing vultures! As a wordsmith fighting the masses of free ebooks out there (and mine are CHEAP!) I am both part of the problem and a bemoaner of the problem. Like you with plumbing, I got paid more for tutoring, but the hours -- and the hardship sob stories. I can't tell you how to price your original art, but I respect what you are doing so much.