Nightcrawler
Member
You all know of a commercial or billboard that you thought was just stupid. I don't mean the ones that are funny because they're clever or witty. I mean the ones that are funny because because they're lame, goofy, take themselves too seriously, etc.
Well, I think this applies in the firearms world as well. We've all seen some downright silly ads and marketing schemes for guns. One of my personal favorite examples was that recent HK ad that showed the rounds stuffed into the magazine backwards.
Another favorite of mine isn't a gun company, but they sell gear for guns. I'm of course talking about BLACKHAWK!. I typed in all caps, with an exclamation point, becasue they always do too.
They're products are very high quality, but their advertisements are downright adolescent sometimes, in my opinion.
They come out with a new line of gloves. What do you call a pair of gloves? Why, HELLSTORM, of course! See how boss that sounds? HELLSTORM gloves. They're like a storm...in hell!
And their water bladder hydration system. What to call that? HYDRASTORM! See, it's another storm, this time of water, instead of, um, hell.
And all of their advertisements feature guys decked out in full gear. I mean, not just battle rattle, but tac harnesses and hockey helmets and gas masks and night vision. And they're always plumes of flame and explosions in the background, too, like a movie poster.
See this guy? Pretty tough looking, hey, with the gas mask AND night vision goggles? And the explosions! Kaboom! Plooie! Kapow! Woosh!
In my opinion, Blackhawk's gear is good enough that they could sell it just as well without their website looking like a poster for an old Chuck Norris movie.
Oh, and using September 11th to market their hellstorm gloves was cheap, in my opinion.
And then, of course, there's Exteme Shock Ammunition. Nobody I know has tested this (and at $32.00 for a box of twenty I'm not suprised), but you can tell right from the name that it'll kill you WAY deader than regular ammo will. It's EXTREME! All their website needs is a sponsorship from Tony Hawk (or his counterparts in the snowboarding or surfing worlds, as using a board as a mode of transportation, regardless of the medium, is well known to be quite EXTREME) and they'd be all set.
I mean, check OUT these guys!
PSSHW! POW! EH-HEH-EH-HEH-EH-HEH! BOOM!
And look, another reference to September 11th and the GWoT being used to sell the product. I guess FMJ might work on Nazis, Communists, and the old terrorists of the 1980s, but new terrorists require the World's Most Devastating Ammunition. I mean, it's NyTrillium! That sounds all science-fiction-ey, how can it not be good?
I think ES Ammunition just needs to TONE IT DOWN. Come ON. These kinds of ads are just CHEESY and they insult the intelligence of any thinking consumer. Market the product on its merits, on how it beats the competition, not how cool you can make it look. This is supposed to be serious stuff, not fashion, right? (Fortunately for these companies, there are plenty of non-thinking consumers that will buy something just because they see a guy in a gas mask and night vision wearing it.)
Okay, your turn, guys.
Well, I think this applies in the firearms world as well. We've all seen some downright silly ads and marketing schemes for guns. One of my personal favorite examples was that recent HK ad that showed the rounds stuffed into the magazine backwards.
Another favorite of mine isn't a gun company, but they sell gear for guns. I'm of course talking about BLACKHAWK!. I typed in all caps, with an exclamation point, becasue they always do too.
They're products are very high quality, but their advertisements are downright adolescent sometimes, in my opinion.
They come out with a new line of gloves. What do you call a pair of gloves? Why, HELLSTORM, of course! See how boss that sounds? HELLSTORM gloves. They're like a storm...in hell!
And their water bladder hydration system. What to call that? HYDRASTORM! See, it's another storm, this time of water, instead of, um, hell.
And all of their advertisements feature guys decked out in full gear. I mean, not just battle rattle, but tac harnesses and hockey helmets and gas masks and night vision. And they're always plumes of flame and explosions in the background, too, like a movie poster.
See this guy? Pretty tough looking, hey, with the gas mask AND night vision goggles? And the explosions! Kaboom! Plooie! Kapow! Woosh!
In my opinion, Blackhawk's gear is good enough that they could sell it just as well without their website looking like a poster for an old Chuck Norris movie.
Oh, and using September 11th to market their hellstorm gloves was cheap, in my opinion.
And then, of course, there's Exteme Shock Ammunition. Nobody I know has tested this (and at $32.00 for a box of twenty I'm not suprised), but you can tell right from the name that it'll kill you WAY deader than regular ammo will. It's EXTREME! All their website needs is a sponsorship from Tony Hawk (or his counterparts in the snowboarding or surfing worlds, as using a board as a mode of transportation, regardless of the medium, is well known to be quite EXTREME) and they'd be all set.
I mean, check OUT these guys!
PSSHW! POW! EH-HEH-EH-HEH-EH-HEH! BOOM!
And look, another reference to September 11th and the GWoT being used to sell the product. I guess FMJ might work on Nazis, Communists, and the old terrorists of the 1980s, but new terrorists require the World's Most Devastating Ammunition. I mean, it's NyTrillium! That sounds all science-fiction-ey, how can it not be good?
I think ES Ammunition just needs to TONE IT DOWN. Come ON. These kinds of ads are just CHEESY and they insult the intelligence of any thinking consumer. Market the product on its merits, on how it beats the competition, not how cool you can make it look. This is supposed to be serious stuff, not fashion, right? (Fortunately for these companies, there are plenty of non-thinking consumers that will buy something just because they see a guy in a gas mask and night vision wearing it.)
Okay, your turn, guys.
(Ex: good thing some got that reliability and accuracy enhancing bayonut lug on thier AR
