Re: 3D Charity? (Was: "View Master") (back again to viewmaster a little)

[P3D Michael Kersenbrock <michaelk@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

> products.  That leaves only 500 people to support the 1000 run VM custom 
> reels.  Good luck!  (Side story:  I had 50 reels from Guy Martin's 

        Although not in the main thread of George's valid posting, I think
one thing is being missed sometimes (not in George's posting, but it's
obliquely referenced).

        In general, products don't sell for the packaging, they sell for content.
Packaging breaks ties, but otherwise it's secondary.  There are industries
where packaging is everything, but not many.

        3D products, like Internet Web sites, gain with glitzy packaging or "3D-ness", 
but the main reason for success is based upon three principals: Content, content, and
content.

        Even I, who's a pretty strong 3D proponent, buys viewmaster reels for their
content, not just because they are 3D.  For instance, "flintstones" and other animated
viewmaster reels are worthless to me.  Even if they are 3D (kinda).  I have some
of those, but I didn't buy them on purpose (you know what I mean).  I'm not saying
that there's anything wrong with bying reels one doesn't have for collecting purposes,
or anything wrong with buying animated cartoon reels because they are liked.  I'm
just saying it's the content that made the decision not only that they were 3D.  

        Four or five months ago, I ran across a stack of personal viewmaster reels
at an antique shop selling for 50 cents each.  I bought only two or three of them which
I had interest in. Content content content.  I know that I passed on reels that
someone else found interesting.   Interest was on the content.

        To sell in volume, one needs content that's interesting to a volume 
of people.  If one does that, one can sell the product even if those people aren't
interested in the technology used to generate it.  The technology is only a bonus
over other products with equivalent content.

        When people used to buy Viewmaster reels in volume, I suspect it was primarily
for the content -- not primarily because they were 3D.  Some (like us) may have, but I
doubt most did.  Especially with the zillions of 2D viewmaster projectors I see around.

:-)

Mike K.


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