P3D Magic eye marketing

[ron labbe <ron@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Larry Berlin writes:

>What's bogus about the prediction is that they insured the same curve by
>doing nothing different or better in the marketing department. Part of what
>really killed them for good was the *magic eye* folks getting a patent for
>the *unpatentable* at the most critical of moments in the whole cycle thing.
>They forced  everyone else, those who were already making far better
>stereograms than magic eye has ever dreamed of, to pay an unwarranted
>license fee or stop making stereograms. Most quit making stereograms rather
>than fight about it. The marketplace dried up for lack of creative input
along with the timing of the
*end of the predicted popularity curve*. The prediction curve alone prompted
several publishers to not plan further books, thus helping bring about a
real end.  With the patent issue added on top, why try swimming upstream?


A perfect example of someone reporting as fact something that is pure
conjecture. Sorry, Larry- I worked with the "*magic eye* folks"... First,
their reason for obtaining a patent was to protect themselves from
lawsuits. Second, the "marketing department" was the publisher, who was
printing less and less books as a result of the resellers' decreased
demand. People were sick of stereogram books! The market had became
flooded! Third, just who is the "everyone else" that were A) forced to pay
unwarranted license fees or B) making far better stereograms "than magic
eye ever dreamed of" [hello?!] and C) quit as a result of litigious pressure?

BTW, I'll not say Magic Eye SIRDS were the best, but a lot of much worse
material helped fuel the downward spiral. I will say that it was Magic Eye
that put printed stereo images in more homes than anything else I can think
of: their first 3 books were on the NY Times bestseller list, and the
syndicated strip was in over 200 newspapers (still in many). Go ahead,
criticize their "marketing department". They wish they'd had you on board.


ron

ron labbe/studio 3d
30 glendale st maynard ma 01754
978 897-4221
mailto:ron@xxxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.studio3d.com


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