Warlords Question #1: Do you think AGD needs a pro team?

[DiRTyBuNNy]

And before you all get uptight about the question...this is in regards to something that was discussed at the Warlords scenario game and I wanted to see what the rest of Ao felt about the subject. There is going to be a second question after I feel this question has had some time to stew. I would also like a little reflection on your answer, that's why I'm just going to stick with "yes" or "no" and let you out there give me a reason why you voted the way you did.
* One of the answers I would like to go along with your yes or no is what kind of value do you thing AGD gains out of having the pro team?
* What kind of decisions do you think having the pro team will influence?
* Even though AGD does not have a pro team what led you to purchase a mag and know why do you think a pro team would influence others in a way different than you were influenced?

[magman007]

yes they should, but not right away... they need to get their 2 current teams into the circulations of the nppl and psp series. THen at a later date instate a pro team..



Also, the current teams will be pro soon enough any ways, we have great tallent to harvest from

[Curly]

Personally I dont think it would do much for them. I do think it would be cool for them to have a pro sponsored team but in the long run it probably is not the best investment for a smaller company like agd. I also know that Tom has stated various reason for not having a pro team. These I believe included the fact that pro teams are notorious for cheating etc and he doesnt want to have to deal with situations like avalanche. I know everyone will say that tom's team wouldnt do stuff like that but i still believe it is a risk and it is not worth the dollars it would take. AGD already has a couple of Factory Teams and they seem to be enough to me. It is very hard to just put together a pro team. Many teams have been playing together for years. They started out as nov or am and moved up. Maybe one day the AGD lions will move up and play pro.

[agdemagman69]

yes, it would promote them a bit more

[Nobody077]

I think that a AGD Pro team could be a good thing but I like Curly's idea of building on the AGD lions or AGD kids. You could just go and pay top dollar for current pros that will win you tournies but will they play for you next year? or will they be shooting talons because brass eagle will pay more? With a built up team you get players that respect the sponcer/team owners more and are less likly to bring bad publicty to a team. Allso how much will a PRO team help AGD's marketing? I think it could help at the upper-end (current player) level but I see most of the sales comeing form the newplayer market, how many newbies have ever seen a PRO tournie? So I would voted yes as long as its not used for a main sales campain.

[adam shannon]

as long as AGD owns the team...not just hired guns who play for free markers.

this would give AGD more room to pick good players who would represent the company and its products in the most positive light. as opposed to a team of mercenaries that will go with whoever is giving the most away and asking the least in return...then switch next season, and badmouth their last sponsor.

the most important feature would be players who love the sport and really believe in AGD products and would be ambasedors for AGD...not lying cheating crybabies who only want to win and will stoop to any low to do it.

what i think would be great, having such a large pool of players here at AO to choose from, is if AGD offered pick up sponsorships for every tournament big and small to players in a registered database. this way a team could be put together for any location around the country from a list of known decent players from AO. a team of folks who love their mags and just need a little help to get a pick up team together and on the field playing under the AGD/AO banner. this ensures that any tournament can have a team who will represent AGD responsibly. these days just showing up and not cheating reflects better than winning at any cost.

[Little Matt]

yes I think it would help. Mags don't have a dominent prescense on the Pro level. They need a team there that could repersent. Though I don't use a mag. I think that would be somthing that should be seen in the pro series.

[Jay]

Hey the AGD Lions were supposed to enter the pro five man at the world cup, but there was a mix up at registration so they didnt this year, but im sure that they will in the future. It could help AGD to have a winning pro team I think.

[BarryTolar]

Sure at some point AGD needs a Pro team.

But consider the cost to sponser that team against a full (Paintball) media blitz.

I hate to see Kingman ads and not see AGD ads.

Barry

[blnk162]

Keep in mind that AGD did not have the funds to support a Pro team before, what makes you all think they are able to now?

Pro team or not, I dont think it will matter to the sales of mags.

[DiRTyBuNNy]

I would have hoped that we would have gotten a little more than 24 votes considering that the page has 155 views..but oh well...I'm going to re-do the poll in a week or so with some added stipulations to the question but I do not want to contaminate the voting at this stage.

[Little Matt]

Well, I tried to vote but I kept getting a error. So you can coun't me towards yes.


Later,

[einhander619]

AGD needs a pro team for one simple reason: The reason mags are not considered pro level guns is because you don't see them in freakin' pro tourneys!!! You get the guns out there, and things will happen. I noticed something on PBN a little while ago, someone was selling an xmag. That gun produced over four pages of responses in less than a day. Clearly, people are interested in the guns, it's the touch/feel that is missing from the equation that people really need to see to make a buying decision for something so expensive. I believe a pro team would provide that experience.

[Scooter/Cootie]

Originally posted by Nobody077
I think that a AGD Pro team could be a good thing but I like Curly's idea of building on the AGD lions or AGD kids.

Don't forget about AGD Pride.

[Troy]

Yes
-I think it is a very important part of marketing in the paintball industry. Look at companies like Diablo, JT and DYE. When Diablo first came into being they had a heavy presence at NPPL events, and used the success of thier teams in their ads. JT, and DYE have made names for the players on their teams. When companies can run ads saying "Joe Blow is one of the best players in the world and he uses our product" i think people eat that up. Look at all of these kids interested in the Ground Zero Timmy, or any of DYE's products.

-Not sure what you mean by what dicisions will be influenced? I think the only real dicision is how much emphasis will be placed on the sucess of the team, and inturn the products that they use.

-The puchace of my first Mag was influeced by the SOBs and everyone at paintball Sams seemed to be shooting one. The only choice for a high end gun at the time was a Mag or a Cocker, and I had no idea how a Cocker worked.

[irbodden]

AGD can't pay for marketing, why would they go blow money on a Pro team?

[Troy]

The question wasn't what they could pay for.

[BTAutoMag]

use people from this forum as the players. i know that the iron madens all dont live near each other so we could do it to. as for agd funding them... i say that agd will fund them, and WE will help. if we want AGD to get a team together we need to play a bigger part then just "hey get a team together" we need to send donations and stuff. WE have to make it happen. AGD has too much resting on their shoulders

[irbodden]

Originally posted by BTAutoMag
use people from this forum as the players. i know that the iron madens all dont live near each other so we could do it to.

That would be a greeat idea

Put a bunch of guys who have little to no tourney experince, never played together than drop them into the pros.

That'll make everyone fear the 'Mag!! (Especially after they get creamed)

[BTAutoMag]

ok maybe you havent noticed but there are 5000+ people on this forum. if even if just 1 out of every 1000 of us is up to that skill level, that 5 or more people. i think that mminght be enough for a 5 man tourny

[bryceeden]

No, I don't think a pro team would help AGD that much. I have played in torneys and scenario, and I think advertising would be better on the scenario market with the mix of newbies and long time players. I have had a ton of people who wanted to try my mag at scenarios, but at tornies most people already play with high doller markers and know what type they like and want. I have never used an electronic mag, but I think the mags seem more designed for woods/scenario play because of their ruggedness and accuracy.


Bryce Eden-Team Captain of Dyslexia

[irbodden]

Originally posted by BTAutoMag
ok maybe you havent noticed but there are 5000+ people on this forum. if even if just 1 out of every 1000 of us is up to that skill level, that 5 or more people. i think that mminght be enough for a 5 man tourny

Incase you didn't notice, out of those 5,000 only a small percent are active.

It 'mminght" be enough for a 5 man, but when are these people going to play together and practice?

You take 5 people from the forum and put them on a pro level team, they will get killed and how is that going to look for 'Mags? You do realize your idea is very old and has already been shot down?



I don't see why everyone want's a pro team.. is it to get new players to want 'Mags? If so, then spending that money on top class magazine ads would be a better choice. Or is it to show 'Mags are tourney guns? Even if one AGD sponcered team hit the scene, there would still be 10x more teams playing with Angels, so they wouldn't make a huge impact on anyone IMO.

[Manuel_FZR]

I think a Pro Team with XMags would help AGD reputation verry much.
Always when we discuss the pros and cons of markers, it is said, that Mags are not competitive, because no Professional plays a Mag!
I think, it would help much ... look at the Matrix hype ... this marker was really pushed in the top line from the bottom in a minimum of time!
Don´t be silly - marketing is verry important - and what could be a better advertisement than a winning pro team in the NPPL with XMags (including all the pics in the magazines)? There is no alternative!

[Load SM5]

Hey, if you want a Pro to show off your goods how about a big, glossy pic of Manny Francia standing in front of the steaming pile of Aftershock World Cup trophies holdng his SFL and Retromag?

[irbodden]

It's been discussed.

AGD doesn't have the funding or desire for a pro team at the moment.

[kman]

Theres an old saying from NASCAR; what wins on sunday sells on monday.
Thats how the paintball industry is. If pro or top amatuer teams are winning with the products they use through sponorship, whatever the product is (paint, guns, whatever)
than sales on that product are going to be strong. AGD needs longevity with their products. It would be tough to spend a ton of money one year on a pro team, then loose ground the next year to some other gun. Once that product goes into the hands of a pro team and they stop winning, or don't do as good, then the focus gets taken off it and sales go down.

AGD seems to have alot of momentum right now and Tom has to figure out how to keep that going. Remember he's been in this game a long time so I for one trust his judgement.
To see where AGD is now versus a couple of years ago is nothing short of amazing. He must be doing something right.

[ß.C.]

the question was NEED. No we don't need one, I think we are doing fine the way we are. We could use one though . . . not that badly though.