The Offcial BOX Thread

[FooTemps]

"we don't waste money on marketing, we spent it on performance of the gun"

[Timmee]

how about ...

... a black box, and on the front, a picture of a polished Extreme? Have the AGD logo in the corner, in white. On the sides, something similar.

OR, how about a plastic case, something like what Kingman did for the Flash? To defer costs some, you could also sell them to people who already have 'Mags. Have the foam perforated in squares, so that they can take out just enough for their marker.

Just my $0.04

[Phil]

I think your boxes are fine. I didn't really give a second glance at the box my E-Mag arrived in... I think the afore mentioned sleve to slide over the stardard box might be your best alternative.

On the flip side whats another $30 bucks when your blowing $1300 on a gun. Just make the nice box charge the $30 and no one will notice.

[MajorDamage]

Box? Box? BOX? Who cares about a box? Boxes are only fun if they are huge, and you can make them into a nice fort. But unless this box can become my super space fort, then I don't care about it. Make the box ugly! Ugly boxes rule!

ENDO!

[TheBigRaguPB4L]

I don't have time to read all these posts, but i'm pretty sure that most people do agree with me. Who cares what box it's in, as long as the gun is ok inside of it? I don't even keep any kind of boxes around. I think i used mine to ship something out in one of my online trades.

[Butterfingers]

I think money would be better spent on the instruction manual and this is the third time i'm sayin this, a full color catalouge.

Screw the box. Keep the plain box, just pad it a little bit more and slap a sticker on top of it.

Tom do you know where my box is? It's sitting in the corner of my closet collecting dust with the warp feed box inside of it.

On the other hand my instruction manuals are inside a plastic envelope which go EVERYWHERE with me.

[the123]

i'm with butterfingers, spend your time on the manual and maybe get some fancy stickers for your white box. It's whats inside that counts.

[joker4hire]

Heh.. long rant

I believe you guys are looking at the box "thingy" from the wrong viewpoint. Remember, you guys that state "who cares about a dumb box" are AGD Zealots an know what AGD is about...

Now picture a customer (with money) going into a paintball shop for the first time... whats going to attract his/her attention?... is that person willing to fork out over 10 bills for a plane white box?... or an extremely pretty one with flashy colors and lettering?...

Believe it or not, millions are spent by the big name companies on box reasearch and design... Microsoft, Sony, and my former company ViewSonic (monitor manufacturer if you didn't know)... Would you buy a "high end" ViewSonic Monitor over a "high end" Sony one if it was in a plane white box?

I believe Tom's goals are to become a big name player in the new "high end" paintball market, and in order to do so, he is going to have to win over new customers and increase his market share... which can be done IMO only one way... and that is to market your product well... which in AGD's case... Tom says it "sucks."

Sorry for the rant, but I believe AGD has to invest in itself (marketing wise) so they can become once again the marker of "choice" among new players and old. (Especially when the Extreme comes out because it will be seen as a different marker running at a lower pressure, instead of the blender sterotype the mag has gotten)... I know when I first started, it was either them, or WGP... guess who spent more on marketing?.. Start hyping the Extreme AGD, make flyer's and poster and such that gives hints of what the Extreme is about, what changes have been made, or just when its scheduled for realease.

[DjGruv]

Originally posted by DiRTyBuNNy
Thanks to Load..I think we've got our new marketing tagline..


"We thought about putting the money towards a nice box, but sunk it into making a superior product instead."

Ya like the Superbolt

[Manuel_FZR]

the marker

[bornl33t]

Well I've been thinking this over slightly. Tom I've been watching your every post on these issues. I can tell you get really wraped up in rep and so on... why else would you go through these lengths to get products tested etc.

Even though I COMPLEATLY agree, the box is worthless. I ahve to think about the last set of goggles I bought. I did the research online, went to the store to try them out and when I finally made the purchase, the shiney box just made me feel I made a good choise. Psycological effect I guess.

I feel maybe a helf'n half approach would be best. Lets get the shiney box, shiney altho simple. And keep the bubble wrap. I'm thinking for a bax maybe a glossy box, solid black with a grey AGD logo about 4" long centered on the top of the box. I dunno if there's a discount for limited colors used on a box but this would be a simple cheap solution if so. The reason grey on black, because those are monotoneus. So they give the impression of prestige. Like a tux on a rich peep. Maybe leave several boxes white on the side to mark what type of gun is in the box, but that's it.

Anyone remember the X-box box? SOLID color with the X logo centered, relatively small on the lid. You have to admit it had an effect!

One thing I can say, most ppl who DO save boxes thow out the foamy stuff and colaps the box to put in storage. a solution to the foamy thing would be a carboard piece folded up to create a stand. I dunno how cheap this is but
it's an idea!?

I have no clue how much this would cost, but I hope these Ideas would keep the price under 10$ a box... I would HOPE.

I have yet to buy a paintgun new, so the box has never concerned me. I'm a compleatly happy customer in reguards to your products and service, and even though I'm now brand loyal I would defent AGD's name against any others... why? because you can't loose with AGD.

I think you're set with a video in the box... who else does that? it's the best comback in the world. Trade a shiney box for a video about your gun!

[than205]

Boxes - Shmoxes

Ok. My vote is the wrap/sleeve idea. (also black is cooool)

Real marketing is the selling of "Elves". What I mean is whether it is a real perception or fallacy an image needs to be made. The foundation of the AGD product line is already there. (AGD - we know there is no more needed to be said.)
The shiney box will carry the product (for the non-neophite) only so far. As has been said before there needs to be a deliberate and precise effort to get a superior product into the hands of the most noticed people in the business. Tourney players (yuck, j/k) and store owners.
These people need to "know" more about what's there and what's going on.
Also, we have the foundation for a two pronged attack. The grass roots level work will need to be done by us the current users.

As a side note. I have never seen more Mags on the field than recently. I believe things are changing.

[Dragoon]

The marketing side is important, and should be addressed. I think a little sprucing up of the box is a good idea, but not much is needed. A sleeve over the existing box with some flashy pictures and text would be enough and wouldn't cost as much as custom boxes. The savings over custom boxes could then be put towards other marketing activities such as full color instruction manuals/catalogs and more print advertising.

We are a captive audience here. The marketing is needed to expand AGD customer base among the masses who care about looks it seems as much as function.

The function of products will generate customer loyalty, but marketing generates the customers. To succeed long term you can't really have one without the other.

(sorry if this sounds prechy or know-it-all. It's all too easy to be an armchair marketing guru)

Douglas

[cphilip]

Re: The Offcial BOX Thread

Originally posted by AGD (My responses in Bold)

I am getting shreaded to bits over this whole box thing so I might as well consolidate them all here.

No not realy you are recieving constructive critisizm. You can take it or leave it

Having said that I can also see the other side of the coin and say "thank God they are compairing us to Angels".

Yes!


... and I am folding from the pressure.

So I propose a simple solution. A plain Gold box metalic finish with the AGD Lion logo. Simple tastefull and fairly cheap I think. Folding? Or recognizing the need?

We are frantically working on this Level 10 project and maybe erroneously thinking we can go into production once we get this solved.

So the Box should not keep you waiting too long as it's a just a matter of locating a single color box I think. Are you saying the Box will hold you up or are you held up already anyway? Another solution is to package the first ones in a Hard shell case. Anyone can spray the logo onto it. And charge a bit more for these early release models with case. So something special with them. Sign them or something. The first buyers are not going to balk at $100 case tacked on. Pelican I should think.

If we did this it would leave us lacking in the box and instruction department. I don't think I can bear any more abuse over this issue since believe it or not I really do get emotionally wrapped up over things said here on the forum.

You know Tom I realy think you should not take anything we say "emotionally". I fear if you tell folks this they might just stop telling you the hard facts as they see them. I know I feel bad now but I gotta be truthfull with you or what good am I to you?

With all that said we are taking a hard look at "the box" and figuring out what we can do. This also includes the instructions and the video. Just starting on this would have to be after everything is finalized for production because you don't want "out dated videos" etc.

Good thinking Tom. Do it. But order the boxes ASAP

One concept we are considering is to only produce C&C, big money, nicely packaged Extremes. The few hundred extra for the "shiney" goes a long way toward covering costs. The exact opposite option is to offer a no frills, no options 90 day warrantee ONLY version that you can upgrade later, white box at no extra charge.

Another good idea. Thats the one I would buy, the cheap one. But think about the Case idea and the box for new customers too. You can have it all!

In any case we are no longer looking at Extreme production getting close to reality any time soon. We see this as a cornerstone product for the company and rather than screw it up we would just not put it out at all.

Not because of the Box issue I think?

After this lengthy discourse I am looking to the collective brain power of AO to come up with a brilliant solution to our delema. Got box?

Gold! They got Silver....we got...THE GOLD!

[dansim]

well heres a quick and easy solution, look at the freak case that cant be that expensive right? make a thicker perhaps larger freak case with clear plastic on top so you can see the marker(or contents in side) and have the foam cut to the marker and a slot for the barrel put the manual under the bottom foan and viola a snazy tough reusable case
injection molded rocks and mayber have the agd crest molded on the box somewhere