What is AGD doing in the future?

[AGDlover]

i disagre with TK about hideing from the turny scean because the only way to get the "Mags suck" thing out of the way is to push in and show em how its done Mag style. ppl mainly say that because there ignorant as hell and aren't pashinet enough to give something a try. so to TK i say: Get more into the turny scean! Don't back away then they will think your a sissy and will just hate you more. I've been in thease situations trust me. People at my school didn't like my mag when i first got it but then as i let em give it a try (a coupple of shots on it) they backed off of it. so push onto the turny more there ain't many ppl on the turny scean with mags so put your name out there more. get Pride, Lock n' Load, Kids, ect out there more thats the only way to stop all the comoashion. Because the last thing we all need is for AGD to go out of bisness because of low sales. you have to get your name out there Tom! Don't woss out stay strong and do what you have to to get your name out!

[kosmo]

If you were to market upgrades for other guns as high end products you could then use those products names in a new gun later down the line. Much like the tornado valve and sidewinder are recognized as top of the line putting a little separation in the consumers mind between say the viking and a similar bushmaster and impulse. Also developing parts now would save time in developing the gun, because you would already have designed the best reg, valve, bolt, etc for it.

[minimag03]

AGD isn't going to go out of bisness. They have backorders on things like the ULE customs. However, I do believe AGD should start sponsoring more pro teams that will win and get the the automag's name out there.

[nato]

Well I agree with Tom. Although in all honesty I do not think that AGD has tried very hard to make their name known to the tournament community. Ex: Being present at PSP/NPPL events and so on. I do think that AGD and all AGD users in general have been trying to convince the paintball community that the mag does work and will function just as well if not better than other paintball markers. Seeing as how that strategy has not worked I don't see how waiting will do any harm. Its going in a new direction and I doubt this new direction will harm anyone. Nevertheless I do think more effort could be shown by AGD to let everyone know that they are here to stay.

Best of luck,

N.A.T.O.

[Cyberious]

i disagre with TK about hideing from the turny scean because the only way to get the "Mags suck" thing out of the way is to push in and show em how its done Mag style. ppl mainly say that because there ignorant as hell and aren't pashinet enough to give something a try. so to TK i say: Get more into the turny scean! Don't back away then they will think your a sissy and will just hate you more. I've been in thease situations trust me. People at my school didn't like my mag when i first got it but then as i let em give it a try (a coupple of shots on it) they backed off of it. so push onto the turny more there ain't many ppl on the turny scean with mags so put your name out there more. get Pride, Lock n' Load, Kids, ect out there more thats the only way to stop all the comoashion. Because the last thing we all need is for AGD to go out of bisness because of low sales. you have to get your name out there Tom! Don't woss out stay strong and do what you have to to get your name out!

The tourney scene is very quirky. For players is expensive and for a company it is very expensive.

Tom is absolutely correct in his analysis of the situation. His tactical descision to lay low is very smart and shows a great deal of strategic thinking. Let's analyze it. Right now AGD cannot make a "E" Marker safely without possibly being sued by Goat Roper Parts. At the same time AGD doesn't have a marker that can realistically compete at the tourney level (Not bashing here I own 6 AGD markers). For him to blow money on sponsorships would be stupid. Focusing on the Scenario and Rec player where massive volumes of paint are less important and a reliable tough as heck marker is important at a value price is good business. It allows them to make money while waiting on the current dust to settle. Also in looking at the industry all of these lawsuits will weed out some of the competition while making the remaining companies who were forced to spend thousands or even millions in court battles, weak.

AGD will probably operate at an even but not overly profitable level for a little while. There are three possibilities regarding AGD besides the immenent doom AGD detractors seem to be on the band wagon about. A) The industry will see the aforementioned downsizing of the competition or B) The Super Mech will come out making the need for bulky battery laden markers unnecessary, attracting the tourney players you mention when they realize a fast, reliable, marker with no tempermental electronics or too many adjustments is the smartest way to go. C) Tom will release something that he is not telling us about (the hAir being a distraction to through us off) and all other technology will become obsolete.

That's my 27 cents...

[shivors]

For him to blow money on sponsorships would be stupid.

While Kingman and AGD are two drastically different companies....Kingman USA has sponsored Bad Company for several years. From my view they are reasonably competative and they run 250.00 Spyders against all the rest.

I think this is key to Kingman keeping a semblance of "street cred".

MY2C

[minimag03]

While Kingman and AGD are two drastically different companies....Kingman USA has sponsored Bad Company for several years. From my view they are reasonably competative and they run 250.00 Spyders against all the rest.

I think this is key to Kingman keeping a semblance of "street cred".

MY2C

I agree, give them some ULE RT Pros and see what they can do at the competative level. When the super mech somes out, what ever it might be, upgrade the team and let them kick even more butt.

I think we can all agree that AGD needs to let the paintball community that they are here to stay, just not it a way that they will be sued.

[Cyberious]

[QUOTE=shivors]While Kingman and AGD are two drastically different companies....Kingman USA has sponsored Bad Company for several years. From my view they are reasonably competative and they run 250.00 Spyders against all the rest.

I think this is key to Kingman keeping a semblance of "street cred".

MY2C[/QUOTE

Barely, street credible. They only do well through a heroic effort of some great players using E-Markers that are more or less prohibited to AGD.

[shivors]

My point wasnt to compare markers.

[Cyberious]

My point wasnt to compare markers.

Yes but at that level you need to compare markers. Remember how the Naughty Dogs struggled with Mech Cockers in 2002 and then came back in 2003 with E-Markers and did much better?

[GoatBoy]

Our current strategy is to focus on lowering prices, this everyone likes. When we did that we had a jump in demand that threw us into backorder. We are still cleaning up inventory issues but with the demise of the Automag, Minimag and Flatline those issues are pretty much over. Our current most important job is to get inventory up so no one is waiting for our new lower priced products.

The cost thing I am 100% behind. You have a good product. There's no better advertisement for the product than the product itself. You just need to get them into people's hands.

Concerning tournaments, we have not been able to change the minds of tourney players no matter what we did.

Did you try... sponsoring some bigger teams? Are you pulling a Meat Loaf on us?

The "mags suck" attitude would not go away. Well here is our secret plan..... If they think mags suck then we make the "mag" name go away, get it? Dump all the products that say "mag" and then lay low a while. The tournament kids turn over every 6 months to a year so if we evaporate the name and wait a bit, when we come back with a new name, PRESTO we are new gun on the block!

Even if the tournament players cycle out, they wind up going to probably two of the same places: their local paintball shop/field, and something like PBN. They'll receive the same indoctrination to AGD products the previous generation did. "First, I plan to soil myself. Then, I plan to regroup and come up with a better plan."

And let's just stop for a second. If you pull the traditional mag lines, then what is the remaining salient point for the players to see?

Scenario is getting HUGE and we are the only company seriously sponsoring teams. We have basically all the big names, Bad Karma, Evil Inc., Mayberrry Mauraders, Blitzkrieg and more. We are offering the Tac-One as a made-for-scenario marker which people are excited about. Our next new products will likely be scenario related while we let the tourney scene settle down.

YES! SCENARIO BALL!

So you're trying to clean up the mag image by foraying headfirst into scenario ball. You pretty much don't sponsor tournament teams, but you sponsor scenario teams. All while pausing to have deep thoughts on the hAIR trigger.

*sobbing*

You put the two plans together, and you want to have WHAT kind of effect on tournament players?



Ahh, I see some people already responded similarly. Whew. Glad I'm not the only one who noticed.

[shivors]

Guy...the markers are not the point in any way. Bad Company has a name and is widely known to use Spyders which drives sales of Spyders to young players. I think they are probably getting their monies worth. That is the point...not any tournies placed in or equipment.

I mean Tom is kind enough to give away markers for the sign up for Shatner and 500 dollars of AGD merchandise to a contest winner.

[NoFearPaintballer]

This seems to be a tough decision AGD must make but when you guys decide let us know!

[Cyberious]

Guy...the markers are not the point in any way. Bad Company has a name and is widely known to use Spyders which drives sales of Spyders to young players. I think they are probably getting their monies worth. That is the point...not any tournies placed in or equipment.

I mean Tom is kind enough to give away markers for the sign up for Shatner and 500 dollars of AGD merchandise to a contest winner.

True but a few hundred bucks is a heck of alot different than a quarter of a million bucks. AGD Pride was sponsored, so were the AGD kids, so is Clare. They've done well too. Heck I remember even hearing one of them mention that Strange had to adjust their game because of the volumes of paint the AGD team was laying down. However, this hasn't made a great deal of difference because of the negative connotation that is associated with Mags from 5-7 years ago.

Have you ever heard of DeWalt power tools? Did you know that DeWalt was Black and Decker's answer to the negativity surrounding their name? They are produced by the same company! At the time no self respecting construction worker would be caught dead with a tool from the same company that produced the Dust Buster. Point is they changed the name and color and guess what? DeWalt is now one of the tool companies of choice amongst construction workers.

So the question becomes what's in a name? I suspect that if the hAir were named the hAir Mag it would suffer because of the name. If it were called something like the Deadlywind it would sell like crazy and Tom could sell at a premium price because it would be new innovative technology (well to everyone but all of us die hard supporters :-)).

[AGDlover]

Guy...the markers are not the point in any way. Bad Company has a name and is widely known to use Spyders which drives sales of Spyders to young players. I think they are probably getting their monies worth. That is the point...not any tournies placed in or equipment.

dude BadCompany is payed for every game they play with there low end guns