Hasbro (Round 9) Q and A

[Dominic]

Were the Robot Heroes even produced? I do not know if those would move as anything other than giveaways.


Dom

[JediTricks]

The real problem here is that Hasbro just rolled over for CN. They could have demanded consistent scheduling for a show with a built in following. They could have syndicated TF through most any venue.

There isn't much power for Hasbro anymore in this, there are very few outlets still airing syndicated kids shows now unfortunately, Cartoon Network is the powerhouse. Still, they did take too much abuse on the matter.

Hub is fundamentally viable, and Hasbro has the punch to make it work. The real question is are they willing to make the effort and do they have the patience?

I disagree about The Hub, I think it's a very small startup on a channel kids weren't watching before and had modest to poor distribution. It'll take years to make them familiar with it, and that'll take TONS of money to market and watch go down the drain with no audience while it builds a reputation. And by the time they do get it off the ground, it'll probably be usurped by the internet anyway since that's the direction kids' entertainment seems to be going now. Plus they're going to have the FCC breathing up their keisters since the FCC regulates children's advertising even on cable and the network is owned by the advertiser. I am dubious as to its viability right now, it has a lot of uphill to go just to be noticed.

Given how well TF store exclusives have been selling, Hasbro likely could have found someone to sell the the last waves of "Animated", including the Voyagers.

Well, it's the Voyagers that are out right now. I am guessing they are out mainly because they aren't new characters, but revisits to existing ones, whereas the deluxes are new characters. Deep Dive BB is a new BB with new armor, but it's still a little yellow BB car bot. Flight OP or whatever its name is just deluxe OP with some additional bits.

Given the way Hasbro runs its mail-order exclusive offers now, I am going come out against that. They screwed up both of the Joe offers this decade. And, I am waiting to hear horror stories about NEST Ravage.

NEST Ravage was muffed from the outset IMO by requiring purchase of a specific set of repaints to start it off. But they've done ok with the Star Wars mailaways (although they ran low on the last one so some of them are delayed). But those are all cheaper items, not $22 molds. Flight OP could have been sold as just the armor though, since it works on 2 existing OP figures, but Deep Dive BB is all new and costly.

[138 Scourge]

Well, it's the Voyagers that are out right now. I am guessing they are out mainly because they aren't new characters, but revisits to existing ones, whereas the deluxes are new characters. Deep Dive BB is a new BB with new armor, but it's still a little yellow BB car bot. Flight OP or whatever its name is just deluxe OP with some additional bits.

But there's also Blackout and Thundercracker. Thundercracker is just a repaint of a mold that's been done three times already, but he is a new character. Unless you count the Activator, anyway.

[Dominic]

A delayed SW exclusive is better than a Joe exclusive that *never* ships. Tons of people were burned on that unmasked Storm Shadow back in '05. I got screwed on the Doc order in '08.

I disagree about The Hub, I think it's a very small startup on a channel kids weren't watching before and had modest to poor distribution. It'll take years to make them familiar with it, and that'll take TONS of money to market and watch go down the drain with no audience while it builds a reputation. And by the time they do get it off the ground, it'll probably be usurped by the internet anyway since that's the direction kids' entertainment seems to be going now. Plus they're going to have the FCC breathing up their keisters since the FCC regulates children's advertising even on cable and the network is owned by the advertiser. I am dubious as to its viability right now, it has a lot of uphill to go just to be noticed.

Hasbro can pitch Hub directly though. Remember, there are a fair number of collector-parents. Hasbro has a pre-existing relationship with them. A minimal push could yield high returns, especially once school-yard word of mouth kicks in.

Given how vital the cartoon has always been to TF, Hasbro would be fools to not do this. (Of course, they are also failing to release DVDs, so....)


Dom
-totally wants to ask a question about this.

[Onslaught Six]

Were the Robot Heroes even produced? I do not know if those would move as anything other than giveaways.

Wait. Are you working under the assumption that Hasbro has 'already produced' tons of unsold new Animated guys and Robot Heroes? Like, they just have bunches of Rodimuses sitting in a warehouse somewhere? Because I 'cannot' see Hasbro doing that. These guys were likely cancelled before mass production hit.

Flight OP could have been sold as just the armor though, since it works on 2 existing OP figures, but Deep Dive BB is all new and costly.

Hasbro has never sold standalone TF accessories like that, and I doubt they're about to start now.

[JediTricks]

But there's also Blackout and Thundercracker. Thundercracker is just a repaint of a mold that's been done three times already, but he is a new character. Unless you count the Activator, anyway.

SHISEN! I keep forgetting about Blackout, that one is awesome. I don't think Thundercracker counts for crap though considering it's a repaint of a dodgy mold.

Hasbro can pitch Hub directly though. Remember, there are a fair number of collector-parents. Hasbro has a pre-existing relationship with them. A minimal push could yield high returns, especially once school-yard word of mouth kicks in.

Given how vital the cartoon has always been to TF, Hasbro would be fools to not do this. (Of course, they are also failing to release DVDs, so....)

They can pitch it to WHOM though? They gonna buy ad time on other channels, in magazines? If a carrier doesn't have it, nobody is going to give 2 squirts, and even the ones that do it's just a very small niche network right now. Word of mouth takes time, expensive time investing in a small audience hoping to grow it. That will take a while, and tv shows generally don't last that long anymore, maybe 2 seasons at best. And they're going to be restricted on what they can and can't advertise from their own brands on their shows.

Wait. Are you working under the assumption that Hasbro has 'already produced' tons of unsold new Animated guys and Robot Heroes? Like, they just have bunches of Rodimuses sitting in a warehouse somewhere? Because I 'cannot' see Hasbro doing that. These guys were likely cancelled before mass production hit.

They haven't canceled Rodimus Minor, that tooling is being ramped into production right around now to get it to its retailer in time.

Hasbro has never sold standalone TF accessories like that, and I doubt they're about to start now.

It's a tooling investment, to leave it unused would mean zero chance of return. Finding a revenue stream for the tooling could at least partly pay off the existing tooling.

And you're forgetting about Beast Riders and Deployers from Beast Machines, those were TF accessories. Yes, I know it doesn't help the point since they sold shittily, but they went to mass market.

[Onslaught Six]

[quote="JediTricks]They haven't canceled Rodimus Minor, that tooling is being ramped into production right around now to get it to its retailer in time.[/quote]

I mean cancelled for mass release, e.g. not exclusive (or coming out in Fall 2010, ages after anyone gives a damn.)

It's a tooling investment, to leave it unused would mean zero chance of return. Finding a revenue stream for the tooling could at least partly pay off the existing tooling.

If Hasbro was that concerned about it, they would have just released the stupid things in the first place.

And you're forgetting about Beast Riders and Deployers from Beast Machines, those were TF accessories. Yes, I know it doesn't help the point since they sold shittily, but they went to mass market.

I knew you'd bring that up. Beast Riders...Beast Riders I'll sort of give you, but the Deployers don't count, seeing as they're still technically standalone figures. They do transform into something one their own--gun emplacement/weapon into animal. They're intended to be used with other figures, but Hasbro made sure not to sell them on their own unless they could 'work' on their own. Prime's jet backpack doesn't even turn into anything other than...his back half, maybe? I never really looked at pics too carefully.

[Dominic]

The flight and dive gear would likely sell even worse than the chariots though. Those at least looked like complete toys.

Wait. Are you working under the assumption that Hasbro has 'already produced' tons of unsold new Animated guys and Robot Heroes? Like, they just have bunches of Rodimuses sitting in a warehouse somewhere? Because I 'cannot' see Hasbro doing that. These guys were likely cancelled before mass production hit.

I am guessing Hasbro did not produce them. And, I cannot see Hasbro going out of their way to make a tertiary item like "Robot Heroes".

The Hub:
Hasbro could use direct marketing to existing collectors to push Hub. Think about it. Collectors buy directly from Hasbro, meaning Hasbro has contact and mailing information for those people. They could send out press releases to pages like this one. There would be built in brand recognition and fellowship.


Dom

[JediTricks]

I mean cancelled for mass release, e.g. not exclusive (or coming out in Fall 2010, ages after anyone gives a damn.)

You have to be very specific then about your timeline when you say stuff like that. Sometimes Hasbro does produce product and warehouses it when it's dropped right before shipping, but after the near-meltdown in the early '00s, they eased off this.

If Hasbro was that concerned about it, they would have just released the stupid things in the first place.

The issue isn't Hasbro's, it's the retail partners', so Hasbro is working to get those sorts of things worked out. It's not as easy as just releasing them.

I knew you'd bring that up. Beast Riders...Beast Riders I'll sort of give you, but the Deployers don't count, seeing as they're still technically standalone figures. They do transform into something one their own--gun emplacement/weapon into animal. They're intended to be used with other figures, but Hasbro made sure not to sell them on their own unless they could 'work' on their own. Prime's jet backpack doesn't even turn into anything other than...his back half, maybe? I never really looked at pics too carefully.

Bullspit! It's not like Minicons as weapons where they turn into robots, they go from bird to gun, no robot or character involved. They're TF accessories, you know it to be true.

And Beast Riders you'll SORT OF give me? They sucked ass, but c'mon, that's what precisely they were.

The flight and dive gear would likely sell even worse than the chariots though. Those at least looked like complete toys.

The dive gear I don't know if it would work with the existing BB. But accessory and armor packs have worked before in other lines, TF:A is largely about character, it might have worked presented right. Now it's too late to go that route, but they could give it a shot. There probably is no market for it anymore though, not significant enough to make any profit off manufacture (which is the step before making money back on tooling which is their ultimate goal).

Hasbro could use direct marketing to existing collectors to push Hub. Think about it. Collectors buy directly from Hasbro, meaning Hasbro has contact and mailing information for those people. They could send out press releases to pages like this one. There would be built in brand recognition and fellowship.

They're already doing that, but the collector audience is a small one, there's no money in collector-aimed cartoons in the US, it's not like Japan where they can sell OVA movies. The only audience that matters to The Hub will be casual-collector kids, who largely don't frequent hardcore fan sites.

[Dominic]

What I mean is that Hasbro can pitch the network to parents directly. "Hey, let your kids watch this." That would give them a good starting point to launch the network.


TFA being about the characters makes selling accessory packs, (character specific or not), a bad move.

Dom