Any suggestions to check out at the messe?

Winther

Winther

Member
Going to the Musikmesse in Frankfurt for a few days. Any ideas for cool stuff to check out (and report back about)?
 
Been going for several years and had an awesome time. This year is a huge disappointment. The mains halls only have lights and PA while the instrument section is moved to small area at least a full km into the far back, and so few vendors that they put guitars and drums together. No Gibson, no Fender, no ESP, no PRS, no Marshall, no Laney, no Hughes & Kettner, no Behringer or TC, not much anything at all really. I think Mackie is present at some pro section but even Avid, which used to have a huge booth with tons of action and classes going on just have a tiny wall with two people in front.

I don't understand whay happened - it's supposed to be the biggest show in Europe and and it has turned completely utterly 100% dead!

Had a nice clinic with Jeff Waters though, which was cool because attended so poorly that you could just sit and chat with him.

No idea what to do all day today and Saturday, hahaha, what a joke!
 
NAMM is starting to go that route as well. Vendors disappearing each year.
My best guess (through discussions with vendors) is cost. It's a lot of pay out with little (guaranteed) return on investment (for the bigger companies).
Does Marshall really need to spend over 100k be at one of these shows.....or does the world know the Marshall brand enough? Digital media is likely the better investment in marketing dollars.
Just my opinion...
 
That's just sad, man! While it's costly it's also a great way to showcase and stay in touch with the market. The decrease here just seems so dramatic - down to some 10% in consumer products in just two years, even though all days are now publicly accessible.
 
Winther said:
That's just sad, man! While it's costly it's also a great way to showcase and stay in touch with the market. The decrease here just seems so dramatic - down to some 10% in consumer products in just two years, even though all days are now publicly accessible.
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I agree. The year that Behringer pulled a no-show at NAMM was so disappointing. They were my favorite vendor to go look at all the new products (as they always have something new). It's actually one of the reasons I didn't go this year. A lot of the big vendors (JBL is another that comes to mind), don't use their floor space to showcase products....rather they use their space to have sales meetings.
 
Maybe it's going down the same road that many local dealers went before when people started buying their gear online because it was so much cheaper.
 
Just back from Messe, incredibly dissapointing ...Unless you are into acoustic instruments, which had an ok hall. There was also a ProSound and Lighting show on in the same complex which was actually very good ...As long as you are into PA and Lighting systems. Was considering NAMM for next year, but maybe not having read some of the comments above...
 
BBN said:
Does Marshall really need to spend over 100k be at one of these shows.....or does the world know the Marshall brand enough? Digital media is likely the better investment in marketing dollars.
Just my opinion...
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Well, do Coke and Pepsi need to continue advertising more heavily than any other soft drink companies? Absolutely - it's the only reason they can maintain their positions with products that are not very unique at all. Exactly the same goes for Fenser, Gibson, Marshall and the likes. Their products are not worth the premiums except for the excessive marketing - which we pay for through the premiums. It may take a few years to go down but it surely will without the marketing.
Had a great time despite the no-shows in terms of completely unexpected masterclasses and clinics and I will return being way more interested in products I could actually try rather than the products I came intending to try. Online marketing only for products depending on tone and feel? Forget about it, those vendors will lose out big time!
 
Winther said:
Well, do Coke and Pepsi need to continue advertising more heavily than any other soft drink companies? Absolutely - it's the only reason they can maintain their positions with products that are not very unique at all. Exactly the same goes for Fenser, Gibson, Marshall and the likes. Their products are not worth the premiums except for the excessive marketing - which we pay for through the premiums. It may take a few years to go down but it surely will without the marketing.
Had a great time despite the no-shows in terms of completely unexpected masterclasses and clinics and I will return being way more interested in products I could actually try rather than the products I came intending to try. Online marketing only for products depending on tone and feel? Forget about it, those vendors will lose out big time!
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Nobody said they won't continue to advertise....I'm saying does it need to be at Messe/NAMM type shows?

Two of my close musician friends buy tube amps about every other month (because they're always searching for tone), and they do it almost 100% from internet video demos.

I think the Coke/Pepsi analogy just doesn't apply here. Product markets are way different.
You can hear an amp in a video...you can't taste a soda through a video.
And let's not forget.....how did we all find out about Fractal?
Not sold in stores, no booth at NAMM/Messe....yet they are gaining some excellent market share.

I'm not saying I like it...I would have much rather played with my Fractal before I made the leap....but I heard plenty of vids and decided it was worth the risk. Especially since Fractal (and most online retailers) have a return policy.
Ever tried to return an opened can of Coke?
 
It's the Internet plain and simply
A product release on your site and a YouTube demo will cost way less and
Reach 10 times the people
NAMM and the Messe and big trade shows are yesterday's way of doing
Business and creating hype
 
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BBN said:
Nobody said they won't continue to advertise....I'm saying does it need to be at Messe/NAMM type shows?

Two of my close musician friends buy tube amps about every other month (because they're always searching for tone), and they do it almost 100% from internet video demos.

I think the Coke/Pepsi analogy just doesn't apply here. Product markets are way different.
You can hear an amp in a video...you can't taste a soda through a video.
And let's not forget.....how did we all find out about Fractal?
Not sold in stores, no booth at NAMM/Messe....yet they are gaining some excellent market share.

I'm not saying I like it...I would have much rather played with my Fractal before I made the leap....but I heard plenty of vids and decided it was worth the risk. Especially since Fractal (and most online retailers) have a return policy.
Ever tried to return an opened can of Coke?
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Yeah well, I could argue the opposite - we all know exactly how those cans taste and even how they feel on a hot summer day. But chosing an amp through a video? Just doesn't work at all and how about the feel of a neck or attack of a pickup? The "different market" is incorrect according to most Harvard professors. The Five Conpetitive Forces are equally relevant and it's beyond doubt that some of the lesser known companies being hugely present will start eating share from the big ones. Line 6 had tons of Helixes up for test including clinics and showcases. You honestly don't think it would be worth it for KPA and Fractal would benefit from doing the same? Ibanez had two Kempers for their testing and you couldn't even get to them.

I am sure a lot of people will go to the messe and finally decide on a Helix over an AX8 simply because they could try it.

Where I live (or have to take shipments) return policy is not relevant and why are friends still buying? If they could go to a major event and try a vast variety they could cut through a lot of bogus.

I have friends with massive GAS and cash to burn who never heard of Fractal before I started talking about them - and no - it didn't make them interested but a cool demo by a good artist at the messe certainly would have.

Randalljax said:
It's the Internet plain and simply
A product release on your site and a YouTube demo will cost way less and
Reach 10 times the people
NAMM and the Messe and big trade shows are yesterday's way of doing
Business and creating hype
Click to expand...
With more than 100k visitors most YouTube videos don't reach that but you also forget all the videos filmed AT the shows.
 
Winther said:
With more than 100k visitors most YouTube videos don't reach that but you also forget all the videos filmed AT the shows.
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So you agree that videos are a valid media to make sales?
So take it a step further....why did you need to spend 100-150k to go to a trade show if you can film a video demo in your own shop for zero cost?

My friends that are the constant amp buys do go to NAMM....every year. Yet still buy most amps because of the YouTube clips the saw/heard.
I'm not saying I like it Winther...I'd rather play the product before I purchase. But that's just not the way the world is moving.
I was just as pissed as you were when I found out Behringer was bringing NO GEAR to NAMM.

I remember when I was at NAMM with one of those friends of mine that is always buying/selling amps....we were at the Jet City booth and the rep asked my buddy if he could hire him to create/post videos on behalf of the company (because he's a great player). The rep said that their biggest disadvantage right now was that they did not have good videos of their amps out there for buyers to hear.
 
BBN said:
So you agree that videos are a valid media to make sales?
So take it a step further....why did you need to spend 100-150k to go to a trade show if you can film a video demo in your own shop for zero cost?
Of course videos are a valid PART of marketing - I don't agree that it can stand alone. I also don't agree that it has to cost a 100k because I see plenty of small custom shops present who barely gross that in a year.

But the show videos I was talking about were the known reviewers actually attending the shows to shoot content about new products. Products even they will never know exist without going to the show.

For my own part I came here only recently as part of the decision process. While it has been very informative it will never make up for trying the gear and as it stand I will probably opt out, simply because I can't get to try a Fractal product anywhere and I've made more than enough mistakes buying based on videos alone. Obviously there will be a lot of people thinking the same way.

Return policy is fine, although often a hazzle, and in case of Fractal when my receiving address is in Europe it's not really an option at all.
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