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Airfix Marketing


cdplayer

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Box art is an easy job.

All you need is explosions or tits and you'll sell millions.

Sadly, it seems "tits are out" for the schoolboy market (in the sense that they are not allowed, as opposed to swinging freely), so explosions are all that's left, and they're not PC. So poor ol' Airfix have to get by on flares from Nimrods instead of the far more attractive option of a distant nuclear burst signifying the end of a Warpac submarine. I'd have bought two if they'd had a nuke going off on the box. Honest.

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I think explosions are still allowed e.g the Falklands Giftset.

falklands.jpg

Don't know what that Harrier just dropped, but it must have been big! Who needs Vulcans!

Best

Rich

And the Cranberry B(I)8 is rather un-sportingly letting lose a salvo of rockets in the face of political correctness!

A10102(1).jpg

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I've said it before, and I will say it again

Airfix (or any company for that matter) could have a close up of Bernard Mannings bottom as box art as long as the kit inside is something I want.

Boxart as a sale maker or breaker is relevant only to the younger market, the last time packaging influenced my purchase of anything, let alone a model kit was way way back when I was about 12 years old!.

I will go further and say that for a kit like the Nimrod, Airfix could have presented it in a grubby and torn brown paper bag with a close up of Bernard Mannings bottom ... in action!, and it still would have had no influence on whether I bought the kit or not.

(Idid buy the kit BTW)

Edited by Radio Gnome
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That most kits are sold to great auntie Maud buying a Spitfire for little Johny's birthday?

And ironically its the people who have pushed that argument the most who are in this thread saying that box-art isn't important

Wow, nail on head time! :analintruder:

Packaging is on of the most important ares when trying to sell a product. I agree that the Airfix packaging is firmly in the 'also rans' section. Modellers on here buy the contents, not the box, but the vast majority of impulse purchasers, i.e. the 20,000 a year who but the Airfix Defiant buy the box. Remember the Edsel? :rofl:

I only bought the Hasegawa Tornado F3 because of the stunning box art, art being the operative word here. :yikes: Hornby need to kick their artists in the box to get their imagination and the buying publics into overdrive.

As for the Revell 'Boxvelope', what a crock of :shit:

W

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As far as I am concerned, box art is no longer a factor for myself. It certainly used to be when I was a kid though. I would choose a Matchbox kit over a Revell or Airfix kit because of the box art. This would include either lots of explosions or external weapons being carried. This was especially relevent to "fringe " aircraft, one's that I did not know much about, or was just looking at.

Times change though, I know what I want. I buy the same kit several times, it will probably have different decals according to the issue, but the contents are the same. Four kits which are near me now are marked thus.

1:- Hasegawa F/A18C Hornet Chippy Ho 2004 09649. A very nice photo of the Hornet with bright sunshine to highlight the stunning colour scheme. No explosions, afterburners just a very nice picture.

2. Hasegawa F-14A Tomcat, P 18 Pacific Fleet Squadrons. A very dramatic painting by Mr Shigeo of a colourful VF-21 Tomcat on finals. It gives a good indication of the markings and main features of the Tomcat.

3. Hasegawa F/A-18F Super Hornet, PT-38. A near head-on study of two Jolly Rogers Super Hornet high in the clouds. The aircraft or pictured at an off angle to show the nose and tail markings, and to give a small impression of the differences between the legacy and super Hornets. The CAG bird is in front.

4. Revell F/A-18F Super Hornet 04509. Two Super Hornets above the clouds, but this time with more of a side angle. Again, the CAG bird is the main focus. The lighting of the setting, late or early daylight, shows off the fantastic colours and markings of VF-102's anniversary scheme. Yes, it's one of those dreaded Revell boxes, but nothing 10 seconds with a craft knife can't fix. The picture itself is superb.

With the pictures of the two F/A-18Fs, the most colourful and eyecathing aircraft are in front. A clever bit of marketing by both companies' artists.

I maybe don't appreciate the box art as much as I should. Thanks Chris for starting this topic

Joel

Edited by Bandwagon 106
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Quick question - can anyone here come up with figures to say what effect the current packaging is having on sales?

To modellers, none and probably never will.

To the majority of buyers, who are not modellers, 36,24,36. :bouncy:

Looking in a shop window yesterday, they had an Airfix boxed set, 100 years of flight. Gawd knows how long it had been there, but the colours had faded in the sun and the illustration was almost completely faded. That's not eye catching and would not tempt a buyer into the shop. Next to it, the new Nimrod kit box, looked like it had been faded in a similar vein, all brown and dull. :confused:

Companies spend a fortune on packaging because it catches the potential buyers eye. :analintruder: This isn't working for Airfix.

It's the single model purchaser you need to attract, not the 'I must have a Nimrod or two' modeller. Anyone on here remember the last time they bought the Airfix Defiant? :hmmm:

W

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Companies spend a fortune on packaging because it catches the potential buyers eye. :analintruder: This isn't working for Airfix.

How is it "not working" - do you have figures to say what effect the current packaging is having on sales?

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Looking in a shop window yesterday, they had an Airfix boxed set, 100 years of flight. Gawd knows how long it had been there, but the colours had faded in the sun and the illustration was almost completely faded. That's not eye catching and would not tempt a buyer into the shop.

Surely that's down to poor display by the shop, if you don't rotate the window stock. Can't blame Airfix boxart for that, I've seen other shops with similar boxes of Academy, Tamiya etc.

Next to it, the new Nimrod kit box, looked like it had been faded in a similar vein, all brown and dull.

Companies spend a fortune on packaging because it catches the potential buyers eye. This isn't working for Airfix.

I don't know, it's subjective, I like the Nimrod boxart, I also like the sharkmouth B(I)8 Canberra box and will get one when it comes out in 1/72. As Bill, who has experience in the retail trade, has pointed out the most important thing about Airfix boxart is the Airfix logo!

It's the single model purchaser you need to attract, not the 'I must have a Nimrod or two' modeller. Anyone on here remember the last time they bought the Airfix Defiant? :hmmm:

Well the Defiant and Spit JE*J have been consistent sellers since the conception of time, sure as heck isn't the contents of the box which sells them, so something must be working, either the boxart or the Airfix logo. If it doesn't sell, the trade don't buy it to stock! Just goes to prove what a insignificant minority forum dwellers really are when it comes down to the majority of kits sold.

Best

Rich

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Gosh - are we missing politics???

I am entirely with people like Mr Mock here - and not only "can we see some figures" but what expertise do those condemning some box art have please. It is all very well to condemn but is this just a personal and possibly emotive thing or is it because they have the expertise in high level marketing? I can see that people who thoroughly enjoy plastic modelling and may even have an intense loyalty to say Airfix will want to see them do well and may even sincerely believe that their claim of "how to do it" is the best and only way but in fairness Hornby have been doing quite well for a while ( and Airfix did on their own originally too).

So far nothing on here validly suggests that Airfix/Hornby have got it wrong - or are even lacking in the marketing. I think it is a bit emotive on some peoples part! That is all. And nice to see that they care!

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I suspect that Hornby have some reasonably able people in their marketing group and will no doubt act as they think fit - I am no expert on what sells what! A lot of packaging - and advertising in particular- acts as a deterrent for me!

David,

We're of the same mind. The contents of the box must be more important than the image rendered on the box.

The thing that really bugs me is when you see 1/72/1/48 kits in boxes designed for 1/32 scale content.

Reduce the packaging Save the planet! My take on "Heroes" :wicked:

Cheers,

Bob

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'I'd have bought two if they'd had a nuke going off on the box.'

* sprays coffee over monitor *

hmm - I can see where everyone's coming from on this, but for me the bottom line is (and has been since I became more aware of the different brands / manufacturers) whats in the box - I mean look at Tamiya F1 cars - always well presented, but nothing really breathtaking. but you knew the contents (certainly in the eighties, whe I first became aware of them as a kid) were going to be light years ahead of anything (at the time) by airfix or matchbox. and who buys a kit to display the box?

I did kind of like the eigties Airfix built model on technical drawings box covers mind.

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Box art affects me not one iota if I'm after a particular subject, usually I've done a little research and have made the decision to buy that kit long before I've seen the box.

Good box art on a more esoteric subject may catch my eye, make me think "ooh that looks cool" and buy it while in the store.

What will often affect my final decision will be what I shall call packaging, I like the Academy style where they show a series of pictures of the finished model on the side of the box, I can see the panel lines, wheel wells, cockpits etc that I'm going to get inside the box.

I'll concede that I'm not very keen on the newer Airfix box art but that is a subjective thing others may love them. I have two coffee table type books called "Fighter Aces" and "Carrier War", which are essentially a very large reproduction of a piece of aviation art on one page with a blurb about the subject on the other. Most of it is amazing but there is one particular artist who's stuff I really dont like, not saying he's a bad artist just that it's not my cup of tea, obviously others like him or he wouldn't be making a living from it.

So art in any form must be subjective and my opinions are no less valid than yours just different.

What I can say that I don't like about the current Airfix crop is the dreary grey border, it acts like a really cheap nasty frame for the picture in my view.

Leigh

(who opted to build an old Airfix kit rather than a Tamiya this week)

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Ayup All...

Having perused the basic 2 camps of thought - it don't matter, or it do and its nice as well, i suddenly realised. Really the canberra boxart actually DOESN'T matter at all, whether you care or not. Airfix KNEW that these kits would sell whatever, so, they saved themselves a shootload of money by shaving cost off where they could to make a little extra, and gave us CRAP Boxart. by someoneorother...

The mistake they made was to put a great Image of the Canberra in the Mags, where the REAL selling takes place, that SHOULD be on the boxes, that was a waste of money. BTW (Mike, how many extra Lancs has your build demo shifted, do you think?) and suddenly we learn how the future may be. Cynical? moi?

I still want boxart that fires my imagination, that shows me how the kit fits into my model world... Today at Meir's lovely model show, i saw acres of Tamiya, Dragon, Revell, special hobby, hobbyboss, etc, and hardly any Airfix.

Nothing moved me to buy. Why does Airfixes boxart move me?

It seems: 'Excellent kit', crap artwork, don't care. Or: Excellent Artwork, 'Crap' kit. i care about it. Weird...

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Airfix KNEW that these kits would sell whatever, so, they saved themselves a shootload of money by shaving cost off where they could to make a little extra, and gave us CRAP Boxart. by someoneorother...

Feanor, there is a line between saying someone "KNEW" as if its a fact, and something that's just your opinion. By all means like or dislike the box art, that's your prerogative, but when you start ascribing callous motives to people I know well as if its somehow fact, then I feel that crosses the line somewhat.

Edited by Jonathan Mock
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Quick question - can anyone here come up with figures to say what effect the current packaging is having on sales?

55378008 - best seen from upside down.

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Quick question - can anyone here come up with figures to say what effect the current packaging is having on sales?

In that case the whole thread may as well be closed down, since all opinions - including yours btw - are invalid without statistical data to back them up :shrug:

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In that case the whole thread may as well be closed down, since all opinions - including yours btw - are invalid without statistical data to back them up :shrug:

Erm actually No Nev, JM's just asking if anybody is talking from fact or just expressing an airchair opinion. If there any figures to back up the argument then JM will pass the info back to Airfix for them to study, but i'm pretty sure the marketing guys have a fair idea of what sales are like (and yes they are quite different to how us mature modellers percieve them).

As for the artwork its as Liegh says its all in the eye of the beholder, what appeals to one may deter another, from what i recall of the TSR2 two artists provided paintings were submitted and the director choose his favourite which also happened to be a topical picture based upon an event in the short flying life of XR219, the runner up however was printed up and issued with some special kits for the Airfix club and is now being used for the 1/48th kit.

I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned the use of pencil drawing for most of the new kits in the new Airfix Catalogue, not sure if those are sketch for later painted artwork, the new format for artwork or just a sketch to cover until formal paintings have been selected - we'll have to wait and see, perhaps the other canberra painting seen in the ads will appear on the 72 nd scale kit later in the year.

G

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