I tend to think the comics companies underestimate their female fan base because, going on myself and my friends, a lot of females have taken to “lying low” in the sense of not hitting comics stores much and instead bumming them from more adventurous friends and/or getting trades through Amazon based on Internet scans and recommendations and reviews by people we trust. I can shrug it off when the fandom puts up the “No girls allowed” sign – every fandom has its jerks and peabrains. But comics are my only “coded male” interest where I often get that feeling from the so-called professionals.

AS for Star Wars as a retired franchise sold 2000@$150, whereas Sideshow expected to move 950@$150 at the peak of the franchise’s popularity in-cinemas as part of the Spiderman 3 movie tie in. (http://www.sideshowtoy.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?category=sp3week&source=wp_news)

The 950 units were part of the endorsed Marvel, Sideshow and Columbia pictures tie in to the specific market of the Marvel collector as part of the launch of the movie. If, as you’ve tried repeatedly to claim, that cheesecake is a seller, why did they run a production order of 1500@$189 for the Venom statue? Or Red Spiderman Bust (250 @ 399.99 sold out) and Black Spiderman 500 @ 399.99 (sold out) if the cheesecake was the priority sales figure?

Why 950@$125 for the Mary Jane (Total Revenue = $112,500) compared to the Venom (Total revenue = $199995). If Sideshow was so confident of cheesecake as the seller, why $125? Why not $189 to match Venom? Go on, say it’s because Venom is better cheesecake.

If cheesecake is such a priority, why was it only one of thirteen available products when the movie had Gwen Stacey and Mary Jane? Perhaps because non-cheesecake figures that tie into the movie are more profitable?

Also, given that, as you have been trying demonstrate to me that cheesecake is the priority selling point, why does Sideshow not have a Slave Leia figurine? Instead, they have limited 300 run of busts of Greedo. No cheesecake on the Greedo figure at $599. Greedo is cheesecake? Even when he shoots first?

All the way through, I’m running numbers to show you that non cheesecake is outselling cheesecake, and you’re throwing insults not counterarguments. If you’ve got figures and facts to back you, start playing those cards.

Like I said binky, maybe you should have studied the marketing part, instead of the social change part.

But then your an aussie, so really you cant be expected to understand marketing or markets as well as we do you poor savage.

Spiderman has monthly magazines, it’s in the box office right now, and they only shifted 950@$150. Whereas that retiree of a movie Star Wars sold out 2000@$150.

Even Sideshow doesn’t seem to place faith in the MJ statue. If cheesecake is your big seller, show me the reason why 2K of stormtroopers are selling for the same price as 950 MaryJanes. Don’t forget to discount the the value of the 950 MJ versus the negative press that Sideshow managed to drag onto themselves and Marvel.

Oh, and since you’re going to insist I study real marketing – here’s my track record. – http://www.stephendann.net/publications/
Front up with yours now.

Sorry, but when it comes to buisnesses, I just think of them as completely stupid, most of the time.

@Universalperson: they believe there’s no market for it

I guess that’s why they had problems selling out $300K of Buffy Figurines Limited Edition

Right now, they’re going to milk it for all its worth, and then they won’t make non sexist comic statues because they believe there’s no market for it.

When have comic books ever cared about rational marketing.

Because you’re right, it is an opportunity of sorts for them — there have been a ton of new eyeballs directed at their website in the last several days. And at least some of those could be potential customers if they play their cards right.

Now, you and I might disagree with what ‘playing their cards right’ might mean — but here’s what I’d do:

I wouldn’t delete comments, but I wouldn’t respond directly to most of them, or maybe even to any of them. I’d figure that would likely inflame tensions to an even greater extent — and defending a product that has already sold out (and likely made me a tidy profit) is a waste of labor.

Instead, I’d start a new discussion: I’d say to these new posters hey, welcome, and sorry we couldn’t have met under more pleasant circumstances.

Then, I’d ask, what sort of statue would YOU like to buy? Heck, if I was particularly enterprising, after a week or so passed, I might even the take most popular 3-5 suggestions and turn them into a poll so that commenters could ‘vote’ for their favorite concept. I might also host a vote for what artist should draw the concept art.

Then I’d take orders for a limited run (maybe 300-450 units, after all I know the size of the market for the MJ statue, and I can’t be sure of the size of the market for this) and see what happens.

If it sells out, I try a more aggressive production run the next time. If THAT sells out, I’ve found myself a new market AND I still have my existing market. So I win.

If it is a resounding failure, I have the perfect rejoinder the next time one of my products spawns some sort of feminist backlash: I made a girl-friendly product and nobody showed up to buy it.