Retro Red Posted September 18, 2011 Share Posted September 18, 2011 I was flyering and a bunch of kids were standing about asking what I was advertising. When I said it was wrestling and mentioned the venue I was told in no uncertain terms that it was shit and they wouldnt be attending cos they saw how bad we were last year. A local shop refused to put my poster up saying everyone they spoke to had felt ripped off last year. This was only our third ever show and our first at this venue but the previous year a company that I would certainly describe as falling into the shitarse category had killed the venue. It had a massive impact on the draw and I wouldnt bother using that venue again as it already has a stigma attached as far as the locals are concerned. None of them realised or cared that we were very different companies. Â One venue we went to speak to about running a show were immediately on the defensive because another "company" had been there 6 months prior and offered Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirty Eddie Posted September 18, 2011 Share Posted September 18, 2011 I was flyering and a bunch of kids were standing about asking what I was advertising. When I said it was wrestling and mentioned the venue I was told in no uncertain terms that it was shit and they wouldnt be attending cos they saw how bad we were last year. A local shop refused to put my poster up saying everyone they spoke to had felt ripped off last year. This was only our third ever show and our first at this venue but the previous year a company that I would certainly describe as falling into the shitarse category had killed the venue. It had a massive impact on the draw and I wouldnt bother using that venue again as it already has a stigma attached as far as the locals are concerned. None of them realised or cared that we were very different companies. Â Well, you should have promoted it better and put on a better show then, shouldn't you!!! ( ) Â Seriously, some of the stuff in this thread is mental. The comparison of Asda to a corner shop is particularly funny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Pitcos Posted September 18, 2011 Share Posted September 18, 2011 None of them realised or cared that we were very different companies. What was there to set you apart from them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fye Posted September 18, 2011 Share Posted September 18, 2011 there was plenty to set us apart to those who attended, the difficulty was getting them there to witness it. Flyering about 95% of the village and each village either side and postering a 10 mile radius was very hard work and those who attended clearly enjoyed the show but we only got about 80 there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Pitcos Posted September 18, 2011 Share Posted September 18, 2011 there was plenty to set us apart to those who attended, the difficulty was getting them there to witness it. Flyering about 95% of the village and each village either side and postering a 10 mile radius was very hard work and those who attended clearly enjoyed the show but we only got about 80 there What set you apart from that them would interest people in attending? If everyone's just doing posters saying "American Wrestling" full of people nobody's ever heard of, punters are bound to get confused with the last promotion who ran the same venue with a poster saying "American Wrestling" full of people nobody's ever heard of. As someone involved in promoting, would you say it's impossible at your level of show to establish brand identity and go into new areas that might have been burned by wrestling in the past? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fye Posted September 18, 2011 Share Posted September 18, 2011 there was plenty to set us apart to those who attended, the difficulty was getting them there to witness it. Flyering about 95% of the village and each village either side and postering a 10 mile radius was very hard work and those who attended clearly enjoyed the show but we only got about 80 there What set you apart from that them would interest people in attending? If everyone's just doing posters saying "American Wrestling" full of people nobody's ever heard of, punters are bound to get confused with the last promotion who ran the same venue with a poster saying "American Wrestling" full of people nobody's ever heard of. As someone involved in promoting, would you say it's impossible at your level of show to establish brand identity and go into new areas that might have been burned by wrestling in the past? Â Without paying a fortune for someone people have heard of or false advertising for the same effect I am not certain what else can be done. Locally, we have built up one venue in particular where the people on our posters are recognisable and we have created a brand identity of sorts through strong booking and it has generated repeat customers. Using new venues it is very difficult for us to differentiate ourselves in my opinion. We try to plug our youtube channel a lot on our flyers so if people are inclined, they can log on and see for themselves if they think we are worth coming to see live. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJS269 Posted September 18, 2011 Share Posted September 18, 2011 I think anyone using these shop analogies hasn't a clue what they are talking about as the comparisons they are making are way out. If we are going to use this scenario it would go more like this. There is a market in a village, in this market Person A is selling a British version of a toy mainly made by 2 Big Companies in America ( The US versions of which are very hard to come by in the UK), the seller is not known in the village, and the product he sells is a dud, its poorly made, and worse, its actually unsafe , Parents buy them for their kids, and the kids hate the toy, the market stall closes. Six months later, Person B takes over the stall, Person B makes the same Toy (a British version of an American Toy) which whilst it isn't quite as impressive as the US version, is much better than the Person A version of the Toy, it is both safer and more entertaining , however Person B only has the funding to advertise and package the toy in the same way as Person A, and as such most potential customers stay away from the stall, as the assume that since it is advertising the same toy as Person A which was terrible, it also must be terrible , meaning Person B loses buisness because of Person A. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members IANdrewDiceClay Posted September 18, 2011 Paid Members Share Posted September 18, 2011 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Genius Posted September 19, 2011 Share Posted September 19, 2011 I'm pretty sure going back to the OP that in this day and age making any kind of approach to a competitor in the street is just plain wrong on so many levels. It's dangerous and could be seen as potentially illegal. Â If this is a business matter it should be dealt with as such. If you had a family business with roots in the community and another trader selling inferior product and operating illegally was to open up then there are way and means of dealing with this. One of the ways would be to take a sample of an inferior product and complain to trading standards. A letters to an MP outlining the potential dangers of this other business is another and obviously a letter to the venue reminding them of all their legal duties is another way. Â If you honestly beleive such an event is unlicensed and unsafe then the police should be informed and it would be shut down. Â Though unless you can give some kind of insight to what their card is and what is booked for the show it's hard to say anything about a show that hasn't happened. I just noticed what looks like the worst promotion in the UK pop up with some horrendous posters and roster photos but yet they have the likes of T-Bone and MVK on the card and its an inexpensive show that might actually be quite good. Â Isn't the pro active approach to start promoting your next show now and put up posters everywhere they put up their posters and let the public decide what they want to see? Possibly offer discounted entry to those who have had to endure this horrible show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvera2006 Posted September 19, 2011 Share Posted September 19, 2011 I think the solution is simple - the true " wrestlers" in this country should be making a stand in the locker room and weeding out the shit. Via intimidation if necessary. If the strawbs want to come back after theyve done some real training, used the gym, and actually understand how to put on a wrestling match using structure and osychology as opposed to " Head drop = no sell, head drop = no sell, head drop = no sell", then maybe Ill give them a second chance. Â But know this - I certainly wont be sharing any locker rooms with strawbs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smeg_&_The_Heads Posted September 19, 2011 Share Posted September 19, 2011 I suppose a promoter can't win either way when it comes to a rival promoting in "their" town   If it's a shit promotion it may put people off going to yours and if it's good (just as good or even better than yours) they may steal your customers if they start running regularly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiffy Posted September 19, 2011 Share Posted September 19, 2011 . I can't fathom how some of these 'promoters' seem to get away with it? Didn't Danny Rodd fail to pay talent on more than one occasion? Same for probably plenty of others. Now, i know it's not the 1940s and violence probably isn't the answer, but it amazes me they these promoters seem to get away with shit, time after time. In any line of work, if you travelled miles and did a job, only to be lied to or ignored by "the boss" you'd fucking kick right off wouldn't you?   Apparently the problem is the way they try and beat em up, start off with an irish whip and instead of bouncing back to take the stiff clothesline, alot of them (very dishonourably) just run away.  A bit more on topic, I do tend to repeat the view of a fair few others that you should be good enough to beat the shitasses. In any other business of any type anywhere, the strong stands despite the rubbish out there, and highlights how shit the shit is. If ravenhill or any other promotion out there isn't strong enough to stand up to someone doing it very badly nearby then I'd say they have to man up and admit they're the problem, not the bloke doing it badly up the road. Despite all the knocks tna take, they do amazing business over here, they've grown their brand to the point they can pull in very respectable arena crowds. And 1PW going under and failing to deliver great muta and fucking over loads of people didn't stop that. All star's never been burned by shitass companies running near them, hell all star went through a stage of basically being a shitass company, advertising all sorts of ridiculous american wrestlers and then doing understaker tributes and such like. And they're still doing ok. Blaming the shit for messing up your mediocre is just lazy, the problem is you're mediocre and can't stand up to a few shit shows done near you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiffy Posted September 19, 2011 Share Posted September 19, 2011 I think the solution is simple - the true " wrestlers" in this country should be making a stand in the locker room and weeding out the shit. Via intimidation if necessary. If the strawbs want to come back after theyve done some real training, used the gym, and actually understand how to put on a wrestling match using structure and osychology as opposed to " Head drop = no sell, head drop = no sell, head drop = no sell", then maybe Ill give them a second chance. Â But know this - I certainly wont be sharing any locker rooms with strawbs. Â Yeah ya will, you'll turn up take your paycheck and do as you're fucking told, same as everyone else. You might have a word and tell people they're this and that or whatever, but at the end of the day you're not turning up to a show you're booked on then demanding a list of people get out the lockeroom or you're not working because if you do ya wont get invited back. And rightly so, you're an independant contractor employed to turn up and work, as long as you're not placed in a match with someone you feel unsafe working with the rest is none of your fucking business. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyWood Posted September 19, 2011 Share Posted September 19, 2011 Like in every type of business, alternatives (good or bad) will come into your area and try to compete for business, it's done in all sorts of forms of entertainment. Â In the wrestling business it seems like no-one is allowed on another promotions 'patch', which this discussion really seems to be about. The truth of the matter is business, competitors come and go. Sometimes the competitors get to a level better than your own and become the number 1 option and you either step up and put on better shows, better advertising and use talent that maybe an attraction stronger than your opposition or you put up with it. Â I guess everyone gets their backs up about this because independent wrestling shows across this country are hardly well attended and the thought of someone else running close to you may affect the chances of your company drawing, why dont companies think more about BRANDING??? Â If you can create a strong brand known for putting on stellar shows and having wrestlers with ring skills and a memorable look surely people will re-attend. Â The comment earlier about weeding out 'strawbs' or skinny wrestlers etc by violence or intimidation is dated bullshit that doesn't suffice in today's world and if this is how the UK independent scene operates then no wonder it stays at the level it does. The young guys who love wrestling should be encouraged into the game with different opportunities until they are ready for the ring. Youngsters should be helped and nutured by others around them, if you treat them in he above way why would they come back and want to be involved in wrestling? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Your Fight Site Posted September 19, 2011 Paid Members Share Posted September 19, 2011 why dont companies think more about BRANDING??? See, I think this. You have one group saying, "Just stick the word 'Wrestling' or 'American Wrestling' on your poster" but then that doesn't differentiate you from those shit-arses who do the same, and can actually be off-putting as said earlier in this thread, it's nothing like Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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