While Marvel’s corporate policies don’t allow for too much investment in their print business, they have been really ramping up the digital side of things. Why? Rob Salkowitz looks at the meta side of the new online comics line and AR experiments in terms of how it positions the company:
The new strategy provides an elegant solution to a number of Marvel’s immediate business problems. It retakes the initiative in the critical digital space and changes the conversation from “What is everyone going to do about DC?” to “What is everyone going to do about Marvel?” It serves the brand interests and the audience self-image of the self-styled “House of Ideas” by coming to market with a big, bold, announcement that changes everything and RAWKS YOUR WORLD! By lobbing this grenade from SXSW, it made a bid for attention in hipster and high-tech circles, the traditional market segments that border the comics niche and represent its most natural sources of new readers.
The whole piece is arguable but thought provoking.
What is this “Marvell” of which you speak?
“it made a bid for attention in hipster and high-tech circles, the traditional market segments that border the comics niche and represent its most natural sources of new readers.”
If that’s the sales model Marvel is pursuing, the industry is effin’ doomed. Hipsters? Really?
Mike
Funny, had a conversation today about why SXSW for this (seemingly still convoluted) announcement.
Seems like a smart move to me, hipsters be damned. There will be a SXSW issue of Entertainment Weekly, lots of mainstream press there. Comics press will write about it no matter where you announce, even in Hanley’s! Nothing to lose, much to gain in non-comics-dedicated pub circles.
I really don’t see myself going to digital comics in the near future (I don’t own a tablet and the idea of reading comics formatted for my Droid leaves me cold). But… this is probably the area they need to go if they intend to lure in new readers.
Mike: Have to agree. It seems as if everything Marvel & DC have done in the past however long have only served to market to a dwindling pool of comic readers. Attempting to get some curious eyes on their product outside the normal avenues should be applauded (even by this staunch DC fan).