Paddywhack as an associate

nzLARPS
#1

Paddywhack Productions ( www.paddywhack.co.nz ) is interested in becoming an associate of LARPS.

Paddywhack will offer an exclusive discount on latex weapons to LARPS members, in exchange for advertising.

Specifically, I’d like advertising in any newsletters sent out, and (here’s where Craig may have some issues) a banner advertisement at the top of the LARPS website & forum. Personally I think that banner ads can bring colour and interest to a website, and so long as they are relevant to the users they can actually be quite desirable. See Shades LARP List ( http://www.larplist.com ) and http://www.rpg.net for tasteful examples of relevant rotating banner ads. We’re not talking viagra ads here, folks, just LARP-related stuff that’s relevant to kiwis.

I propose a rotating banner ad that will show associated sponsors like Paddywhack, as well as current LARPS projects like Mordavia or LARPS events like the improv workshop. I think it would actually give Diatribe more visual appeal, as it’s currently a little bland and uniform.

#2

This is the sort of thing I had in mind as a banner ad for the website:

I’m open to design suggestions.

Does this application to become an associate (and the details of the deal) need to go before a meeting of the committee, or can you vote/agree on it here online? Basically I’d like to exchange a discount on Paddywhack’s latex weapons (for LARPS members only) for advertising of Paddywhack on the website. The discount would be 30% on some of the highest-priced items like the specialty longswords, bringing them down from $169.95 to $119. In exchange Paddywhack would like banner advertising (in rotation with any other advertising) on the LARPS website & forum. I think this is a case of mutual gain.

Considering that’s a saving of $70 on some items (rapiers) and that membership of LARPS is only $5 in October, I think it would be a pretty good incentive to join.

(EDITED to correct some price figures.)

#3

Becoming an associate like this would need to go before the committee to be discussed. This way everything to do with LARPS is formal and goes through the same processes, be it a game or what ever.
You can get someone from the committee bring your idea before it, like I don’t mind doing it you want, or if you want to present it yourself you can come to the next meeting.

#4

I’m entirely in favour of appropriate advertising on forums like this.

Boffer weapons, armour, cap guns, costumes … whatever! If it’s something that people might want for LARPing, and the advertisements don’t take up more than about 10% of the screen real estate - go hard I say!

It goes without saying that we don’t want non-LARPing related material: Viagra, penis enlargement pills, penny stock hints, special mortgage rates, online pharmacy links, porn, dating services, software deals etc

One thing I’d like to suggest is that they not be the really nasty animated graphics that encourage epileptic fits…

#5

It’s almost certain this would go ahead, but there are details to be worked out, especially around advertising on Diatribe.

I’m not terribly opposed to the idea of a single banner ad’ on, say, half the pages, being a bad idea. The rotation initially would be Paddywhack/Adsense, and then an advertising guy (me?) would approach other organisations to sell them ads (from a list of relevant organisations decided by the committee). First scene, Trademe, Spotlight, come to mind. We’d have to figure out pricing, say, $200 for six months in the rotation of no more than five clients, that appear on every second page. I’m not sure click-throughs OR unique impressions are a good enough measurement to charge by for this site/community.

This is a whole 'nother can of worms, of course, on whether the community site should advertise. Keen to hear thoughts on this, I tend to agree with Derek.

Craig

#6

[quote=“adam”]Becoming an associate like this would need to go before the committee to be discussed. This way everything to do with LARPS is formal and goes through the same processes, be it a game or what ever.
You can get someone from the committee bring your idea before it, like I don’t mind doing it you want, or if you want to present it yourself you can come to the next meeting. [/quote]

That’s nice and official and everything, but by the next meeting the $5 membership offer will have expired. The iron is hot!

What I’m suggesting is that some people may be extremely motivated to join LARPS for $5 if they know that they can save as much as $70 on a rapier, down from $229.95 to $159.95. Or save $57 on a long axe, down from $189.95 to $132.95. *

I’ve been making this offer since before LARPS formed, so I think the committee members are familiar enough with the offer to make a judgement call. I can’t see any drawback for LARPS. I think it would be worth discussing it here and then putting it to the committee online immediately, to help aid the membership drive.

I suggest that an agreement be made for a duration of one year, so it’s not permanently binding. We can renegotiate if things have changed in a year.

Ryan

  • These are not price offers from Paddywhack yet, they’re subject to agreement from LARPS on how Paddywhack can become an associate. Details may change.
#7

I find advertising in all its froms irritating, in fact, i tend to set my browser to block all banners and flash based ads. A single banner advertising paddywhack is fine, but if you get others in it becomes annoying as anything which means it takes longer to load a page is undesirable.

#8

You’re entitled to your opinion.

I’d hazard that it’s a common opinion among idealistic people who don’t work for a living.

But with a firmer grasp on the commercial realities of the world comes an understanding that advertising, like death and taxes, is a part of life that can be unpleasant but can’t be avoided. Some people have stuff they want to sell. Other people want to buy that stuff, even if they don’t know it yet. Everything in between is advertising.

Craig, I I think we can work out how other ads will be implemented later. In the meantime a simple randomised image will do the job of advertising LARPS projects (like Mordavia) and associates.

When you say “on half the pages”, what does that mean?

#9

This is the typical position of people that have no disposible income :smiley:

Death and taxes may be unavoidable but it doesn’t mean people need to embrace advertising.

I’d prefer to see static advertisements, not flash. The endless picture swapping of flash ads really annoys me.

Flash ads do catch the eye (hey that’s why people use them) but once they’ve caught the eye, and been dismissed, they just give you a headache.

#10

Advertising is ok as long as it:

A: doesn’t animate. I go to a page to look at the page, not be destracted by moving images that make it hard to concentrate on the text I actually want to read. Any moving images automatically get my firefox plugin adblock image seal of dissaproval, meaning I never see them again, untill the location of the image is changed.

B: Fit in with the colour scheme. The black of the moving ad you proposed Ryan does not go well, its too harsh. Any ads submitted should go through the aproval of colour with the site administrator to sort out bad colours.

#11

An animated banner at the top of the site is gone as soon as you scroll down to read the content, so it doesn’t distract from reading. For example, can you see “DIATRIBE New Zealand Live Action Role Playing Community” right now? If not, you won’t be able to see a banner ad sitting next to it either.

We’re not talking pop-up windows or floating images here. Again, I’d direct your attention to RPGnet for an RPG community site with discrete animated advertising that doesn’t detract from the content. I’d estimate that there are tens of thousands of regulars on that site (it’s massive), and animated ads are not an issue for them because they recognise that the ads help support the community.

Blocking content that is offensive to you will solve your problem without the need to impose your preferences on everyone else. Personally I prefer a site with an interesting and relevant animation to a bland text site. I guess it’s just a matter of taste.

From a sales perspective, I’m defending animated banners because they allow you to get more information across in a small space, and they make people more likely to click through.

I thought the tan colour on my image was a worse clash. :wink: Diatribe’s current colour scheme isn’t necessarily permanent, so you’d have to ask advertisers to change their ads whenever Diatribe changes its colour scheme. Again, note that you won’t have to look at the ad and any colour clash as soon as you scroll down. Having said that, I’d be happy to tailor my ads to the site or let someone else do it.

#12

I think it’s a bit much to ask advertisers to fit the colour scheme, which is not necesarily final here (might change it to fit the logo competition winner etc)
I also have the SubSilver template available for use on this board. Everything still works.

And by “half the pages” I mean every second page could have a rotating ad.

I love advertising.

Advertising has a bad reputation, especially on the web, that is largely due to its own ineffectiveness. People often complain that ads are irrelevant and distracting, but I would say that is the fault of the individual advertiser choosing their media placement.

By contrast, as the NZ LARP community site, we’d be offering a channel to reach NZ LARPers specifically. We’re not guarenteeing anything else.
There’s no guarentee they’ll get good reviews from everyone on the forum.
There’s no guarentee everyone will like them or their products.

I have no doubt that a set of relevant ads would mean mutual gain for us and that set of companies. Yet. I’m still open minded on this :slight_smile:

#13

I’m OK with the idea of advertising space, but I agree with people about the no animation thing. To me, flashing lights are an annoyance that doesn’t repay the odds that I might want to buy something.

Stephanie

#14

How is recruitment going? Would it benefit from some more people joining so that they can have an immediate financial benefit?

I’m happy to discuss compromise on the style of ads if that’s what the committee decides on.

#15

Ryan are you suggesting a permanent discount for LARP members?

#16

Basically, yes.

I’m suggesting that while Paddywhack is an associate it will offer permanent discounts to LARPS members and expect suifficient advertising space in return.

#17

I personally don’t see the hurry to get this orgnised before the next meeting.
If it gets agreed to then it can be a new and further incentive to joining at the full price.

#18

Argh! :imp:

The hurry is that right now people could be saving $45 off swords just by joining LARPS.

Whereas if we have to wait until after your meeting, those larpers will only save $30.

See the difference? The difference is $15.

That will make more people interested in joining, and more people interested in buying swords. So we all win. You win by getting members, I win by making sales, and the joiners/buyers win by getting a great deal.

That’s the hurry. What’s a good reason for delaying?

This tape in my way has a funny red colour.

#19

See, I agree with Ryan. Cheaper swords quicker is a good thing

#20

Not if the animated banner is at the top of the page, because it typically rolls off your screen on most pages. Especially on forums, where you are looking at long vertical content.

There is no “eyesore” factor in something that’s not visible most of the time.