The Strategy

[nesquick]

 I think I get it...

---> We will get massive promotion at the very last minute... a couple of days prior to the album release. It will be short and intense. It will be fresh for everybody. fresh for the consumers we are.

For those who worry for the "no-promotion" strategy right now, don't, I'm pretty sure it will happen at some point. It makes people talk and worry, go through different emotions, up and downs, that's what they want. Emotional Marketing...

---> This is the silence before the storm.

[AxlReznor]

Maybe... I think it's more likely that they're setting themselves up to release the biggest flop in music history though.

[colma]

Maybe... I think it's more likely that they're setting themselves up to release the biggest flop in music history though.

OUCH, I wouldn't go that far.  But, they are going to be in for a surprise - most people aren't going to be rushing out to buy this cd like a lot of board members would like to believe. 

If it's good, it will speak/sell for itself. 

[Neemo]

yeah...when it's out the buzz will be huge...and there is always after the release to heavily promote it

I want a Guitar world article on every GnR Guitarist since 1995....should make for a nice sized issue

@ redfield, well if it does flop then Geffen doesn't have to piss away the marketing money for it it's doesn't have to be #1 on the first week for it to be a success

[NicoRourke]

Maybe... I think it's more likely that they're setting themselves up to release the biggest flop in music history though.

It won't flop. Impossible. Even without promotion it will sell. And what we need is new music from Axl and the guys. We need to see that we were right to trust them.

I like your idea nesquick A huge in your face promotion, non-stop for 2-3 days. Radio, TV, press, worlwide.

yeah...when it's out the buzz will be huge...and there is always after the release to heavily promote it

I want a Guitar world article on every GnR Guitarist since 1995....should make for a nice sized issue

@ redfield, well if it does flop then Geffen doesn't have to piss away the marketing money for it it's doesn't have to be #1 on the first week for it to be a success

You're right Neemo.

AFD wasn't a success imediatly either. Look now.

[-Jack-]

Maybe... I think it's more likely that they're setting themselves up to release the biggest flop in music history though.

Meh seriously.. as long as the album is great I'll be happy. If its great and doesn't sell well.. well, in 10 years people will talk about how it was ahead of its time.

The only reason I would want the album to sell extreamly well is so that Axl would play a majority new song setlist. And in hope that the second and third record would come out.

Anyways.. theres going to be promotion. Didn't Tommy say in 04 that there was going to be music videos for the album n stuff? I'm SURE theres going to be promo.

[WhatIsItMan]

It's just like the tour, if you think about it...

I sure was irritated not knowing when the Chicago dates went on sale... ?but low and behold, I got my GA tickets, and I didn't have to get them on eBay.

Same thing with the Hammerstein tickets...

As frustrating as it is, I think it will benefit the true fans. ?

Now where is the damn album?! ?

[Timmy]

I think that they're considering the no promotion thing because promotion costs money and they figure that their hardcore fanbase will be there and do some street-free promotion..

just a thought...

[pilferk]

To all the people worried about the promotion:

What's the question asked in every interview and article on the planet right now in relation to GnR.

There IS promotion going on.  It's subtle, but it looks like it's been pretty effective, all things considered.

[TrixAreForKids]

I think that they're considering the no promotion thing because promotion costs money and they figure that their hardcore fanbase will be there and do some street-free promotion..

just a thought...

How can we promote something if we keep getting censored?

[colma]

If advertising for the album comes out in Sunday newpaper circular ads (with the cd coming out 2 days later) - the news of the release will be all over these boards by 12:00pm EST. ?Word will spread like wildfire, thanks to retailers just placing the advertisement on their circular print. ?

From there it would spread to media/news outlets. ?

Seems like a strategy that would work. ?

[daviebuckethead]

i agree, how can the fans promote when they know dick themselves!

[colma]

i agree, how can the fans promote when they know dick themselves!

I'd say 99.9% of us are in the dark, when one of us fans know - we will all know.

[daviebuckethead]

is the 0.1% a mod by any chance!

[colma]

is the 0.1% a mod by any chance!

maybe, but I am not one to speculate 

[AxlReznor]

Maybe... I think it's more likely that they're setting themselves up to release the biggest flop in music history though.

OUCH, I wouldn't go that far.

I would... $13 million bill to make the record. ?A quiet release without an announcement as has been suggested would result in word-of-mouth selling it. ?All word-of-mouth will ever do is generate a small cult following, which for something like Pretty Hate Machine by NIN was all that was needed to get the attention of people.
With this album, a small cult following won't be nearly enough to make a success... for the album to be successful in any sense of the word, it needs to be nothing less than a mega-hit.
I'm speaking from Geffen's viewpoint here... why risk losing so much?

[jbenzz]

I think it'd be a waste of money to start promoting it too early. ?Most people will disregard the early promotion because they won't believe the album is actually coming out. ?Most bands start promotion early so that people start thinking about the band again and know that they've got a new album out. ?Most people (I assume) know that there is a GNR and that an album "is coming", but they take any release date with a grain of salt.

What GNR needs to do is release the album and from the day beforehand until the week after just promote the shit out of it. ?If you're telling people "New Guns N Roses album in stores now", which is something people have never heard before, as opposed to "There's a new GNR album coming in 4 weeks", which they've been hearing for 10 years (from the media), they are going to pay alot more attention.

This will also create a shock factor because if people hear, it's coming out on Nov 21st, then when it actually does come out, they won't be too surprised because they knew the date in advance and they'll have heard about it. ?If it's all of a sudden out and they didn't see it coming, they'll be surprised because they almost wouldn't belive that it could come out without they knowing about it (given that it's considered a joke and we're always hearing about a date). ?This might encourage people to give it a listen and maybe buy it.

Personally I think it's coming out on the 7th of November. ?Jarmo is coming to N/A and is following the tour from the 5th onwards. ?He's gotta know the date of the release and it makes sense that he'd want to see the transition from BCD to ACD (Before Chinese Democracy to After Chinese Democracy), which is why he's going to the show on the 5th of Nov. ?

If I'm wrong, then my other thought is that they'll have a single and a video out by the start of the tour so that they can at least start playing a new song that fans will be able to sing along to.

[smeagol2124]

redfield, Geffen made their money back alread tenfold on the GH album and the videos being released to dvd.  There is no "$13 million bill anymore". 

[AxlReznor]

The start of the tour's in 5 days time. ?They better get moving quick if they're gonna have a single out by then.

[colma]

Not to beat a dead horse (pun intended), but the '13 Million Dollar' number is more of a myth or rumor than anything else ?

I would guess the name 'Guns N Roses' should move several hundred thousand copies of the cd alone. ?It probably won't debut at #1 on the Billboard Chart, but if the music is good, there's no reason that would prevent it from becomming a commercial success. ?