Oh, come on.
Mar. 21st, 2009 08:19 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
apocalypsosSCI FI Channel president Dave Howe answers questions about the name change, remains a smug out-of-touch moron while doing so.
Things I find amusing (mostly in a morbid sort of way) about this article:
1. They're keeping the SCI FI name in Poland, but changing it to Syfy everywhere else. Because, of course, their core audience are definitely not the sort of people who are most likely to find out what "syfy" means on the internet and mock accordingly even outside of Poland.
2. This question:
You say you want your brand to be more female-friendly, but I'm a woman and I like the old name. Don't I count?
Howe: You absolutely count, and we appreciate that you're watching our shows. And we're not saying that no women watch the network. In fact, almost half of our audience is women, thanks to shows such as Ghost Hunters that attract more women than men. But overall, our channel and the sci-fi genre in general tend to skew more male than female, and we want to ensure we remain gender-balanced and continue to bring in new female viewers, who often say they don't like traditional sci-fi.
Dear Dave Howe, MEET MORE WOMEN.
3. His answer to a question about ECW wrestling, "ECW has successfully brought new younger viewers to our channel. We have no plans to increase the amount of wrestling on the channel."
You'll notice he says nothing about decreasing the amount. And hell, American Idol and Hannah Montana could bring in a lot of younger viewers, too, but guess what? They're not sci-fi either. (That's not saying I don't think wrestling's a valid form of entertainment. *I* don't like it, but to each their own. But ... you know, somewhere else?)
4. He's asked if they did any research about the name and among the other moronic "marketing bullshit" quotes from focus group members he quotes is this gem: "SCI FI sounds very generic, sounds basic. Syfy sounds cool, cutting edge, ... the cool thing you want to be associated with."
I want to find this person and roundhouse kick them in the face.
I know I'm short. I'll find a stool.
Things I find amusing (mostly in a morbid sort of way) about this article:
1. They're keeping the SCI FI name in Poland, but changing it to Syfy everywhere else. Because, of course, their core audience are definitely not the sort of people who are most likely to find out what "syfy" means on the internet and mock accordingly even outside of Poland.
2. This question:
You say you want your brand to be more female-friendly, but I'm a woman and I like the old name. Don't I count?
Howe: You absolutely count, and we appreciate that you're watching our shows. And we're not saying that no women watch the network. In fact, almost half of our audience is women, thanks to shows such as Ghost Hunters that attract more women than men. But overall, our channel and the sci-fi genre in general tend to skew more male than female, and we want to ensure we remain gender-balanced and continue to bring in new female viewers, who often say they don't like traditional sci-fi.
Dear Dave Howe, MEET MORE WOMEN.
3. His answer to a question about ECW wrestling, "ECW has successfully brought new younger viewers to our channel. We have no plans to increase the amount of wrestling on the channel."
You'll notice he says nothing about decreasing the amount. And hell, American Idol and Hannah Montana could bring in a lot of younger viewers, too, but guess what? They're not sci-fi either. (That's not saying I don't think wrestling's a valid form of entertainment. *I* don't like it, but to each their own. But ... you know, somewhere else?)
4. He's asked if they did any research about the name and among the other moronic "marketing bullshit" quotes from focus group members he quotes is this gem: "SCI FI sounds very generic, sounds basic. Syfy sounds cool, cutting edge, ... the cool thing you want to be associated with."
I want to find this person and roundhouse kick them in the face.
I know I'm short. I'll find a stool.
no subject
Date: 2009-03-21 03:16 pm (UTC)1. As far as I know, the channel was BORN FX, not a name change from "Effects."
2. The abbreviation FX has been in use for a long dang time in SFX, so it does hold meaning itself.
Hell, I'd like Whether Channel better, as a name change, if the intent is to more fully capture the idea, as previously given, that they mean "sci fi" to include more than hard SF, but also supernatural, fantasy, etc. Also, there's not only no reason they can't change the name entirely; there's a recent example: TNN to Spike. Because they WANTED the network name to convey an image. And the suggestion that I will hear Syfy, pronounced identically to SciFi, and have a different response to the term than I do to SciFi is ridiculous. If I hear Syfy and don't know the term already, and then I google it? I will probably just fall over laughing at it.
There's also no reason they can't change logo alone, if that's the big issue (preconditioned Star Trek weddings, though I have to tell you that particular response is apparently not conditioned in me because it has never occurred to me as a likely response to the planet image). Companies tweak and totally change their logos all the time. Pepsi just did.
So... yeah, no.
no subject
Date: 2009-03-21 05:51 pm (UTC)All the people who already tune into Scifi are bitching, but the fact is, the name change's target is not you, or me for that matter. They want a to attract a *completely* new demographic that they don't feel they can find with "SciFi" with this current name of Syfy. It's a business/marketing/brand decision that doesn't take into consideration the people 1. they already got, stupid name or not. 2. those who will never, ever, EVER watch sci-fi, they have such traumatic murderous aversion to it. Basically, they're trying to get everyone and anyone else and they don't care if they step on your toes while they do it, because hey--it's not like we've got anywhere else to go. They know we're in the bag and they've got nothing to lose. It's dismissive and non-PC, but this is a capitalist economy in bad times.
Regular viewers don't care nearly as much as fandom. What the suits are banking on is that they'll see [Syfy]and be, huh--that's dumb, but for *some inexplicable reason* some time down the road, they'll watch a preview for a new show and decide to tune in, and feel comfortable telling others to also tune in with them. And of course they don't expect the change of mind to come right away; you don't change the *name* of your brand for a quick fix shot. They're projecting that some time in the future, Syfy will shake SciFi and become that nonsense word name network that just happens to offer sci-fi shows that are entertaining--rather than "that Sci-Fi geek channel."
I was exaggerating with the star trek weddings, but you've got to admit that there's a wide world out there where it's not "cool" to say you're watching the SciFi channel, due to the "SciFi"--than, say, if you were to be gushing about watching the latest ep of Lost. Which is as sci-fi/fantasy as anything, but successful because it's not on as loaded a network as "SciFi"--ABC markets mainstream, which means anyone they can throw a commercial at can consider watching the show without having to worry about the show being "geeky"--which would in turn them *them* into a geek.
So basically, this is a fuck you to SCIENCE FICTION FANS rather than to women specifically, because they want to appeal to the lowest common denominator mainstream. (Alarm bells should've been ringing with "name change" + "wrestling."
Seriously, wow.