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Oh, come on.
Mar. 21st, 2009 08:19 amSCI 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.
