It is all in the marketing

[guitarsjb]

Re: It is all in the marketing

Ok, the reason I bought MY Jackson was because of the pointy style. My first "great" guitar was a Fender Strat Plus (Awesome), but then my "metalness" kept staring and wanting something more "pointy". Which led me to a Ibanez, which then led to a BC Rich, which FINALLY led to my Jackson. Well that's when I learned that the Jacksons were IT!! (I have RX10D)..and cant wait for that RR1 someday..I have alway been a RR fan, but never bought the Jackson cause he played one...I bought it cause of me, and I loved it. I am now selling the Ibanez and BC Rich to help me save up for a RR5 or RR1.
As far a Jackson being a "metal" guitar..yes, they are. I have seen blues players and Pop rockers use them, and they looked out of place. Sounded good, but looked wrong.
I think Jacksons strongest market edge is advertising to "metalheads"..who unlike this female, are mostly male. What gets young males attention....porn stars?? Titties?? YEP YOU BET!! So marketing wise it's a smart move. Does Jenna impress me?? nope. (and she better NEVER dry hump a guitar of mine!!) LOL..anyway..I believe that Jackson will always be a metal guitar and will be marketed to "young horny males". No offense. It's just how they market them. Do I like it..No, but will I stop buying Jacksons..NO. I play em cause I love em. I just ignore the ads..
Just my opinion. Didn't mean to offend or piss off anyone.
jb [img]graemlins/headbang.gif[/img]

[quiksilver]

Re: It is all in the marketing

Obviously, you can play pretty much any kind of music you want on a Jackson, since the guitar is easily capable of it, but I think Jackson's metal legacy and image is a great one that has value and should be maintained.

Thus far, it looks like Fender recognizes that, too, and bought Jackson to grab that niche market. Good for Fender, good for Jackson, and good for us as Jackson fans.

In case anyone from Fender/Jackson is reading this, you're doing a great job with the marketing. Keep it up! I'm an older guy with plenty conservative tastes, but I have NO problem whatsoever with the porn star. She's sexy, exciting and a little dangerous. Great! Just like Jackson guitars! Let the dark beauty of metal shine, and let Jackson be the "bad boy" brand while Fender continues to convey an all-American, apple pie brand image.

Don't dilute the Jackson brand to grow its market share. Keep it the premier metal guitar, and let the mass market continue to buy Fenders. It's a win-win situation. Jackson gets to continue kicking ass with no apologies or compromises, and Fender gets the customers in that market + the mainstream it already had. As metal's popularity waxes and wanes over the years, FMIC can continue to make money, whether through Jacksons or Fenders, and we as fans can continue happily giving you our money and getting fantastic guitars in return.

It's unfortunate that you've lost many metal endorsements to ESP, but the current nu metal style is about ready to fade anyway. So-called "real" metal with guitar solos looks ripe for a resurgence, and I hope you do get some talented new rising stars in that genre, like Jon Donais (at least he's playing a Washburn, which is kind of unique).

The loss of virtuoso endorsements to Ibanez is more important, since guitar players are much more loyal to virtuosos than the public in general is to popular bands (for proof of that, look how many of us are still buying or lusting after replica guitars of players who've been completely absent from popular culture for many years, e.g., Jake E. Lee, Warren DeMartini, George Lynch, Adrian Vandenberg, etc.). Courting virtuosos makes sense. It saddens me to see Rusty Cooley's pic on his web site holding a custom Jackson that he probably had to pay for himself and loves, next to a notice that says he is now endorsing Ibanez guitars, and expecting an Ibanez custom 7 in a few months.

Anyway, you're doing great, FMIC. Keep Jackson undiluted and kicking ass, and thanks.

[gemini8026]

Re: It is all in the marketing

In the end, they are 6 six string instruments.

Anything can be played on them, and you can say that about any other guitar manufacturer.

I wouldnt want Jackson to go "mainstream". From there, you may lose quality due to major mass production and lose some exclusivity (sp?)

Not many people were interested when I said I played an Ibanez RG620x, but they had a second look when I said I had a USA JAckson Soloist SL2H. In fact up here in Canada USA JAcksons are rare and can gather a crowd at a music store.

I dont care who is endorsing the guitars, I have played many guitars and I like the looks and feel of the JAckson SL series necks.

Besides, I dont want to pay an extra 200$ a guitar so that Jackson can pay their endorsers!

I DO wish they would follow a business plan like Carvin though. Allow us the choice to customise a little, and avoid the middle man so the consumer saves a few $$$ in the end!

[Kwcbv]

Re: It is all in the marketing

Since I am in Marketing and Business Development, I thought I would give my take on this. First, FMIC probably wants the strats to be the "generic all-rounder" guitar and the Jackson to be a "specialty" or "Boutique" guitar. Its probably got more to do with product line positioning than anything else. Making the Jackson mass production guitars more generic would only cannibalize the fender strat lines and wouldn't lead to increased sales.

From another perspective, its the same reason why Toyota has the Lexus brand and Honda has Acura. Jackson guitars serve a specific market for FMIC. In short, Jackson is a brand, and has a brand image, which is the heavy metal/shredder guitar.