Springfield Armory Saint... anyone else interested?

[JD8]

Everyone is talking about it? Didn't see one word on several boards about it to be honest, except for this one here with a handful of individuals talking about it. Oh.... I DID get an email.

Successful marketing = sales and I don't see people lining up for this one.

 

[NikatKimber]

I'm certainly in no place to argue whether it is or isn't textbook. Maybe the thing is that we're not used to this aggressive of a marketing campaign in the firearms world. Even Sig hasn't made this much hoopla recently with the MPX/MCX, P320, and the Legion all being as new/big as the Saint.

But Springfield certainly needed some juice. In the New Tactical World of Shooting, Springfield didn't offer much. The 1911 pistol line hasn't had much new other than the Range Officer in a decade, and the XD never hit it big. The M1A maintains a loyal following but is hardly a mainstream firearm.

 

[NikatKimber]

Everyone is talking about it? Didn't see one word on several boards about it to be honest, except for this one here with a handful of individuals talking about it. Oh.... I DID get an email.

Successful marketing = sales and I don't see people lining up for this one.

Where it's being talked about is the hundreds of articles that rave about it after Springfield invited every internet blog writer to the opening.

 

[Ignored Member]

Springfield president:
Okay guys, we're going to launch a brand new product that nobody has ever seen before. It'll be so out of this world and phenomenal, that people will piss themselves just by glancing at it.
We're building a 16" AR15 with, listen up guys, a Mid Length gas system!! Sales are gonna fly through the roof with this!

Ass kissing team:
Brilliant sir!
Genius!
That's why you're the boss!
So forward thinking!
The market will explode!
Hoorah!!

 

[POKE1911]

The effectiveness of any good marketing campaign lies in the ability to track the metrics. Are sales of this rife due to the marketing campaign or the political landscape? The product would sell with or without this campaign. There is no doubt that a factory built AR with the extras that it has and the brand reputation that SA has in this price range will sell. Especially with people who are brand loyal.

So my question would be, who is thier target audience? Surely it isn't people that are into ARs or are in the market for one as they would have taken a different approach. Maybe they are targeting people who are moderately into firearms or are brand loyal who have never thought about owning AR for whatever reason. Using this campaign to fuel the desire for one. However to the gun enthusiasts and people that are into ARs, this approach of build hype and reveal feels like a huge let down. Almost like a bait and switch at a used car lot.

 

[O4L]

Whitaker Guns has one for $750.

https://shop.whittakerguns.com/product/7663087

 

[YukonGlocker]

SA is using the entire online space to advertise with this approach...social media, video media, blogs, etc. Now that people know the product is there (thanks to this phase of the advertising), SA will focus on the next phase (i.e., converting that product awareness into sales). They don't give a damn about hard-core gun nuts who think the marketing is gimmicky, because the *vast* majority of people who'll buy this product are not in that demographic.

 

[YukonGlocker]

prepare yourselves for popper palooza

 

[Eagle Eye]

I wanna play

 

[OKNewshawk]

Springfield president:
Okay guys, we're going to launch a brand new product that nobody has ever seen before. It'll be so out of this world and phenomenal, that people will piss themselves just by glancing at it.
We're building a 16" AR15 with, listen up guys, a Mid Length gas system!! Sales are gonna fly through the roof with this!

Ass kissing team:
Brilliant sir!
Genius!
That's why you're the boss!
So forward thinking!
The market will explode!
Hoorah!!

Oh, yes! One more thing--we'll introduce it one week before the most hotly contested Presidential election ever!