FirebirdX marketing

[Mike From Canada]

Hi All,

 

I had wanted to post this in the 4henry forum, but it's been months since I registered, and I still haven't been cleared for posting there. :(

 

I was thinking about the negative reaction that the FirebirdX has received, and I think that part of the problem is in the marketing.

 

First, Gibson has no track record, and hence no credibility, in the effects market. So, the Gibson brand really doesn't have any market value in this area. Also, digital effects run counter to the brand personality of the Gibson name. Gibson means traditional, classic, absolute top quality, and digital effects are new, leading edge, and often of questionable quality.

 

If Gibson wants to market high end guitars with effects built in, in my opinion, they need to do two things:

 

1) establish credibility in the analog effects market. Old, tube, tape, and maybe even plate effects would fit with the Gibson brand personality. If Gibson marketed fantastic analog effects based on classic designs, they would establish credibility in this area, and the Gibson brand would have value in this area.

 

2) Next, they need to establish credibility in the digital effects area. If Gibson could first get a name in analog effects, and then model them so well that the digital Gibson counterparts were seen to be as good as the classic old designs, Gibson could make Gibson digital feel as classic and traditional to people as the tube and tape effects because they would be seen as equivalent. If they could achieve this, the Gibson name could have value in the digital effects market, too.

 

Then, Gibson would be in a good position to market a high end guitar with effects that fit their brand image and have instant credibility with the buying public. Right now, it's a bit like Acura trying to market a line of BlueRay players, or Avid trying to market high end guitars. It just feels wrong to the customer.

 

Just my 2 cents.

 

Mike