Marketing: How TNA Could Become a Real Contender Again

[BigBombB]

WWE doesn't pull in the huge ratings it once did...they are still good compared to the television industry on the whole but not upper echelon. WWE can no longer rely on TV deals, advertising revenue, and what they take at the door to maintain profitability. So WWE has diversified, they do a lot of different stuff, and so long as that stuff turns a profit they will continue to do it. And this is where TNA has an opening.

They have lost a lot of heavy hitters as far as marketing goes lately. AJ Styles should have been gold, Bad Influence could have been a lot bigger, and Bully Ray was the perfect antithesis to what WWE claims to be. But they're gone. So what can TNA do now to get profits up and get back in the race?

Here are a few suggestions...

#1. The Samoa Joe Solution: In the territory days Joe would have been one of the top stars in the world, in WWE it is likely he would make for a top contender, but in TNA he is out of sight and out of mind. With Sting signing a deal with WWE, even if it is just a legends deal, Joe could easily take this as a chance to proclaim himself 'the greatest star never to sign with WWE'. His athletic big man persona could be a huge hit with kids who are self conscious about their weight and watching him destroy more traditionally muscular opponents could get some good online press. Have Joe pick up the flag for overweight people everywhere, have him become an icon within that field, and have his amazing in-ring abilities be the icing on the cake to stardom.

#2. Eric Young, Ultimate Heel: Like a leech holding onto a deer, Young has remained employed in TNA longer than pretty much every major star to ever be in the promotion and he even earned a title run that few believe he deserved. While Young has been stereotyped into the face role, he would make an AMAZING heel, especially if paired with a slimy heel manager. He has his own TV show, he has overstepped his place, and he suddenly gets the biggest ego imaginable because of it. Imagine the announcement of "Please welcome TV Personality, Eric Young!" and Young intentionally trying to sabotage good segments in order to get himself more exposure. People would pay to see someone put a stop to him so they can watch the great matches he interrupts in peace.

#3. Bobby Roode, Master Mind: Roode pulls together a stable of misfit toys. He pulls in Magnus, trying to save him from his fall into obscurity. He pulls in Rob Terry, an imposing figure and still young enough to be somebody one day. Finally he grabs Samuel Shaw, with the promise that "if you join with me, we'll protect you". While protecting Shaw will get Roode immediate heat from a lot of people, he wouldn't be a heel, he would be a guy doing what is 'best for Bobby Roode' (which could even spawn a t-shirt like "It's Best To Be Roode"). Backstage attacks on faces and heels, in-ring beatdowns of guys like Aries and Anderson, anyone that questions or opposes him will feel the wrath of his goons. He will be an imposing figure that can be marketed as a major loose cannon within the industry, no telling what he will do with his influence and who he might hurt next.

#4. Abyss, the Desperate Monster: Abyss realizes he is seen as a joke by many and falls into a bit of a depression. He begins to offer his services to various people within the organization, saying he will 'do whatever needs to be done'. Guys low on the card pay him $20 to rough up their opponent for the night before the match. People start catching on so they begin offering more to not get beaten up and to get him to beat up the other guy. Soon Abyss' services are in high demand, even being utilized by Roode for a while, until Abyss realizes that he is taking out some of the top guys in the promotion and is back to being the most dominant force in the promotion. Then he is positioned as a desperate but powerful monster whose madness may have made him unstoppable. He becomes legit scary again and scary sells.

#5. Austin Aries and EC3, Unlikely Business Partners: Aries wants to be at the top of the promotion, EC3 has natural pull within the company, and the entire landscape is becoming more dangerous by the day. Aries wants to be the one shaking hands, kissing babies, and becoming the face of the organization but he sees guys like Samoa Joe, Jeff Hardy, and Robert Roode seem to be the ones treated like the golden children. EC3 takes Aries in as a bit of a renegade with the talent and determination to do great things, but the two are wary of each other on a good day. The possibility of great segments mixed with each of them looking like top players in the promotion would do wonders for them. Especially when Aunt Dixie ultimately decides EC3 is the perfect 'face' of the organization, leaving Aries high and dry.

#6: Gail Kim, Girl Power: Kim has set a standard of refusing to be treated with disrespect in a male dominated industry. Kim could easily target the female market (especially because she is recognizable from WWE) to pull in a whole new fanbase. As the epitome of 'what a woman should strive to be'; tough, independent, and beautiful; she would battle the 'typical beauties' of the wrestling world to pave a path for women who have to 'work for it'. The online world would take to this kind of angle immediately and a lot of new eyes would tune in just to see an amazing performer like Kim do her thing.

#7. Using Everyone Else To Their Strengths: Lashley is a dominant champion, building up guys like Joe, Roode, and Abyss as legitimate threats to his title is all that needs to be done. Jeff Hardy is already a huge draw, a feud with Roode to get Roode's new gimmick off the ground would get it maximum exposure (especially if Roode takes out Jeff and Matt fills in until Jeff's return for vengeance). Everyone else plays straight up face or straight up heel personas that help all of the top level stuff take off; even better if a few of these guys show a lot of promise and can eventually start to find their way into the main event mix one day.

Compelling characters that reach beyond wrestling, guys that people can relate to, and powerful personalities are the glue that keeps wrestling alive. If TNA could consistently brand various wrestlers within their company in the above ways (especially Joe and Kim) then they could get people talking again. Not only could they get them talking, they could be a part of some important social movements, a surefire way to become credible in the world. Just my...however many cents this is worth.

 

[Terry Gyimah]

TNA should build around Lashley I mean he is the TNA World Heavyweight Champion after all but if anything if Lashley could be compared to any champion it is definitely Lesnar, Lashley is the "Brock Lesnar" of TNA when you really think about it but if he can just get rid of MVP and Kenny King because let's face it they are dead weight and Lashley doesn't really need either one of them riding his coattails but what they need to do is throw Lashley with a manager a la Paul Heyman or someone similar to Heyman in that aspect

 

[TheICChampion]

While I like your ideas, and they would provide that much-needed kick in the butt that TNA needs, I frankly don't see any of these coming to fruition. Everything would have to work out perfectly, TNA would have to know EXACTLY when to pull the trigger and deliver the payoff, and they would also have to be able to be patient and stick with these storylines. It doesn't help that TNA tapes several weeks of TV at a time, so people can just go online and check the results anytime they want. Especially now that it's no longer a free channel. IF TNA went live every week, which is not likely, then they might have a chance. All the stars have to align just right. Again, I like your ideas, but I just don't see them happening

 

[The Boss]

What do any of those suggestions have to do with marketing? Nothing that was suggested by the OP was about marketing based. All I saw was suggesting angles (and not very good ones IMO) that he would like to see on TV. Sadly TNA gave away all of it's marketablility, it's names, it's stars, it's live shows, it's road schedule, it's higher TV production and it's focus on wrestling. All they have left is, "Look at our funny looking ring he-yuck." A gimmick ring is all that they have. It never drew in the past and it doesn't draw now.

TNA needs to give up ever being seen as a legitimate promotion and accept that they are the most successful indy fed and be happy with that.

 

[Rayne]

Sadly TNA gave away all of it's marketablility, it's names, it's stars, it's live shows, it's road schedule, it's higher TV production and it's focus on wrestling.

Well, they didn't 'give them away'. That implies that TNA had some sort of decision as to whether or not to keep them, and the choices were: a) Keep pissing money down a dead-end, or b) Stop pissing money down a dead-end. It's names and stars, HOLLYWOOD HULK HOGAN included, couldn't raise the ratings for more than two months, until things got so sad that people were calling it a victory when Impact's rating didn't decline from the previous week. (Ninety percenters- it would seem ratings DO matter after all.) All of the things you've listed cost money that TNA doesn't have, except for a 'focus on wrestling', and TNA hasn't been a promotion focused on wrestling since they were shooting PPV's every week. (They have used it as a tagline, repeatedly and ironically. Remember "Wrestling Matters", then being treated to forty-five minute Bischoff in-ring segments?)

OP- that isn't marketing, that's storytelling. Storytelling is the process of developing characters and plotlines; marketing is the process of getting people to believe that it isn't a total turd. Storytelling has not been TNA's problem; their issue is that they could write Shakespeare, but their actors are largely kids, drunks, and old men who had their glory days before 75% of this board was born- and no one cares what's playing in the theatre-in-the-round anyways. All the star actors are now unaffordable, ironically because those star actors failed to be the attractions that they were billed as.

TNA's dead; maybe in four months, maybe (but, no, just a figure of speech) four years, but they have a structural problem which prevents them from raising the income for redevelopment. The only places that money will come from are a) baby angels carrying sacks of money, or b) selling the company to someone dumb enough to think they can fix it. A is more plausible than B at this point.

 

[BigBombB]

Marketing starts with a quality product. Modern day marketing utilizes the internet and fads. Everything I listed is very specific marketing, either to draw people in or to sell people on the legitimacy of the stars so they will keep watching once they do tune in.

Samoa Joe being marketed as a role model for the overweight would draw attention. Gail Kim being marketed as a strong woman that others should strive to be would draw attention. These two, in particular, would need additional bits like Kim actually doing talks to help give girls confidence and Joe talking about what it is like not having the "look of a wrestler" while trying to show he is one of the best in the world. This sort of stuff would do wonders for TNA and make them relevant, there is no better marketing than that.

Sam Shaw is a gimmick that is edgy and fits into what people like in television these days. Sticking him in a group where he can be protected gives him more leeway to be a nut and having a 'godfather' of sorts in Robert Roode mixes the whole gangster/psychopath together into a combination people would tune in for once they see it. This could also push a lot of merch, as interesting stables are always a solid money source.

Eric Young would legitimately be a D-List celebrity outside of wrestling, he would have enough of a following to stir up some interest if the gimmick was right. Especially if they worked in a bunch of other D-List celebrities that Young would pretend were 'big deals', getting a few new eyes watching with everyone he got to come on. Do some cross-promotional stuff so it wouldn't cost money, enough people would bite to make it work.

Abyss NEEDS to be scary, if he is scary then they can begin pushing merchandise. Masks sell well when people care about the character, they need to bridge the gap between him being a giant wuss to being unstoppable again, then they could get people to tune in just to see this huge, crazy guy hurting people (it is working for Brock and he doesn't even have all the gimmicks to go with it).

The Aries/Carter angle is the only real 'wrestling' angle but could be turned into a business opportunity. Both guys begin trying to push their merch, with whoever 'sells the most' earning the right to be the face of the company. It would be a short term increase but could lead to more longterm profits if people buy into the pairing itself. It could definitely work.

If this thread was just "sell more t-shirts, use social media" then it would be pointless, TNA already does that, they just don't do it with a product that can sell. Getting the proper gimmicks going and marketing them to the right segments would get people tuning in. The more people that tune in, the more money that will be spent, and the more money they will have to bring in quality talent.

 

[Rayne]

Great- now how do you make people aware of all those awesome character changes that will surely change everything about TNA?

TNA's been hoping that friends will tell their friends for six years now, and it hasn't happened. What is so different about your storylines that's going to make hundreds of thousands of people who aren't watching, start watching?

How about this- how about we go around and get a bunch of the hardcore legends from the 90's, and have them put over current talent for six months? How about we bring in one of the topmost legends in professional wrestling history and have him work storylines with all of your major characters?

It doesn't matter what TNA books right now; unless you think you have something unbelievably amazing that's going to turn in new audience members by the literal hundreds of thousands, and TNA may literally have to kill a guy on television (and have Dixie announce a big surprise on Impact via Twitter) to get that to happen. People have been trying to book TNA into success for six years now, and it hasn't worked. If you truly think you're on to something different, you would be far better served by getting your resume in order and applying to TNA. Word is that they're hiring if you'll work cheap.

 

[BigBombB]

Great- now how do you make people aware of all those awesome character changes that will surely change everything about TNA?

TNA's been hoping that friends will tell their friends for six years now, and it hasn't happened. What is so different about your storylines that's going to make hundreds of thousands of people who aren't watching, start watching?

How about this- how about we go around and get a bunch of the hardcore legends from the 90's, and have them put over current talent for six months? How about we bring in one of the topmost legends in professional wrestling history and have him work storylines with all of your major characters?

It doesn't matter what TNA books right now; unless you think you have something unbelievably amazing that's going to turn in new audience members by the literal hundreds of thousands, and TNA may literally have to kill a guy on television (and have Dixie announce a big surprise on Impact via Twitter) to get that to happen. People have been trying to book TNA into success for six years now, and it hasn't worked. If you truly think you're on to something different, you would be far better served by getting your resume in order and applying to TNA. Word is that they're hiring if you'll work cheap.

The point is that they need to appeal to people OUTSIDE of the wrestling spectrum. The one place where wrestling will always have the advantage over a non-pre-determined sport like UFC is that they can create their own leverage. In UFC, if someone gets knocked out then they fall down the mountain, in wrestling a guy can lose and come back looking even stronger.

Because wrestling is 'fake', you can take a guy like Samoa Joe, have him reach out to become a spokesman for the overweight and eventually he'll pull in some mainstream coverage. Once that happens, someone will click a random link, be interested in this heavy guy kicking butt in a 'jacked' guys world, and suddenly TNA has a lot more viewers. THEN they have to maintain them with a good quality product.

Where TNA is failing is a lack of consistency, yes, but it is mainly because they aren't reaching outside of wrestling to pull in new fans. They are trying to appeal to old fans who stopped caring a long time ago. Bringing in 'hardcore legends' may be a big deal within the small confines of wrestling but doesn't mean a damn thing to anyone else. A hero of atypical proportions, the chubby guy who makes muscular guys look like fools, that is the kind of character that can pull in a huge portion of young men who feel inadequate about themselves and are inspired by a guy like Joe.

I'm not sure how you're failing to see how this is considerably different than "lets go live!" or "we'll bring in Hulk Hogan!" or "lets appeal to the disenfranchised fans!" The first WrestleMania was big PRIMARILY because of the huge amount of top caliber celebrities that appeared on the show. This got them MAINSTREAM EXPOSURE and made people interested in what they were doing. This is what took Hulk Hogan from a top name in wrestling to a pop culture icon. TNA can do the exact same thing, albeit on a smaller level for now, but they can at least have a place to start!

 

[Rayne]

The point is that they need to appeal to people OUTSIDE of the wrestling spectrum. The one place where wrestling will always have the advantage over a non-pre-determined sport like UFC is that they can create their own leverage. In UFC, if someone gets knocked out then they fall down the mountain, in wrestling a guy can lose and come back looking even stronger.

1) Create new stories.
2) ?????
3) Get MAINSTREAM EXPOSURE.

So you're saying they need to completely re-invent professional wrestling in order to appeal to a type of fan that professional wrestling hasn't appealed to before, and the way to do that is by giving characters new gimmicks, then having them participate in scripted competitions lasting between five and fifteen minutes.

The "brand new idea that will totally save TNA" has to, by definition, be able to bring in several hundred thousand viewers that aren't currently watching. The reason TNA focused on older fans was because the WWE has a lock on the child market, and because they weren't crazy enough to think that they could create hundreds of thousands of professional wrestling fans out of thin air. "Samoa Joe will eventually get mainstream coverage if we just script him against adversity." You sure about that one? Hulk Hogan's introduction to TNA was announced at one of UFC's largest pay-per-views, and was followed up by spots on the late-night shows and a general media tour. No one gave a shit. Why do they suddenly care about some professional wrestler that they've never heard of, because he's struggling against adversity?

Who's your target audience for this marketing scheme of yours? What's the hook that brings them into it? This sounds like more of something for the Book This! forum, as opposed to the latest Idea That Will Save TNA This Time For Sure.

I'm not sure how you're failing to see how this is considerably different than "lets go live!" or "we'll bring in Hulk Hogan!" or "lets appeal to the disenfranchised fans!" The first WrestleMania was big PRIMARILY because of the huge amount of top caliber celebrities that appeared on the show. This got them MAINSTREAM EXPOSURE and made people interested in what they were doing. This is what took Hulk Hogan from a top name in wrestling to a pop culture icon. TNA can do the exact same thing, albeit on a smaller level for now, but they can at least have a place to start!

Celebrities. TNA's tried that, on a TNA budget. They hired J-Woww, WWE brought in Snooki. TNA brought in that guy from Big Brother, the WWE brought in a parade of celebrities every Monday night. Celebrities (since we're doing caps lock) COST MONEY. MAINSTREAM EXPOSURE costs money, unless we're back to the aforementioned literal murder-in-the-ring. In case you haven't noticed, TNA is on a bit of a budget cutting mission. The MAINSTREAM EXPOSURE that COSTS MONEY is UNAFFORDABLE to TNA right now. Celebrities didn't show up to WRESTLEMANIA out of the goodness of their hearts and their love for wrasslin', they showed up because Vince McMahon cut them a huge check.

TNA's been searching for MAINSTREAM EXPOSURE for six years. That was the whole point of pissing away millions of dollars on Hulk Hogan and his entourage. How does Samoa Joe losing weight and participating in scripted matches where the performers demonstrate physical acrobatics do that?

 

[Zeven_Zion]

I agree with Rayne completely. In addition, are we ready to face the fact that mainstream exposure by TNA is unreachable because mainstream audiences don't care about wrestling as a genre, let alone the company that is not even the top dog within that genre? If mainstream audiences are to get back into wrestling (for whatever whacky reason), they will go with the WWE. I've never seen an American football game in my life, I don't have a clue about who the best teams are, but if I ever do, I'd like to go to the game between the top dogs, not the small fish that has a handful of very loud and passionate fans. TNA is not that much better than the WWE as to expose WWE's inability to produce a great wrestling product, because TNA is not producing a great wrestling product either. If the WWE can't pull itself out of the stasis they have been in since the beginning of this god damned century, what in the world makes anyone think TNA can? Guys, I love the underdog as much as the next guy and I'll always pull for TNA no matter what, but be realistic here - if WWE can't do it, TNA can't do it. You grow your enterprise by having money, spending them in a smart way and letting people know you got something worth their cash, NOT by telling a fat half-Samoan to be less fat. Joe's half white, that's why Scott Steiner was calling him a half-breed all the time. Not relevant, just wanted to throw this out there.

Unless TNA gets on WWE's level in terms of resources and brand awareness, it is simply not happening.

Are we, as a fandom, ready to accept that no one outside of our little community is willing to watch wrestling again? Are we ready to realize that the professional wrestling genre is passe, boring, ridden with horrible acting, uninteresting athleticism, uninspired story and oh so terribly fake, supported only by children or wrestling fans who still hold on to the business because it's just a habit at this point?

You do realize that some TV genres are bound to die, right? The 70's, 80's and 90's had game shows, sit-coms and wrestling dominate television, alongside the regular mainstay - sports broadcasts. TV dramas were not as popular, reality television was not even a concept. TV dramas and reality TV are today's dominant TV genres. While reality TV is bland for lots of people, it has a large audience - unlike wrestling. TV dramas galore now, and most of they are really, really good. Far more entertaining than anything we've seen on TV - ever. They're packed with amazing drama, cool action, great storytelling and superb acting. How the hell can wrestling compete with that?

It doesn't matter that wrestling is parts sports, parts entertainment. It's still in competition with everything else on TV, not just the WWE. If it's not directly head to head, then wrestling suffers because of the high level of entertainment other TV shows have. They rose the bar too high. Once a viewer has been exposed to a truly rewarding TV experience, something like wrestling cannot match it - thus they will go nowhere near it. Even if they get past the fact it's fake and see the value in it. Yeah they'll flip channels, watch it once or twice or even casually, but new viewers won't become the solid fanbase TNA needs. They need people who watch week in and week out, shed money for merchandise, Pay-Per-Views, live events, subscriptions - they need to be HOOKED. To hook them you need something pretty damn special. TNA doesn't have it. Wrestling doesn't have it. I keep saying wrestling because this a genre issue, not as much a TNA issue, although they did fuck up greatly.

If I play Skyrim and Mass Effect 3, I'm not going to shed bucks on Pacman and Space Invaders. If I wasn't tied to wrestling by some moronic nostalgia and habit, I would never in a thousand years be willing to invest time and money into a product that is greatly inferior to most nice things on television.

I used to think TNA's problem was based in their marketing tactics, or some backstage rotten apples. I no longer think so. I think TNA Wrestling's main problem is that it's wrestling. Same goes for the WWE. Both companies are doing bad, both companies have lower ratings than they used to before, both companies are scrambling to cut costs because both companies are wrestling companies and nobody in their right mind gives a flying fuck about wrestling anymore. Wrestling isn't some great, amazing TV that is just waiting to be discovered and its main problem is marketing. People already discovered it. Over 25 years ago. And they got sick of it. And they moved on. But, maybe I'm too pessimistic. Maybe I'm wrong, but I have a feeling I'm not.

P.S: Don't ever start a career in marketing, none of that drivel had anything to do with it. Marketing and CAS (Create a Storyline) have nothing to do with each other. Case closed.

 

[Rayne]

Eh... I'm not so sure professional wrestling is dying. But it is going through a drastic change in its business model, which has by and large been the same from the 1980's until this year. The old revenue streams are being substantially reduced, and in order to survive companies have to change their business model; see, the WWE Network.

It's trendy to say that the WWE Network is a failed experiment, especially since they're hawking it like chef's knives where you can get the whole set for just six low payments of $9.99, but it's still finding its niche. And it might be that professional wrestling operates on a smaller scale in the future. Advertising and television rights fees are down, but Monday Night Raw remains a cable television mainstay.

TNA pretty much hit all the bad notes at once. They spent their investment money rather foolishly while trying to build a company around an obsolete business model. But I wouldn't take their demise as a harbinger for the incipient doom of the professional wrestling industry, more like a harbinger for the incipient doom of the four-shows-and-a-PPV model.

 

[Planet_Velvet]

I honestly don't see any of the ideas presented working. Almost all of it has been done in some capacity before. There's nothing wrong with optimism. But if TNA wants to truly prosper, it needs to develop its own vision and identity and stay the course in its growth and evolution. TNA has never had a clue what it is, so it probably has less of a clue what it could become.

 

[I_Like_All_Wrestling]

What do any of those suggestions have to do with marketing? Nothing that was suggested by the OP was about marketing based.

100% true. Too many of the "fixes" people look at are creative focused. It's not a "if you build it they will come" industry. Especially not anymore. You need to make non wrestling fans aware that other options are out there.

One of the first things they need to do is figure out what market they want. Kids? Adults? In between? "Everyone" is not an option. Decide who your audience is, market to them, tailor your product to them.

There's a lot more TNA could have done or do to help in marketing. Unfortunately, most marketing costs money...

 

[Alastor]

Eh... I'm not so sure professional wrestling is dying. But it is going through a drastic change in its business model, which has by and large been the same from the 1980's until this year. The old revenue streams are being substantially reduced, and in order to survive companies have to change their business model; see, the WWE Network.

It's trendy to say that the WWE Network is a failed experiment, especially since they're hawking it like chef's knives where you can get the whole set for just six low payments of $9.99, but it's still finding its niche. And it might be that professional wrestling operates on a smaller scale in the future. Advertising and television rights fees are down, but Monday Night Raw remains a cable television mainstay.

TNA pretty much hit all the bad notes at once. They spent their investment money rather foolishly while trying to build a company around an obsolete business model. But I wouldn't take their demise as a harbinger for the incipient doom of the professional wrestling industry, more like a harbinger for the incipient doom of the four-shows-and-a-PPV model.

I'll say pro-wrestling on TV is struggling due the change in how entertainment is being consumed and also due to the rise in other forms of entertainment that has risen over the years. Gaming has become mainstream and top big name games can rival Hollywood movies opening week. Live sports has become the holy grail of networks that are struggling to keep subscribers. Viewers are binge watching their favourite shows either due to choice or because of a lack of time. Expecting fans to follow 3hours Raw + 2hours of Smackdown + 1hour Main Event + whatever recap shows weekly in addition to the monthly PPV is too much. Only the hardcore fans will do that, which is why I guess WWE decided to do away with the brand split and focus on one show. And there are not enough hardcore pro-wrestling fans out there to watch all WWE content, let alone adding TNA to it.

I agree, the business model of WWE needed to change. PPV numbers are falling and it will be a hardsell to the next generation that are used to free/cheap content to pay $45 for a PPV. The network is their first step into tapping into a new media outlet in case TV goes the way of the radio. (still there but not as big as during its heyday)

As for TNA, I agree they built their company around an obsolete business model. They put all their eggs on the TV contract being sufficient, and merely putting out houseshows due to traditions of wrestling without concerns of profitability. And then they delude themselves into thinking it as a marketing expense, marketing to 1000 or less already locked in fans is just burning money away.

And regarding the topic, TNA's belief was that there are enough wrestling fans out there not watching WWE to support a second promotion on TV, and not to grow the industry by attracting new fans (like Vince did in the 1980s with celebrities). TNA's original marketing appeal was to cannibalise the wrestling fans pie, and now to want them to appeal to mainstream fans is a reach. They built around a niche of a niche, so it isn't that difficult to understand they are struggling to gain viewers when the growth of the niche business of pro wrestling is stagnant.

 

[BigBombB]

You grow your enterprise by having money, spending them in a smart way and letting people know you got something worth their cash, NOT by telling a fat half-Samoan to be less fat. Joe's half white, that's why Scott Steiner was calling him a half-breed all the time. Not relevant, just wanted to throw this out there.

You grow an enterprise by managing whatever amount of money you have to produce maximum profit with it, I agree spending in a smart way is important, and in what way did I ever say Samoa Joe should be 'less fat'? Joe should be an inspiration to those who ARE fat, not just another guy obsessed with becoming skinny so he can be 'accepted'. There is real value there, your inability to see that means you're really out of touch with cultural trends. And the half-breed thing...why even bring that up?

You do realize that some TV genres are bound to die, right? The 70's, 80's and 90's had game shows, sit-coms and wrestling dominate television, alongside the regular mainstay - sports broadcasts. TV dramas were not as popular, reality television was not even a concept. TV dramas and reality TV are today's dominant TV genres. While reality TV is bland for lots of people, it has a large audience - unlike wrestling. TV dramas galore now, and most of they are really, really good. Far more entertaining than anything we've seen on TV - ever. They're packed with amazing drama, cool action, great storytelling and superb acting. How the hell can wrestling compete with that?

I agree that it is entirely possible that wrestling is at the level of game shows and will simply hit a holding pattern they can never get out of. But wrestling is far more dynamic than that and has the advantage of having a bunch of marketable individuals (when they are utilized properly). Wrestling can't compete on the level of acting, that is true, but is it a complete coincidence that The Rock, Batista, Sheamus (Darth Vader!), and even Stone Cold are being put in important roles in big movies? Wrestling has something special in it, even now, it is just finding new ways to leverage that.

I used to think TNA's problem was based in their marketing tactics, or some backstage rotten apples. I no longer think so. I think TNA Wrestling's main problem is that it's wrestling. Same goes for the WWE. Both companies are doing bad, both companies have lower ratings than they used to before, both companies are scrambling to cut costs because both companies are wrestling companies and nobody in their right mind gives a flying fuck about wrestling anymore. Wrestling isn't some great, amazing TV that is just waiting to be discovered and its main problem is marketing. People already discovered it. Over 25 years ago. And they got sick of it. And they moved on. But, maybe I'm too pessimistic. Maybe I'm wrong, but I have a feeling I'm not.

You have a point, though I also agree you're a bit pessimistic. Successful marketing often comes from viewing the product in a new way. If TNA continues to focus on only the 'wrestling' aspect of their product then I agree, they are doomed to fail, but if they start getting known for trying to do some good in the world then that 'good will' could pay off in big money. This isn't an 'instantly turn everything around' plan, this is a fundamental shift in how TNA does business.

P.S: Don't ever start a career in marketing, none of that drivel had anything to do with it. Marketing and CAS (Create a Storyline) have nothing to do with each other. Case closed.

I would take your advice if you had any idea what you were talking about. Having a marketable product is the first step to good marketing, the second step is utilizing the advantages you built into your product to market it to the world. Having storylines that help your marketing efforts is incredibly important, I don't know how you can honestly think otherwise.

1) Create new stories.
2) ?????
3) Get MAINSTREAM EXPOSURE.

So you're saying they need to completely re-invent professional wrestling in order to appeal to a type of fan that professional wrestling hasn't appealed to before, and the way to do that is by giving characters new gimmicks, then having them participate in scripted competitions lasting between five and fifteen minutes.

The "brand new idea that will totally save TNA" has to, by definition, be able to bring in several hundred thousand viewers that aren't currently watching. The reason TNA focused on older fans was because the WWE has a lock on the child market, and because they weren't crazy enough to think that they could create hundreds of thousands of professional wrestling fans out of thin air. "Samoa Joe will eventually get mainstream coverage if we just script him against adversity." You sure about that one? Hulk Hogan's introduction to TNA was announced at one of UFC's largest pay-per-views, and was followed up by spots on the late-night shows and a general media tour. No one gave a shit. Why do they suddenly care about some professional wrestler that they've never heard of, because he's struggling against adversity?

Remember how Hogan infamously almost never name dropped TNA in nearly all of his television appearances? You're right, that was shitty marketing and they should have sued him for breach of contract. And I'm not sure you're aware but every wrestler is 'unknown' until someone puts in the effort to make them relevant. If we assume that being relevant 'within the realm of wrestling' is no longer enough, which I would agree with, then wrestlers need characters that appeal outside of wrestling.

Who's your target audience for this marketing scheme of yours? What's the hook that brings them into it? This sounds like more of something for the Book This! forum, as opposed to the latest Idea That Will Save TNA This Time For Sure.

Marketed at young kids, specifically those with body dysmorphia, to give them a strong role model to get behind. Hell, even grown men would probably tune in to see the 'fat guy' kick ass if he was actually allowed to do that consistently. The Gail Kim angle would appeal to young girls, giving them a role model and a reason to care about wrestling, while I'm sure a lot of strong 'girl power' celebrities would gladly team up with her for publicity since her athleticism is genuinely something a lot of girls wish they had. The rest of the angles would be to capitalize on modern trends in television that might help retain viewers and push some merchandise as well.

Celebrities. TNA's tried that, on a TNA budget. They hired J-Woww, WWE brought in Snooki. TNA brought in that guy from Big Brother, the WWE brought in a parade of celebrities every Monday night. Celebrities (since we're doing caps lock) COST MONEY. MAINSTREAM EXPOSURE costs money, unless we're back to the aforementioned literal murder-in-the-ring. In case you haven't noticed, TNA is on a bit of a budget cutting mission. The MAINSTREAM EXPOSURE that COSTS MONEY is UNAFFORDABLE to TNA right now. Celebrities didn't show up to WRESTLEMANIA out of the goodness of their hearts and their love for wrasslin', they showed up because Vince McMahon cut them a huge check.

I didn't say 'hire celebrities', I said 'cross promote' with celebrities, especially those just starting out in the industry which would be another long term strategy because if any of them 'hit it big' then there is a good chance that 'the one time they showed up in wrestling' would be mentioned and people would tune in to see what it was about. They might even come back for another one off appearance!

TNA's been searching for MAINSTREAM EXPOSURE for six years. That was the whole point of pissing away millions of dollars on Hulk Hogan and his entourage. How does Samoa Joe losing weight and participating in scripted matches where the performers demonstrate physical acrobatics do that?

No, but, seriously, where did I ever say Samoa Joe should lose weight? That would undermine the entire idea. Hulk Hogan was coming off a show he lost to his daughter, an ugly way too public divorce, and the scandal where he told his son how to profit off the guy he paralyzed by driving recklessly. Yeah, MAINSTREAM EXPOSURE of the worst possible kind. Just because one idea doesn't work, for reasons that should be obvious given how badly Hogan destroyed his own credibility and clearly never gave one shit about TNA, doesn't mean specifically tailored marketing with people that would actually properly promote the product during media appearances wouldn't work.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

Look at the crap people buy and tell me you need quality a product to sell.

Instead of your ideas I think TNA would be better off going 100% right wing Christian wrestling. Those mofos are crazy loyal. Passion of the Christ and whatever the older brother from Growing Pains puts out makes mad money. TNA can rebrand and call themselves OLSW for Our Lord and Savior Wrestling.

Joel Osteen would be happy to play GM (God Manager) if you pay him enough. The storylines are already written in the Bible and can be ripped from the political headlines. The heels can have names like Universal Healthcare and The Kenyan Muslim. Those guys could get a win here and there but ultimately guys like Reagan Limbaugh and the Hannitys would win the big feuds. The women could have feuds when one finds out the other once had a finger in her pussy. Guys could make face turns by declaring they are born again and heel turns when it is discovered they voted democrat.

Not that anything above has to do with marketing.

Fuck it, I'm a heretic and a heathen and I think I'd watch this show out of morbid curiosity.

Kirk Cameron his name is Kirk Cameron.

 

[BigBombB]

Not that anything above has to do with marketing.

You tailored a show to appeal to a new section of viewers, that is marketing. I realize people have this misconception that marketing is all 'newspaper ads', 'handing out pamphlets', and 'powerpoint presentations' so I guess I can see where the confusion comes in here. And if you got Sarah Palin involved, it would probably make money, assuming her 100k of specially tailored clothing didn't bankrupt you first.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

You tailored a show to appeal to a new section of viewers, that is marketing.

And if marketing was so simple Betamax would have eliminated VHS and there would be no more major American car companies.

I realize people have this misconception that marketing is all 'newspaper ads', 'handing out pamphlets', and 'powerpoint presentations' so I guess I can see where the confusion comes in here.

And we realize that coming up with an idea and calling it marketing isn't marketing when it comes to professional wrestling in 2014. Marketing is far more complicated than do X, make money.

And if you got Sarah Palin involved, it would probably make money, assuming her 100k of specially tailored clothing didn't bankrupt you first.

Now having her involved doesn't take much marketing. The media loves talking about everything she does. Especially the the media that hates her.

You came up with some ideas. They are fine. They aren't going to help TNA. Not much right now is going to help TNA. They have become a small fish in a crowded pond in the middle of a drought and climate change.

 

[Rayne]

Remember how Hogan infamously almost never name dropped TNA in nearly all of his television appearances? You're right, that was shitty marketing and they should have sued him for breach of contract. And I'm not sure you're aware but every wrestler is 'unknown' until someone puts in the effort to make them relevant. If we assume that being relevant 'within the realm of wrestling' is no longer enough, which I would agree with, then wrestlers need characters that appeal outside of wrestling.

Marketed at young kids, specifically those with body dysmorphia, to give them a strong role model to get behind. Hell, even grown men would probably tune in to see the 'fat guy' kick ass if he was actually allowed to do that consistently. The Gail Kim angle would appeal to young girls, giving them a role model and a reason to care about wrestling, while I'm sure a lot of strong 'girl power' celebrities would gladly team up with her for publicity since her athleticism is genuinely something a lot of girls wish they had. The rest of the angles would be to capitalize on modern trends in television that might help retain viewers and push some merchandise as well.

Great! Now explain how to get these characters to appeal to people outside of wrestling who have not yet had the interest in watching men act in scripted competitions lasting for a set amount of time, where the audience is aware that the action in the ring is staged. "Girl Power" celebrities will work with Gail Kim, because.... reasons? (Which 'girl power' celebrities? Are there particular names you could see wanting to work with TNA, or are you just making a wish at a broad category?) Why wouldn't they just avoid working with the professional industry in the first place, as they do now? Seeing as "girl power" celebrities have their own image and audience that they are trying to reach, which has almost no overlap with a professional wrestling audience. Entertainment is a business.

We're still at the 'and the audience magically appears' phase. Yes, it's your idea, you're personally invested into it, but that step two of how this stuff actually happens is never being explained.

I didn't say 'hire celebrities', I said 'cross promote' with celebrities, especially those just starting out in the industry which would be another long term strategy because if any of them 'hit it big' then there is a good chance that 'the one time they showed up in wrestling' would be mentioned and people would tune in to see what it was about. They might even come back for another one off appearance!

Jesse Goddarz, Tito Ortiz, Rampage Jackson, J-Woww, Pacman Jones, and I am sure that I'm missing quite a few names. This is not a new idea. TNA's tried "cross promoting" with celebrities. Some of them had even already hit it big before appearing in TNA. No one cared. The thing about bringing in low-budget celebrities that might make it big some day, is that they're low-budget celebrities who haven't made it big yet. No one cares about them.

If there was some easy magic bullet to fix TNA's problems that could be explained in the length of a message board post, someone would have grabbed the gun by now and fired it. TNA's problems go well beyond what the actors are doing; they have fundamental income/outlay problems. Telling fat kids that Samoa Joe is now a role model and that they should look up to him doesn't fix that.

 

[BigBombB]

And if marketing was so simple Betamax would have eliminated VHS and there would be no more major American car companies.

That doesn't equate at all. Betamax lost because VHS had deals with the right people and Betamax wasn't able to accomplish that. Similar to how Disney supporting Blu-ray is the only reason it still exists and their competitors, some of which had technically better products, are dead or dying.

And we realize that coming up with an idea and calling it marketing isn't marketing when it comes to professional wrestling in 2014. Marketing is far more complicated than do X, make money.

It really isn't. It is in terms of logistics, yes, you can't just say "we're going to do X" then not follow every path possible to make it succeed. You're right in the sense that a lot of good ideas end up failing, even if everything was done right to make them succeed, but marketing really is "do X, make money". If the "X" that you're doing is capable of making money then the market will decide that, and it is true that there is no 100% way of guaranteeing that, you can only try to utilize every advantage you have to increase the odds it might work; which is what I feel like those ideas would do.

Now having her involved doesn't take much marketing. The media loves talking about everything she does. Especially the the media that hates her.

Word of mouth is the most effective kind of marketing. It is free, comes from people that the people hearing it trust, and has a much higher chance of creating buy-in. Just because it is being done by people outside the company doesn't mean it isn't marketing, most marketing teams would kill for that kind of recognition.

You came up with some ideas. They are fine. They aren't going to help TNA. Not much right now is going to help TNA. They have become a small fish in a crowded pond in the middle of a drought and climate change.

I agree with you on this, wrestling is a dying genre, but a lot of dying genres have burst back to life in a different form when they landed on the right wave to ride. Its more about not giving up and innovating as much as possible than worrying about what is happening to the rest of the competition.

Great! Now explain how to get these characters to appeal to people outside of wrestling who have not yet had the interest in watching men act in scripted competitions lasting for a set amount of time, where the audience is aware that the action in the ring is staged.

Its this mindset that is killing wrestling, there are a lot of people who haven't been fully exposed to it, they just hear from those who watch it that it isn't worth tuning in to. Maybe that is true but if a promotion could change that then momentum could shift.

"Girl Power" celebrities will work with Gail Kim, because.... reasons? (Which 'girl power' celebrities? Are there particular names you could see wanting to work with TNA, or are you just making a wish at a broad category?) Why wouldn't they just avoid working with the professional industry in the first place, as they do now? Seeing as "girl power" celebrities have their own image and audience that they are trying to reach, which has almost no overlap with a professional wrestling audience. Entertainment is a business.

Why does Ronda Rousey give a crap about wanting to be in WWE when she is the biggest female UFC star EVER? You don't see Anderson Silva or George St. Pierre chomping at the bit to get in WWE. Rousey grew up as a wrestling fan, it is very possible she took some of the paths she did because she loved the athleticism of the athletes she saw in wrestling. Wrestlers may be 'fake', but they are also roundly considered some of the toughest people in the world, and getting the hardest working veteran in the business today to carry the flag for woman power would be a natural fit. Others would join on because of the "You scratch my back, I scratch yours" effect.

We're still at the 'and the audience magically appears' phase. Yes, it's your idea, you're personally invested into it, but that step two of how this stuff actually happens is never being explained.

Or you consistently ignore it or assume it wouldn't work because...your personal opinion? Which I'm totally cool with, I'm actually enjoying coming up with ways to explain this better lol

Jesse Goddarz, Tito Ortiz, Rampage Jackson, J-Woww, Pacman Jones, and I am sure that I'm missing quite a few names. This is not a new idea. TNA's tried "cross promoting" with celebrities. Some of them had even already hit it big before appearing in TNA. No one cared. The thing about bringing in low-budget celebrities that might make it big some day, is that they're low-budget celebrities who haven't made it big yet. No one cares about them.

In my mind it is more of a supplemental idea. Hell, get some YouTube celebrities to make cameo appearances, start utilizing the untapped potential WWE has ignored. It might sound 'desperate' but I think that is the point they're at. Hell, it might even work.

If there was some easy magic bullet to fix TNA's problems that could be explained in the length of a message board post, someone would have grabbed the gun by now and fired it. TNA's problems go well beyond what the actors are doing; they have fundamental income/outlay problems. Telling fat kids that Samoa Joe is now a role model and that they should look up to him doesn't fix that.

Why doesn't it? Role models are important, especially ones that defy the norm. This is an area WWE is lacking in, they can't stick Bray Wyatt in that kind of role, but Samoa Joe could very well make it work. And how much extra money does it cost to do this that they aren't already spending on stuff that is proven not to work?

 

[Zeven_Zion]

You grow an enterprise by managing whatever amount of money you have to produce maximum profit with it, I agree spending in a smart way is important, and in what way did I ever say Samoa Joe should be 'less fat'? Joe should be an inspiration to those who ARE fat, not just another guy obsessed with becoming skinny so he can be 'accepted'. There is real value there, your inability to see that means you're really out of touch with cultural trends. And the half-breed thing...why even bring that up?

It's funny.

Here's your problem, you're thinking this is going to just happen. Your thought process is so basic, and completely eliminates any fragmentation in opinions and tastes. You generalize to the n-th degree. "Joe will be an inspiration to those who are fat and they will watch". You do realize we don't all pop out of a big machine on cue, right? Stop generalizing, it's not that simple. This isn't magic where you push the fat guy and other fat guys root for him because he's a fat guy who kicks ass. TNA wishes it was that simple.

I agree that it is entirely possible that wrestling is at the level of game shows and will simply hit a holding pattern they can never get out of. But wrestling is far more dynamic than that and has the advantage of having a bunch of marketable individuals (when they are utilized properly). Wrestling can't compete on the level of acting, that is true, but is it a complete coincidence that The Rock, Batista, Sheamus (Darth Vader!), and even Stone Cold are being put in important roles in big movies? Wrestling has something special in it, even now, it is just finding new ways to leverage that.

It's funny you bring those names up, considering they've had great great success as ACTORS, not that much as wrestlers. I think it's safe to say Rock is more famous for his acting now than his wrestling. Soon that will happen for Batista as well, if it hasn't already. Actors who are a part of a genre and an industry that has people invested in it, has good writers, has great stories and is booming right now. The fact that these people have gained more success, money and fame in the movie industry instead of wrestling is one more proof that wrestling is at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to entertainment. I wouldn't credit wrestling for this as much as you would. Wrestling was important for their exposure but their individual talent got them over. Don't forget WWE Studios imploded harder than Chernobil. There goes your argument.

You have a point, though I also agree you're a bit pessimistic. Successful marketing often comes from viewing the product in a new way. If TNA continues to focus on only the 'wrestling' aspect of their product then I agree, they are doomed to fail, but if they start getting known for trying to do some good in the world then that 'good will' could pay off in big money. This isn't an 'instantly turn everything around' plan, this is a fundamental shift in how TNA does business.

Again, a lot of "will" in your speech. How do you know this? What are you basing this on? You get from point A to point B without explaining how you get there. It's completely illogical. You're talking about fundamental shifts, yet if I asked you to explain it step by step you'd be as confused as everyone else is.

I would take your advice if you had any idea what you were talking about. Having a marketable product is the first step to good marketing, the second step is utilizing the advantages you built into your product to market it to the world. Having storylines that help your marketing efforts is incredibly important, I don't know how you can honestly think otherwise.

Bachelors degree in International Communications & Media, Master in Marketing and Advertising, with about four years of experience in that field under my belt, I'd like to think I'm at least a little knowledgeable on the subject.

Again, what you're suggesting HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH MARKETING. Marketing is far bigger than three-four storyline ideas. I agree that the storylines have to be in place, and they have to be aligned with whatever marketing strategy is being employed, but what you're suggesting has no clear vision or direction that can charge a marketing strategy.

If you want to revamp TNA's marketing, you start with an idea for their identity and their brand, what they want to be presented as to the public, what they want to be seen as. Then you weave out the rest according to that. You touch up the smallest details. Presentation - from the damn camera angles to the arena and the set they use. The way your announcers speak, the way your commentators do their job, the lighting, the vocabulary used, the damn attire your wrestlers wear, the tone of the stories and the characters, the sounds, the layouts, the tone of your social media channels, the tone of your commercials in audio/visual form - EVERYTHING has to scream your identity. You package it, brush it up and then offer it to the public in a nice presentable form. It's far more difficult than you think, it involves hundreds of steps and it's incredibly complex. It's not as simple as "well make your show grungy and people who love grungy things will watch your grungy show, boom, money". C'mon now ... open your vistas a little bit. You try to hook people with some characteristic the wrestler has that helps people identify with him. Logical at first glance but not really.

Think about it. The two biggest stars in the last 15-20 years are Rock and Austin. Was every single person who supported them a redneck or a Samoan? Did they all enjoy beer or fancy sideburns? Hell no. I was a white kid that wouldn't even smell beer and I loved Austin and Rock. So was everyone else. I've seen black kids mark the fuck out. And asians. And everyone else. To truly put someone over and have people identify with him, you have to find out what people's inner desires are. For Rock and Austin to be that over with so many people who are cut of different cloth, the WWF must've strung a chord that is very similar with everyone. That's the chord TNA needs. You find out what brings us together as fans - you can apply that characteristic to someone and hope for the best. It is SO difficult to do, because it's not obvious. It's almost based on their subconsciousness. Can't find it through a survey or research. And honestly, I think back then a lot of those writers were writing characters and booking matches as fans would. From fans for fans. Now we have some bullshit Hollywood writers who aren't even fans of wrestling write wrestling shows. Maybe that's what wrestling needs. Fans who are writers, fans who are bookers, fans who are professional and well trained, smart to the business and knowing how to produce good TV but also produce things they would watch as fans. People who would sit around a table and day-dream about "what would be cool". I guess that's the chord. We're all fans, we all like the same shit - cool people saying cool things in cool situations before they beat the crap out of eachother in a cool match.

But again, that's not marketing, that's booking. Giant, giant difference.

 

[The Boss]

Remember how Hogan infamously almost never name dropped TNA in nearly all of his television appearances? You're right, that was shitty marketing and they should have sued him for breach of contract.

HOLLYWOOD HULK HOGAN was not in breach of contract. Just like his WWE contact today, his TNA contract allowed him to make his own personal appearances independent of TNA appearances. When TNA wanted HOLLYWOOD HULK HOGAN to make an appearance somewhere he was paid something like $25,000 per appearance. So when HOLLYWOOD HULK HOGAN made appearances that he scheduled on his own he was not required to mention TNA. TNA should have either paid HOLLYWOOD HULK HOGAN'S appearance fee each time he was on TV (on a non TNA show), or scheduled more of their own TV appearances so that he could promote the product.

When they did use HOLLYWOOD HULK HOGAN he put over the company well. But they did a poor job with it, booking him on things like local morning TV news shows. The one time they used him well on outside TV projects was during the 2012 UK tour. Aside from that TNA did what they always do; they failed to advertise and just expected people to know about it. At the very least they should have purchased advertising time on RAW and smackdown every week. But they only advertised on their show and their website. You can't increase viewership by advertising to the people who are already watching.

 

[BigBombB]

It's funny.

Here's your problem, you're thinking this is going to just happen. Your thought process is so basic, and completely eliminates any fragmentation in opinions and tastes. You generalize to the n-th degree. "Joe will be an inspiration to those who are fat and they will watch". You do realize we don't all pop out of a big machine on cue, right? Stop generalizing, it's not that simple. This isn't magic where you push the fat guy and other fat guys root for him because he's a fat guy who kicks ass. TNA wishes it was that simple.

Telling me I'm generalizing when you're generalizing everything I said, likely based on a quick skimming. I think I've made it quite clear that I'm aware of the many factors that need to happen and the difficulty of success. It doesn't all happen magically? No shit?

It's funny you bring those names up, considering they've had great great success as ACTORS, not that much as wrestlers. I think it's safe to say Rock is more famous for his acting now than his wrestling. Soon that will happen for Batista as well, if it hasn't already. Actors who are a part of a genre and an industry that has people invested in it, has good writers, has great stories and is booming right now. The fact that these people have gained more success, money and fame in the movie industry instead of wrestling is one more proof that wrestling is at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to entertainment. I wouldn't credit wrestling for this as much as you would. Wrestling was important for their exposure but their individual talent got them over. Don't forget WWE Studios imploded harder than Chernobil. There goes your argument.

That isn't even the argument I made. I was saying that for wrestlers to be able to make a successful transition into the world of movies and make such a big impact without having to climb the typical rungs that most actors do, there is a certain quality that exists in the wrestling industry that allows for that. In my opinion it is that wrestlers tend to have a big lean toward showmanship, a skill that is a natural fit for Hollywood. If a company has a bunch of showmen in it's midst then it is simply a matter of finding the right formula that works.

Again, a lot of "will" in your speech. How do you know this? What are you basing this on? You get from point A to point B without explaining how you get there. It's completely illogical. You're talking about fundamental shifts, yet if I asked you to explain it step by step you'd be as confused as everyone else is.

So you, Mr. Marketer, write up a long, detailed way to market wrestling. Hell, write up a long, detailed way to market ANYTHING! You wouldn't, would you? Not because it is pointless to put on a message board, because it is pointless in general. A successful marketing strategy is one that starts with a bare bones idea (or ideas), tests that idea (or ideas) to see how the market responds, then adjusts accordingly. Marketing is dynamic but that dynamic still needs those base ideas to work from. More on this later.

Bachelors degree in International Communications & Media, Master in Marketing and Advertising, with about four years of experience in that field under my belt, I'd like to think I'm at least a little knowledgeable on the subject.

Again, what you're suggesting HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH MARKETING. Marketing is far bigger than three-four storyline ideas. I agree that the storylines have to be in place, and they have to be aligned with whatever marketing strategy is being employed, but what you're suggesting has no clear vision or direction that can charge a marketing strategy.

If you want to revamp TNA's marketing, you start with an idea for their identity and their brand, what they want to be presented as to the public, what they want to be seen as. Then you weave out the rest according to that. You touch up the smallest details. Presentation - from the damn camera angles to the arena and the set they use. The way your announcers speak, the way your commentators do their job, the lighting, the vocabulary used, the damn attire your wrestlers wear, the tone of the stories and the characters, the sounds, the layouts, the tone of your social media channels, the tone of your commercials in audio/visual form - EVERYTHING has to scream your identity. You package it, brush it up and then offer it to the public in a nice presentable form. It's far more difficult than you think, it involves hundreds of steps and it's incredibly complex. It's not as simple as "well make your show grungy and people who love grungy things will watch your grungy show, boom, money". C'mon now ... open your vistas a little bit. You try to hook people with some characteristic the wrestler has that helps people identify with him. Logical at first glance but not really.

I agree with everything you say about needing to tailor everything to fit the new identity. Absolutely true. However, thinking that every marketing strategy needs to be super detailed shows that you need to brush up on modern marketing strategies. Wrestling has historically had elements that are good and elements that suck, has shown to be capable of maintaining a core fanbase even during bad times, and can take big upward shifts when they hit on something that catches fire. Wrestling is the perfect area to incorporate more modern marketing ideas, it is people who are stuck in the 'we need to stick to a detailed plan, even if it sucks' that are killing it. The only things that need to be consistent are the things that you know are, or have good reason to believe will be, successful.

Think about it. The two biggest stars in the last 15-20 years are Rock and Austin. Was every single person who supported them a redneck or a Samoan? Did they all enjoy beer or fancy sideburns? Hell no. I was a white kid that wouldn't even smell beer and I loved Austin and Rock. So was everyone else. I've seen black kids mark the fuck out. And asians. And everyone else. To truly put someone over and have people identify with him, you have to find out what people's inner desires are. For Rock and Austin to be that over with so many people who are cut of different cloth, the WWF must've strung a chord that is very similar with everyone. That's the chord TNA needs. You find out what brings us together as fans - you can apply that characteristic to someone and hope for the best. It is SO difficult to do, because it's not obvious. It's almost based on their subconsciousness. Can't find it through a survey or research. And honestly, I think back then a lot of those writers were writing characters and booking matches as fans would. From fans for fans. Now we have some bullshit Hollywood writers who aren't even fans of wrestling write wrestling shows. Maybe that's what wrestling needs. Fans who are writers, fans who are bookers, fans who are professional and well trained, smart to the business and knowing how to produce good TV but also produce things they would watch as fans. People who would sit around a table and day-dream about "what would be cool". I guess that's the chord. We're all fans, we all like the same shit - cool people saying cool things in cool situations before they beat the crap out of each other in a cool match.

But again, that's not marketing, that's booking. Giant, giant difference.

This is where we talk about my base idea that I think works. Stone Cold appealed to people who felt oppressed by authority, The Rock appealed to people who liked to daydream about being a witty, powerful, athletic, and attractive human being that everybody wanted to hang out with. John Cena appeals to kids because the values he professes are ones that strike a cord most relevant with kids.

How many people do you know that are happy with their bodies? Samoa Joe is someone with a body type that society frowns upon doing moves that most people who fit the 'perfect body type' mold couldn't do. He is a great embodiment of what people who don't fit societies standards can accomplish (if he was booked to do that!)

And has there ever been a time since Rosie the Riveter that women don't gravitate to strong female role models? Pink, the singer, is popular in part because of her music but mostly because she represents that 'strong woman' archetype that people (men included) want to get behind. I think Gail Kim is perfect for this not only because she is the best female wrestler in the business but because she is married to one of the most famous chefs in the world. She is no stranger to hobnobbing with the upper class of society, she is the perfect storm of the kind of person that could pull off a gimmick like this and get mainstream exposure out of it.

 

[Alastor]

That isn't even the argument I made. I was saying that for wrestlers to be able to make a successful transition into the world of movies and make such a big impact without having to climb the typical rungs that most actors do, there is a certain quality that exists in the wrestling industry that allows for that. In my opinion it is that wrestlers tend to have a big lean toward showmanship, a skill that is a natural fit for Hollywood. If a company has a bunch of showmen in it's midst then it is simply a matter of finding the right formula that works.

The quality is in the individual and not the industry...Unknowns get cast in roles all the time. Being a wrestler neither help nor hinder much if the casting crew has no opinion on wrestling. You can say the wrestling industry demands a degree of showmanship but so do many other forms of entertainment. You can say the schedule and demands of wrestling better prepare them for acting in a big budget movie. But to say wrestlers have a pass in getting roles is not true. Listen to how many stories of wrestlers waiting in line just as other typical hopefuls in casting even when they have the advantage of world wide exposure by being in wrestling. They get a pass if they are friends with the casting people more than by being a wrestler. Same as with everything in life.

I agree with everything you say about needing to tailor everything to fit the new identity. Absolutely true. However, thinking that every marketing strategy needs to be super detailed shows that you need to brush up on modern marketing strategies. Wrestling has historically had elements that are good and elements that suck, has shown to be capable of maintaining a core fanbase even during bad times, and can take big upward shifts when they hit on something that catches fire. Wrestling is the perfect area to incorporate more modern marketing ideas, it is people who are stuck in the 'we need to stick to a detailed plan, even if it sucks' that are killing it. The only things that need to be consistent are the things that you know are, or have good reason to believe will be, successful.

And that is the difference between a billion dollars empire and a promotion desperate for a TV contract to survive.

How many people do you know that are happy with their bodies? Samoa Joe is someone with a body type that society frowns upon doing moves that most people who fit the 'perfect body type' mold couldn't do. He is a great embodiment of what people who don't fit societies standards can accomplish (if he was booked to do that!)

This generalization *facepalm*. In my opinion, you are only appealing to small niche of plus sized athletes with this. Your average couch potatoes couldn't care less or actually want to watch the 'perfect body type' wrestle because TV has to be 'idealised'.

 

[Rayne]

And has there ever been a time since Rosie the Riveter that women don't gravitate to strong female role models? Pink, the singer, is popular in part because of her music but mostly because she represents that 'strong woman' archetype that people (men included) want to get behind. I think Gail Kim is perfect for this not only because she is the best female wrestler in the business but because she is married to one of the most famous chefs in the world. She is no stranger to hobnobbing with the upper class of society, she is the perfect storm of the kind of person that could pull off a gimmick like this and get mainstream exposure out of it.

1) Tell girls they have a new role model.
2) ??????
3) MAAAAAAIIIIINNNNNSTTRRRRRREEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMM EXXXXXXPOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSSUUURRRRRRRRRREEEEEE!

You seem to have this whole 'role model' relationship backwards. People pick their own role models. You don't just get to announce, "Gail Kim is now a role model for young females, and celebrities should come on our show to support that!" What's your plan to sell, to market, Gail Kim as a 'girl power role model'?

If people repeatedly telling you "but what's your actual plan to market these, not your end goals" is starting to get to you, just pretend people are TNA Executives, and that you're asking them to commit their financial future and that of all their employees on your idea. Since that's the base level of acceptance you'd need to get any ear time with TNA, I don't think it's too unreasonable that you stop telling people you're just going to create role models, and perhaps explain how they're created, without using terms like "role models are a thing, so people will obviously choose the role models I create for them, because. And, also, these new role models will be bringing in hundreds of thousands of viewers who aren't currently watching, yet won't affect our current audience."