#Is it just me?
Is it just me, or does anyone else feel that if they open one more magazine and
see that _lame_ "We'd love to show you what 3D Studio can do, but it changes
every five days" ad, that they'll shred the magazine and start frothing at the
mouth? (I realize that right now it's the MAX ads that are probably being
developed, but still….)
I mean, I'm sorry, but I consider 3D Studio to pretty much always have had the
most dismal and least exciting ads of all the 3D products on the market. We all
know great stuff can and _has_ been done with it — but why don't the ads
reflect that — with sparkle and creativity and life?
Another thing that's always bothered me about these things is that even though
3DS probably targets more diverse groups than any other 3D software (ie, not
only game-makers and general animators, but architects, product designers,
engineers, mechanical engineers, scientists, etc), they always run the _same_
ad in all publications. For instance, is there an architectural ad in CADENCE
and a game/gen-anim ad in New Media? Nope. It's hard for one ad to be all
things to all people, and it's not like Autodesk doesn't have the money….
Now, sure — you can respond with the argument that the ads must be working,
since 3DS is the market-hog of the industry, but I don't personally believe the
ad campaigns really can be credited with much of that. If I were looking for a
piece of software, and someone said, "Hey, 3DS is great!", I'd probably say,
"Really? Their ads really didn't impress me — what about brand X (the one
with the snazzy ad)?" (Though with more info/exposure, the truth would out!)
I'm not saying marketing and hype are everything — nor is one going to base a
big purchase like this on an ad and nothing more (not if they're smart), but if
Autodesk is going to spend money and effort in this area, they might as well
spend it in the best way possible. I just don't feel that's been done….
I'd personally hire some wild young ad agency to put together a piece for Wired
and the multi-media mags, and maybe a bit more traditional group to do
something for an architectural and engineering ad (or ads), etc. Let's pump it
up!
Dave