Once again 2005 Boards Member transform75 is bringing us something cool from the recently concluded Paris Comic Con 2018.
Having a chat with the Hasbro Transformers Global Brand Team, we are treated with several tidbit from their brand execution plan.
Ran Sun, Associate Brand Manager (Transformers) – Hasbro, has this to say:
- Ms. Ran Sun worked specifically on War For Cybertron – Siege and is also working on future chapters as well as Studio Series.
- Studio Series will revisit past Transformers live action movies and will produce toys for characters which Hasbro didn’t produce as well as design better figures for characters which already received a figure.
- Studio Series is greenlit not just for 2019 but for 2020 as well.
- This is the first time the Hasbro Global Brand Team visited the Paris Comic Con. They will be visiting the convention from hereafter.
You can check out the wonderfully presented video, below. We thank transform75 for his massive effort to give us all an amazing look at what happened during Paris Comic Con 2018.
ZapRowsdower
Getting SOME of the waves should not be the goal. The goal should be to get ALL the toys on the shelves, not a few select leftovers or over-productions. Hasbro is essentially making product for a consumer base that cannot access it.
It's like putting a Big and Tall store in an area with fit, small people. Hasbro argues that they DO get the products out there. But who the hell cares if it's in the wrong place, at the wrong time? There's a huge distribution problem out there, where those of us not blessed with CA residence tend to never see entire waves of product; on the contrary, we end up seeing Wave 1 and 2 for most of the year, with no change-up whatsoever.
The reason distribution has gotten so terrible lately? Hasbro has ignored the issue for DECADES.
While I understand and appreciate your comment (because it's true), I also caution against blaming retail for these issues. Retail operates as it operates; Hasbro isn't going to uproot and reinvent the wheel there. What Hasbro SHOULD focus on is creating consumer demand (i.e. better marketing, toy commercials, and a decent animated program!) and assisting stores to better track sales. For how many years did we have no idea which figure sold better than which? It was only recently that stores like Walmart began tracking individual figures; Target continues to lump them altogether and has no idea if BB is selling or if Lockdown is selling! The technology for better metrics has existed for YEARS now, but Hasbro (or the retailers) have been slow to adopt better tools – the kind of tools that can accurately assess demand and deliver the correct products. Again, on Hasbro's end, they need to deliver the exact case assortment that people want. Just recently, I saw a local Walmart stock some 12-16 copies of Marvel Legends Cable. I have no idea why. They COULD have stocked the Jim Lee Cyclops, a figure in MUCH MORE demand.
So yes, retail orders are a problem… but Hasbro does a piss-poor job with their wave assortments, too. It's not hard to figure out which toys are selling out, but it seems impossible for Hasbro to ship more of those specific toys (rather than another box full of mostly shelf-warmers).
transform75
let them do soundwave first
transform75
Thank you for the kind words and thanks to ste staff of tfw2005 for their kind words, being in Europe, I was happy I could bring the same level of news to you all for once.
For the distribution issue, I believe they are really working on it and not just saying it on Camera.
The booth at Comic con was not just Hasbro, it was Micromania, video game shops that sells some (but too few) action figures.
When I checked their website, they actually have Barricade for sale on their online shop.
So this Micromania Shop is a demonstration of the initiative
On a side note, another piece of news, MP barricade officially for sale in France by a retail shop (and not just imported in a hobby shop), it is the first time I see a masterpiece figure on sale in France.
IgnikaMarcus
Studio Series Blaster when?
Rotorstorm
Thanks for posting and recording this, I would have liked to do similar in the UK but didn't find time or have a good enough camera.
From the London panel it was clear they're great people and it was lovely to see them and their passion for the brand was vibrant.
lord ginrai
Awesome, thanks for this, dude!
Pepperonimus
@Deadend you're right. I forgot about Hasbro inventory & retailer chain way bigger than Bandai. The fact that Hasbro has oversaturated toylines doesn't help either. I remember in the past when they didn't have as many as today.
That have always been the case for Beetle that used for movie promotions. They even used Super Beetle for Romics event.
reave
Great video, thank you!
Side note: That Beetle is the wrong year. Probably hard to come by a good condition '67 that someone is willing to part with at a decent price.
TargetmasterJoe
Studio Series Jolt when?
Black Convoy
Thanks for all your effort and coverage! Thanks for all your support to TFW2005!
bellpeppers
Groovy
Deadend
What Nevermore said:
I want to second. Major appreciation and agree entirely with every word.
That's kind of the problem tbh. BoJ deals in a smaller market and has the same issues abroad if not for re-sellers that seek out the material because it does well. Hasbro and BoJ share similar distro models, but applied to different sizes of markets as well as content amounts. The American retail system is overly cumbersome and has warehouse backlogs because of higher inventory amounts which is the bread and butter of Hasbro profit margins.
Though I do agree in other areas, BOJ and Hasbro can mutually learn from each other. BoJ is still fine tuning theirs as well. Though have made great leaps forward in the Minipla distro, but still even that's lacking some currently as Lupin Rex's run was shorter than the demand that was there. Which is causing a kind of "POTP" wave skip issue that Hasbro faced too because of how strong sales were. BoJ is starting to have similar issues now with Shodo as well. Where different material still has market strength but they're already several waves deeper or lines farther away from it that those waves are no longer offered. Which much to Hasbro's benefit, they do push larger amounts of inventory so that's not as much of an issue, whereas with BoJ, once it's gone, it's usually gone or at an extreme markup on secondary markets.
The main hiccup on Hasbro's end is retailers. Getting outlets abroad to carry them more, getting outlets domestic to maintain consistent ordering numbers, and so on. The cob webs are getting shaken out though and the problems are trying to get worked through.
jestermon
I wouldn't get too hopeful they will tell you anything in person.
Pepperonimus
Amazing edit & coverage.
Distribution issue should be the first thing to get fixed from Hasbro. Not just Europe, but for the rest of the world too. In my opinion, Hasbro should learn from Bandai Japan.
SilverOptimus
Amazing coverage. Loved every moment of it. Thank you very much, @transform75.
knoted
Thanks!
Good to hear they're going to work on improving distribution in Europe.
I mean, regular EU retail Transformers has been mostly horrible, in terms of both stock and price.
I think, for the past 6 to 8 years, deluxes have been around 22 euros (almost 25 usd) at the cheapest EU online shops.
When Titans Return was in full swing, physical retail toyshops here have had a pathetic and outdated TF stock ; for example, the "best" find in there was a CW Skydive for 28 euros.
Michael Payton
I always feel bad for the European Transfans. Even going back to the early days, there were issues getting toys. As bad as distribution is in my crappy market – we're lucky to have anything beyond a first wave, if we get the first wave – I can still order toys online cheap enough. If I wait, I can even get them on sale on Amazon Prime and have them at my door in two days. I'm always amazed that Hasbro cannot get their distribution act together outside of Asia.
transform75
thanks
Nevermore
Dude, BIG thanks for all the coverage you've provided. I feel that France has been largely underrepresented in the fandom, and I'm glad you're doing your part to change that perception.
Fc203
What a great edited video