For those of you who haven't read it yet, I'll very quickly summarize one portion(BUT PLEASE READ IT ANYWAY WHEN YOU GET YOUR COPY - IT'S ANOTHER GREAT COLUMN FROM HER). She talks of some card manufacturers telling her they don't need to advertise in NSU. Hogwash!

What we can all do to help, is:

1. Mention to manufacturers that you've seen their ad in NSU at shows, or email them and thank them for supporting a magazine you love and getting the word out about their products.

2. If you use one of the card dealers who advertise in the magazine, let them know you read their ad in the magazine, so they know their money spent reaches potential customers.

It's a small thing we can do as readers to support a community & a magazine that gives us all FREE access to a board we love.

Now is a critical time in the publishing world, with magazines and newspapers going under, downsizing, etc. left and right. Subscriptions and Ads are key to magazines surviving these days. Obviously, I'm not saying NSU is in dire straits, but nevertheless, being proactive will help make sure that doesn't happen.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Electrawoman Cards f/k/a jane,

I certainly use dealers who advertise in NSU & there is one manufacturer that I have stopped buying from due to their lack of support to NSU

I read NSU because I collect cards. . . not the other way around, so I collect whatever cards I want.

Jon

Thanks to Jane for summarizing and understanding my Notes column so well. The lack of ads becomes very frustrating. We are not in dire straights "yet," but we really need ads!

I buy a lot of my cards from dealers who support NSU. I didn't know about NSU when I started collecting,but another dealer who advertises on NSU told me about the magazine so I subscribed....I really enjoy reading the articles.

quote:

Originally posted by Kennywood:
Personally, I don't buy from card manufacturers who don't advertise in NSU. There have been times when I've had to pass on sets I might otherwise have enjoyed collecting.

If card companies don't feel they need to support NSU, then why should I support them?

So if ALL card companies stopped advertising in NSU, then you wouldn't buy any more cards???

Of course I think all card companies should support NSU, without it how would any of us in the UK find out about new releases? What would Wolfie do with all that spare time??? It would be very difficult for someone who's posted on a forum a gazillion times to start all over again

You guys warm the cockels of my heart. Thanks for reading and thanks for supporting NSU.

~Alan

I thought cockles were shellfish. I had to look that one up too, Alan! I also do not support manufacturers who do not support NSU, we are all in this hobby together, let's make it teh best we can!

I think Jane really hit the nail on the proverbial head. Dealers and manufacturers aren't going to know that their ads are "working" unless you tell them.

Which reminds me .. HEY LYNNE I saw your ad...

As much as I love this magazine, I would have to say I don't boycott manufacterers that don't advertise in NSU - however, I usually don't buy their products. Why? Because I am not aware of them.
I read both Non Sport magazines, and if it isn't advertised in at least one of them, how can I know what to buy or where to buy it.

We Card Talkers can promote the magazine by urging companies to run an ad in NSU, it need not be a full page color ad, a small quarter page ad or even one of the "business card" ads would work.

Right now we have a couple of card companies in trouble being discussed in other threads, and we lost one of our most beloved companies last year. Some of you collectors who have been in this hobby for awhile remember a time when there were 5 or 6 Non Sport Magazines, and 20 or more companies like Collect-A-Card, FPG and Comic Images turning out as many as 3 sets a month. Those days may be gone forever,but we can save what we have.

We all need each other, the card companies, Non Sport Update and us collectors, but the rallying point is Non Sport Update, without it, the manufacturers won't have a voice, and most of us collectors are out of the loop. So, we all have to work together, like some weird little "circle of life".

If we boycott every card manufacturer who does not advertise what is going to happen to all those cards given away at shows like Comic con etc. Surely as a card collector we must support these manufacturers as well if only by accepting their product at these shows. As a promo card collector I probably must have cards from more manufacturers that do not advertise or have not advertised then those that do although the volume of cards will be in favour of those that do.

Of the 4 card magazines that I read on monthly basis (NSU every 2 months) very few of them contain adverts from card manufacturers (two mainly rely on subscriptions for funding and cannot be obtained at the newsstand and the other two are usually full of card fairs and the like and all are UK based).

I think we are missing the point - What we "perhaps" should be saying to those companies is - "If you want a wider market why not advertise in relevant magazines"

I just re-looked through the current NSU. The advertisers I've bought from that are in the magazine are DYNAMIC FORCES, WARP 9, CRAIG'S, TOPPS and of course RITTENHOUSE ARCHIVES. So of course advertising works! I also like reading the ads almost as much as the magazine itself. I will try to buy from an advertised company I have never bought from before (probably THE PRISONER VOL. 2 cards from FACTORY ENTERTAINMENT) and tell them I saw their ad in NSU.
(Just an aside to Alan; the 2nd decade of the 21st century doesn't end until 2010 is over, otherwise, nice editorial!)

quote:

relevant magazines

Well that just opens up a whole new can of worms. What is a 'relevant" magazine. Is Wizard more relevant for RA to advertise in because of the upcoming Marvel sets? Is Entertainment Weekly relevant for Breygent to advertise in because of the Dexter set?

Each company has to make choices that suit them - whether they choose not to advertise in NSU certainly isn't 'ban-worthy' - perhaps they chose a different form of self-promotion. Maybe they attend more shows that Company Y does and don't have the budget for magazine ads.

Like I said earlier, echoing Jane's sentiment - if you support a dealer mention that you saw their ad. If you support a manufacturer, tell them you saw their ad. That way they know that is money well spent.

quote:

Originally posted by Don Norton:

We all need each other, the card companies, Non Sport Update and us collectors, but the rallying point is Non Sport Update,

I am with you at this point. In just a moment we will have a fundamental disagreement, because I think your looking at it the wrong way. Thats just my opinion, which probably isn't worth a lot in the parts these days.

quote:

Originally posted by Don Norton:
without it, the manufacturers won't have a voice,".

And there it is. Most of the large manufacturers have marketing departments and media contacts, they also overlap with sports products which brings in dealers who are contracted to also buy non-sports products at inetivised prices. You also have to consider the overlap that is happening more and more between the nonsport and sport market with many sports sets now including non-sports cards and trying to blur the boundaries. Add the retail non-sports sector and I think a lot of the bigger players have a loud enough voice as it is thanks. The consumers on the other hand have almost no voice what so ever. NSU could be a major player for the developing companies who are shooting up all over and obviously for people like RH and Breygent who consistently bring out high quality Non Sport sets with no sports side to speak of.

I think just being the "voice of the manufacturers" isn't going to serve the magazine as well as it might have in the past. Sure I think advertising is important for the publication and the publication is important for the non sports hobby but if 5Finity dont advertise with you I might still buy some of there cards. You see NSU isnt the hobby it's part of it not the other way around. I will tell people I see there ads in the mag, hell I link to this site directly from mine and I would love to give you guys some more money. I don't think asking folks to advertise is a bad thing at all but I do think telling people that they are somehow wrong for not doing it or that they dont love the hobby, well it strike me as very arrogant.

I personally think that if the NSU wants to make itself more attractive to potential advertisers it should be courting the smaller companies, but then i would think that wouldn't I

quote:

Originally posted by Over_Worked_Mom:

quote:

relevant magazines

Each company has to make choices that suit them - whether they choose not to advertise in NSU certainly isn't 'ban-worthy' - perhaps they chose a different form of self-promotion. Maybe they attend more shows that Company Y does and don't have the budget for magazine ads.

Like I said earlier, echoing Jane's sentiment - if you support a dealer mention that you saw their ad. If you support a manufacturer, tell them you saw their ad. That way they know that is money well spent.

Exactly. I'm not trying to tell anyone who to buy from or what to buy from whatever card company or dealer, or that you're a terrible person if you buy from a dealer who doesn't advertise in NSU, etc.

I'm simply saying, for NSU's sake(again, they offer us this board for free), just let the manufacturer or dealer know you see or have seen their ads. Thank them for supporting the hobby when you place your order, and let them know their ads have reached their target audience - diehard collectors such as ourselves.

Whatever reason some dealers or manufactures have for NOT advertising in NSU, we aren't privy to that info, at least I'm not. So I hold no judgements, nor do I hold judgements against any card collector who purchases cards from non-advertising companies or dealers. I have done so myself. So if I came off that way to a couple of you, I'm sorry.

My only goal was that to say we actually can make a difference by acknowledging we've seen a particular ad, there are over 3000 members of card talk.

I agree with everything you said Jane, the points I disagreed with I quoted. I think telling folks who advertise that they have spent the money well is a good idea.

Waitaminute! The 21st Century began culturally on 1/1/2010. It begins mathematically on New Year's Day 2011. So, we’re both right!

Yes, cockles can be bivalve mollusks. They can also be one’s innermost feelings. So, we’re both right!

I love it when everybody’s right!

~Alan

I love it when everybody’s right!

~Alan


Hey Alan,
I still think it's trekkie.....

To me its just a matter of good business sense that if you make non-sport cards or you sell non-sport cards you would want non-sport card collectors to be aware of both your name and your products. The fastest, cheapest, and most effective way to do that is to advertise where you are likely to find your target customers.

I said this recently on another thread and caught a bit of grief for it. I don't think you must run ads in NSU or be punished, I just think its a smart idea from a business prospective. These days most companies are looking to cut back on expenses, but that can lead to being pennywise and pound foolish. Advertising in NSU is a way for people in the non-sport card industry to reach potential customers. Card Talk is a direct offshoot of NSU, and while you don't need to support NSU to get your products discussed here, if there was no NSU it wouldn't be here either.

There are a handful of other websites besides this one where collectors go for non-sport card information, we all know them by now. For my collecting habits, and this is only my opinion, the others are either too broadbased or too narrowly nichey. It is not a good argument to say that other companies should support NSU out of the goodness of their hearts. It is a good argument to say that NSU readers and Card Talk members buy your products and patronage your businesses because this is where they heard about you and this is where they get the information that keeps them in this hobby, buying your products and services.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Raven,