Help with Potential Fans by PurpleYoshi

GENERAL DISCUSSIONS

Help with Potential Fans

POSTED BY: PURPLEYOSHI
UPDATED: Monday, January 24, 2005 03:53
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VIEWED: 2612
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Sunday, January 23, 2005 11:34 AM

Hey guys,
I really want to start converting people but I'm not sure how to jump into it. What kinds of people are the best to target? What's the best way to approach them? What are the best episodes to show first?
Thanks!

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Sunday, January 23, 2005 11:50 AM

EMBERS

personally I have had some very nice success with friends and family,
when my brother got me the DVD set for Christmas of 2003 we watched the first episodes and he became hooked, and wanted to borrow them (like I'd ever be done with them!)
so I got him his own set for his birthday.
He liked them so much that he showed a few episodes to his daughter when she was visiting from college...

so after that I decided to start giving them as gifts to almost all my family and friends:

a nice wedding gift for a couple getting married in middle-age with teen-aged children, became something the whole family watched and enjoyed together....
a housewarming gift for friends who just moved across country, and it became a wonderful treat for her husband & brother-in-law to watch while they were putting in new floors and/or painting the house.

birthdays, anniversaries...all kinds of celebrations can be a good time to promote Firefly.

So that is my suggestion, if you would normally buy a 'nice' (over $30) gift, then make that gift the Firefly DVDs!

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Sunday, January 23, 2005 12:25 PM

NYWOE

The easiest people to recruit are people who already like sci-fi. But you can do it with other people, too. If you're recruiting a Star Wars fan, for example, you can tell them it's like the Aventures of Han Solo. If you're recruiting a Western fan, tell them it's a western in space. For everyone else, you can just say "Hey, you wanna check out an episode of this really cool show?"

My husband and I have had success with showing Serenity first. However, I have heard that it is best to show the Train Job first to people who are easily distracted (like people who tend to talk over important bits of dialog!).

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Sunday, January 23, 2005 1:32 PM

SHINY

If they are sci-fi fans, just lend them the first disc from the DVD set. That usually does it. If they are not sci-fi fans, you may have to actually sit down with them to watch it -- make sure you warn them they have to be patient with the first 15-20 minutes of the pilot, as there is a lot of character introduction and background before the action really kicks in...

Jayne, your mouth is talkin. Might want to look into that.

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Sunday, January 23, 2005 5:59 PM

PURPLEYOSHI

Thanks for all your ideas! I actually converted my first new fan tonight, and I'm ready to get as many more people as I can!
:)

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Sunday, January 23, 2005 7:46 PM

NYWOE

Way to go! Every new recruit creates an exponentially increasing potential for more new recruits. :) Not sure if that sentence made sense, but it does in my head!

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Sunday, January 23, 2005 10:34 PM

JADE0REFRACTION

I myself was a convert, though not the first time, actually. I was a counselor at Space Camp last summer, where a good half of us were scifi fans, and someone tried to get us all to watch Firefly, but we resisted categorically, as it came from a source that had much love for some pretty bad tv scifi (I won't mention names to avoid flame-throwing amongst friends). So when my suitemate suggested Firefly, I refused at first. But she would casually drop it in conversations, "You should watch this show, you'd totally love it," etc, for about two months, until I finally agreed. I fell in love, as should happen, and thus it began.

I chose as my first target a girl I knew to be a Whedon fan. We'd had conversations about Buffy many a time, and she watches Angel, too, so I took that approach. I made her watch all of Serenity with me, and she thought it was "pretty good." I moved out at Christmas, to a different state, but my suitemate informs me that said girl is now a complete convert.

I have been working on my sister, and am not through yet. She's a fantasy/Star Trek girl, and has sat through many of my shows that she doesn't really like. So I just took my DVDs with me to her apartment, but didn't suggest we watch them. She got to looking at the cover, and asked about who the people were. I explained, giving away just enough plot details to garner interest. She then suggested herself that we watch. She hasn't watched a lot more since then, but she enjoyed it, and I think she'll come around.

My parents--oh that's the fun one. My dad is a big action/adventure fan, and also a huge Indiana Jones fan, and the one who got us into Star Trek, so I knew he'd love the show. But he doesn't like suggestions very much of what he'd like. Doesn't take recommendations very well. What he does love, though, is family time. So I casually mention that I'm going to go buy the box set, and I may watch it in the living room, if he wants to come watch with me. I didn't even bother with my mom, cause it didn't seem like her kind of thing. But she walked in and out during the first few episodes. I am proud to say they are both hooked. THEY now ask ME if we can "watch another episode tonight." We're almost done with them all, and my mom is already making plans to start all over and watch them again, and my dad is talking about the commentaries.

All of this to say, you have to know your audience. Shouting in the streets helps some, but only calls the ones who actually listen to people who are in the streets shouting. Know who you're talking to and how to approach them. It's all in the marketing.

I'm so cynical.

And now you're what, a petty thief with delusions of standing? Sad little king of a sad little hill.

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Monday, January 24, 2005 3:53 AM

BROWNCOAT1

May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one.

Quote:
Originally posted by PurpleYoshi:
Hey guys,
I really want to start converting people but I'm not sure how to jump into it. What kinds of people are the best to target? What's the best way to approach them? What are the best episodes to show first?
Thanks!

I have also found that a good start is the people close to you; family, friends & co-workers. This will allow you to target a friendly audience to get your feet wet. Hopefully they will in turn spread the word. After family & friends, you can try my tactic which is to approach people in the movie retail or rental places that are checking out sci fi movies. I also do this at local bookstores. I carry around some of 11th Hours shiny fliers found here:

http://the11thhour.home.att.net/

If they are looking at sci fi movies or books, odds are they will be receiptive to suggestions on a sci fi series. I also have business card type hand out w/ links to this site and others along w/ links to reviews and Amazon.com.

I think that to get people to truly appreciate the series and to understand the characters and their motivations it is best to start w/ the pilot "Serenity". After that I show them in order most of the time. If I feel that a potential convert might be wavering, I will show them "Out of Gas" or "War Stories" to hook them.

Good luck w/ the converting. Let us know how it goes.

__________________________________________

"May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one."

Richmond, VA & surrounding area Firefly Meet Up:
http://firefly.meetup.com/9/boards/

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