Thus you demonstrate the difference between someone who claims to be a marketing analyst (you) and someone who actually is (me).calex wrote:I think you'd find that the idea that posts to the GB thread being the basis of the GB joining is not reality. Most of the GB participation comes from having the GB advertised by being in the active forum list. Couple that with all the posting in OTHER forums all over the web. After that, it's just price and product.
These sales are a very well-executed combination of word-of-mouth and viral marketing. I don't want to guess how many hours Squids and Co. spend on managing these things, but at least they don't have to spend a dime on production and media placement (one more reason they can make these deals).
We spin out and drop the virus everywhere people might be interested in talking about it, simultaneously hoping the deal will be forwarded to others and drawing people back to this main thread, pages long, with group members sharing product insights and advantages that newbies may be unaware of. The net result convinces people who might not otherwise take a chance to join. I can tell you from personal experience that is how it worked with me.
The fact that I have had to explain these things to you as if you were a child should be meaningful to you, especially since this is an area you claim to have some expertise in. This time, instead of jumping back with some ad-hoc defense, why not just think about what we are telling you?
P.S. This is really my last post on this. No, really.
Patience has just about run out though...