Guild Contest. Oy...

GAD · Dec 21, 2019

Guild posts on Facebook that they're having a contest. The contest is on Instagram, though. And it's ONLY on Instagram. Also, it's only in the US.

Oh, and the prize is a "Guild gift box worth $150".

People are not amused.

Stuball48 · Dec 21, 2019

What is this contest? Ought to be enough versatility on LTG to win you first prize. We may

fronobulax · Dec 21, 2019

Stuball48 said:
What is this contest?

Part of the reason for the rant is that it is on Instagram, a platform not everyone is on. That said, I'd guess it is like every other Instagram contest I have heard about and you have to post a picture related to a product or topic. But I'm not on Instagram so...

GAD · Dec 21, 2019

Correct. It’s a photo contest on Instagram.

I’m amazed at how clueless this all seems.

dreadnut · Dec 21, 2019

LTG and TDPRI are my only social media. I divorced facebook in 2016 and have no other social media links. And, I might add, LTG is the only place where I can expect to have no political or religious conflicts (even though I have strayed toward the boundaries on occasion, and even been hauled up short by a moderator once or twice,) but I really appreciate everyone's respect for these rules. We can agree to disagree, but our major disagreements are about pickups or strings, LOL.

TDPRI gets a little dicey sometimes...but I'm still enjoying it, thanks to you who suggested TDPRI instead of the Fender Forum.

fronobulax · Dec 21, 2019

GAD said:
Correct. It’s a photo contest on Instagram.

I’m amazed at how clueless this all seems.

Clueless? On Guild's part? If so then it is part of a strategy they articulated within a year of the purchase. I had some backchannel conversations with CMG about LTG. One of the reasons there was no proposal for an official presence by CMG on LTG was that they had a social media strategy in mind and they felt that their marketing resources would have better yield on other outlets, such as Facebook and Instagram. Add to the mix that they are trying to sell new guitars and the observation that LTG seems to have more owners than buyers...

SFIV1967 · Dec 21, 2019

Here's the text from the Instagram page:

"Enter for a chance to win a Guild Gift Box (guitar accessories worth approximately $150.00) in our Guild Holiday Giveaway! ⁠
⁠
STEP 01 - Take an original photo of your Guild guitar, get artsy! ⁠
STEP 02 - Post it to your instagram account tagging @guildguitars and using the #ForTheLoveOfGuild hashtag. ⁠
⁠
A winner will be announced on January 3rd, 2020. Happy Holidays!⁠"

US only. Rules & Regulations: http://guildguitars.com/guild-holiday-giveaway

Ralf

GAD · Dec 21, 2019

Yes. Utterly tone deaf. My guess is that they’re trying to build an Instagram presence, but by advertising it on Facebook they’ve annoyed all the facebook Guild fans, and there are a fair number of them.

While younger fans are on all media these days (though I see that changing) many adults are not and they resent having to sign onto a new platform in an age when every new platform is a gaurentee of further privacy loss.

The new Guild seems to me to have that modern company cluelessness that I see everywhere.

AcornHouse · Dec 21, 2019

Most of what you see on Guild’s FB page (if not all) is auto-posted from their Instagram account.

HeyMikey · Dec 21, 2019

Obviously marketing to the younger generation who are more likely to purchase new MIA products rather than go through the trouble of waiting to luck into a good used USA model on the secondary market. My kids are on all those chimp chat social media type apps. I’m not on any.

fronobulax · Dec 21, 2019

HeyMikey said:
Obviously marketing to the younger generation who are more likely to purchase new MIA products rather than go through the trouble of waiting to luck into a good used USA model on the secondary market.

You are entitled to your opinion, but aren't you missing the point? Guild is making and selling new Guilds. They get exactly $0 when someone buys a used Guild instead. It is a waste of resources to market to people who will just buy used anyway.

GuildFS4612CE · Dec 21, 2019

Much ado about nothing...the point is they're collecting as many preferably young with disposable income names/personal info for marketing purposes as they can...for the least cost...a small prize...enjoy your Guilds.

HeyMikey · Dec 21, 2019

fronobulax said:
You are entitled to your opinion, but aren't you missing the point? Guild is making and selling new Guilds. They get exactly $0 when someone buys a used Guild instead. It is a waste of resources to market to people who will just buy used anyway.

I’m not missing the point. That IS the point I was making. The majority on LTG and Farcebook for the most part are not their primary target audience for the bulk of their new guitar sales.

Default · Dec 21, 2019

It's marketing. Why sell the meat when you can sell the sizzle?

FNG · Dec 21, 2019

Sounds like good business to me. All the cool kids are on Instachat.

Antney · Dec 22, 2019

Come to think of it, I’ve never seen a Guild ad in the AARP magazine

richardp69 · Dec 22, 2019

I'm not sure what's right and what's wrong but it seems to me it's their company and they likely have a dedicated department that assessed the various Marketing strategies and settled upon the path they are on. I wish them much success and am pulling for them to do well.

jwsamuel · Dec 22, 2019

HeyMikey said:
Obviously marketing to the younger generation who are more likely to purchase new MIA products rather than go through the trouble of waiting to luck into a good used USA model on the secondary market. My kids are on all those chimp chat social media type apps. I’m not on any.

As Guild should do. There is no survival for a company that encourages potential customers to purchase used models on the secondary market rather than new guitars.

Jim

HeyMikey · Dec 22, 2019

Yes, I agree.

Walter Broes · Dec 22, 2019

GAD said:
Yes. Utterly tone deaf. My guess is that they’re trying to build an Instagram presence, but by advertising it on Facebook they’ve annoyed all the facebook Guild fans, and there are a fair number of them.

While younger fans are on all media these days (though I see that changing) many adults are not and they resent having to sign onto a new platform in an age when every new platform is a gaurentee of further privacy loss.

The new Guild seems to me to have that modern company cluelessness that I see everywhere.

It's not all thàt clueless depending on your perspective. Facebook is now officially "for old people", I've heard this said out loud by several people between 16 and 30, and Instagram is very much alive and has a lot of activity on the gear front, from the major manufacturers all the way to the most obscure boutique outfits.
Anybody who works in digital marketing will tell you that brand activity on Instagram is a very good idea, and no matter how ridiculous it may seem to your generation, the "influencer" thing is very real and actually seems to work.

The clueless part IMO is that they shared an Instagram-only contest on facebook.

Guild Contest. Oy...

Reverential Morlock

Senior Member

Bassist, GAD and the Hot Mess Mods

Reverential Morlock

Gone But Not Forgotten

Bassist, GAD and the Hot Mess Mods

Venerated Member

Reverential Morlock

Venerated Member

Enlightened Member

Bassist, GAD and the Hot Mess Mods

Senior Member

Enlightened Member

Super Moderator

Enlightened Member

Member

Enlightened Member

Member

Enlightened Member

Enlightened Member