Catkins Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 For the first time in . . . . I can't actually remember how long!! Hornby are launching an advert campaign on the screen, aimed at the wider public! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eg2SnPdU8I4 I wonder who will be next to launch a screen based advert? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Physicsman Posted December 8, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 8, 2011 Very interesting. However, I would suggest that Hornby doesn't need to push itself to please the general market because, as has been remarked on some of the extensive threads in this Forum, to Joe Public, model trains IS Hornby. Nice video - shame it wasn't a bit longer! Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium John M Upton Posted December 8, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 8, 2011 Love how it reflects Hornby today - old Triang models that are still in the catalogue today forty years after they first appeared and a brand new VEP stuck on a incline not going anywhere!!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dilbert Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 The thread title 'Hornby 2012 offensive' is open to a different interpretation - just as well there is an embargo ... dilbert Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
'CHARD Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 The thread title 'Hornby 2012 offensive' is open to a different interpretation - just as well there is an embargo ... dilbert Yes, I admit on first glance I thought they might be teaming up with Noch and doing something inappropriate with Mandeville and Wenlock*. * and not before bloody time Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Physicsman Posted December 8, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 8, 2011 Ooooh, you are a naughty one, dilbert, sir!! Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Kris Posted December 8, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 8, 2011 Seems to suggest that Hornby's target market is the old and the young (possibly this is their biggest market). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dilbert Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 Seems to suggest that Hornby's target market is the old and the young (possibly this is their biggest market). and everyone between 10 & 65 is middle-aged - looks like they are using the brand for nostalgia tripping (and why not?)... dilbert Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodenhead Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 Reckon that very first trainset is in the 2012 models list Don't see Bachmann or Dapol following suit, different markets and methods. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Kris Posted December 8, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 8, 2011 Not to mention male. I don't know why but I saw this as an advert that said "Toy trains were great in the past and are still played with by those who grew up with them, if you're one of these people why not introduce a younger member (child) to this hobby)". Nothing wrong with this message just the way that I read it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Y Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 I don't think that's going to send many people running to the shelves to be honest; v poor. Re-running the Bernard Cribbins ad would probably draw more interest (and the stock would still be recognisable). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxkFmFMYbE8 I'm beginning to sound like a broken record these days.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted December 8, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 8, 2011 Their brand is their biggest asset and 'brand nostalgia' is one of their most powerful 'folk memory' images so it is a very sensible way to push things in the run up to Christmas. One can but hope - for the company's sake - that it is an image which is strong enough to boost sales in the wider toy market. Edit to add - and while I can see that it doesn't appeal I think we might be missing something as the more I look at it the more I wonder if it is targetted at older folk to remind them what to buy for their granchildren etc? It clearly won't appeal to the younger market because of its total lack of sophistication in modern advertising terms (or just about any advertising terms come to that and the blatant nostalgia bit). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
m0rris Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 As adverts go that is absolutely dire... if they think that is going to be part of a sucessful campaign to boost their sales I think they'll be bitterly disapppointed. If they wanted to do a good one why not bring in someone like James May in? There's an effective nostalgia ad, like the Hovis advert from a couple of years back and then there's just a blatent and poorly organised attempt to do that. Lets hope they don't waste anymore money by getting that put out on TV! Edit to add this is similar to what I can remember from when I was younger, it stuck in my memory for over a decade.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-v5Oh6lUzSE Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Evil Bus Driver Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 Yeah I got something similar too. And why not? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
298 Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 Seems to suggest that Hornby's target market is the old and the young (possibly this is their biggest market). And people who only want to build trainsets, instead of model railways... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Physicsman Posted December 8, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 8, 2011 If Hornby are reading this thread they are probably thinking "there's no pleasing some folk. Especially those RMwebbers!". But if they look carefully there are some really helpful marketing hints here. A top-of-the-line DCC set, with Rail Master connected to an iPad and James May in tow (good suggestion m0rris) would probably have worked wonders and had considerable street-cred. How about a Code of Duty themed military set? Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boris Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 Hornby have a strong brand already, its quite unlikely to hear the layman use the phrase "train set" without adding "Hornby" to the front of it. Its the same sort of thing as people describing a high-wing monoplane as a "Cessna" regardless of the manufacturer, It is however quite a nice advert in its own way, although I feel that adding the other brands names along the bottom of the screen, Airfix, Corgi etc, they are also promoting public knowledge of the other things they sell. I admit to knowing naff all about marketing, but this seems to be more about reminding people that Hornby are still there than actually selling products, the products are such strong brands that they almost sell themselves. I reckon so anyway. Does anyone remember the Yellow Pages ad that ran for years about the lad looking for the signalbox for his grandads huge layout, I knew the young lad who did that, he was 8 at the time and highly embarassed when it kept getting rolled out when he was in his late teens! Also, the advert is in the same vane as that twee John Lewis Xmas ad doing the rounds at the moment, perhaps the same marketing firm? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pennine MC Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 The thread title 'Hornby 2012 offensive' is open to a different interpretation - Yup, I found it pretty maudlin Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Kris Posted December 8, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 8, 2011 And people who only want to build trainsets, instead of model railways... In the case of this advert that is most likely very true though, but if it got you an extra train related present or two over Christmas would you mind? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozexpatriate Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 the more I look at it the more I wonder if it is targetted at older folk to remind them what to buy for their granchildren etc? It clearly won't appeal to the younger market because of its total lack of sophistication in advertising terms. Yes, clearly this has a nostalgia message. If they were targeting a young audience, you would see 395s controlled by a laptop running RailMaster (with Facebook in the background) while the youngster texted "luv my Hornby" to a friend. If they had the vision (and the software engineering budget) they'd go with an Android or iPhone throttle. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold PaulRhB Posted December 8, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 8, 2011 My favourite Hornby add was the one where the track grew in front of the trains, copied brilliantly by Nick Park too They may be recyling the 80's models but I bet if they went even further back to the generic O gauge 0.4.0's they sell as nostalgia toys by the ton! Pretty bland advert considering the powerful images they could get low down of a Javelin or sound loco. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozexpatriate Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 The thread title 'Hornby 2012 offensive' is open to a different interpretation Indeed it is! I'm not quite ready to say that I find the Hornby 2012 announcements "offensive" ... but when the time comes ... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coldgunner Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 I remember this, as I had the Thomas and Bertie set http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MInDs1Ye0c Like previously mentioned, the one where the track is constantly growing is my overall favourite. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob D2 Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 Oh dear, that wasn't very good was it . As my learned colleague said if they want to attract younger blood , get some of those gizmos in. I don't see the point of including grandad, that just sterotypes the whole thing as a retirement hobby. Almost as cheesy as the new BA ad... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mighty Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 It was fun seeing how good the old adverts were, including some I'd not seen before. The new one is a bit cheesy, but it will probably persuade my Dad to buy something! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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