Model launches on YouTube

[Harlequin]

Why are so many new models launched on the "Hornby magazine" YouTube channel?

 

Why are these manufacturers willing to allow the Hornby name and branding to come so close to their products? (Yes I know that the magazine is at arm's length from the Big H but the branding and the name are still there, nonetheless...)

 

Are the Hornby magazine staff better at making YouTube videos, or better presenters, or more knowledgeable than any others?

 

 

I don't understand.

 

[Phil Parker]

29 minutes ago, Harlequin said:

Are the Hornby magazine staff better at making YouTube videos, or better presenters, or more knowledgeable than any others?

 

Every magazine does things differently. We have a strong online presence at www.world-of-railways.co.uk - so new announcements are made on there, on RMweb and our social media. HM has a different model and makes videos.

 

If you are avidly watching their channel, that's probably where you see the announcement first, but it will be elsewhere.

[6990WitherslackHall]

I watch the Hornby channel and not only they show new models, but they also show layouts they are building and have a few videos showing you what they did and how they did it.

 

I also read magazines such as Model Rail and Railway Modeller.

Edited February 22, 2022 by 6990WitherslackHall

[woodenhead]

26 minutes ago, Phil Parker said:

If you are avidly watching their channel, that's probably where you see the announcement first, but it will be elsewhere.

Especially, if you see the advert for the announcement first on RMWeb from the social media of the shop announcing said model and putting in a big link to YouTube.

 

Whilst Hornby magazine have 27k subscribers it must be useful for Rails to use a rival's social media to link to the Hornby Magazine site and raise awareness just before the launch.

 

Of course the whole thing is more complicated and it's good that whilst Hornby Magazine do produce good video content that Rails also recognise the reach of RMWeb in drawing in viewers for annoucements.

[MarkSG]

It's probably also worth bearing in mind that Hornby Magazine is deliberately aimed at the somewhat less technical end of the market. That's one of the reasons why the publishers licensed the Hornby name to use on it, because it will appeal to people who aren't necessarily dedicated modellers. And the use of YouTube is part of that strategy, because that, too, has market cut-through to people who don't read the more traditonally oriented modelling media or read modelling forums on the web. Hornby Magazine videos will appear in the sidebar recommendations if you watch Sam's Trains, for example, which indicates that YouTube's algorithms consider there to be an overlap.

[Steamport Southport]

35 minutes ago, MarkSG said:

It's probably also worth bearing in mind that Hornby Magazine is deliberately aimed at the somewhat less technical end of the market. That's one of the reasons why the publishers licensed the Hornby name to use on it, because it will appeal to people who aren't necessarily dedicated modellers. And the use of YouTube is part of that strategy, because that, too, has market cut-through to people who don't read the more traditonally oriented modelling media or read modelling forums on the web. Hornby Magazine videos will appear in the sidebar recommendations if you watch Sam's Trains, for example, which indicates that YouTube's algorithms consider there to be an overlap.

 

I would disagree with that. Might have been like that when it started, but certainly not now and hasn't been for years. Has about the same "workbench" content as the other three "mainstream" magazines. Too much electrics and weathering for my taste though.

 

 

Worth bearing in mind the similar Airfix Model World magazine has very complex builds that would make most articles in MRJ seem like they are aimed at beginners. It's certainly not about building Airfix Spitfire starter kits.

 

Neither have any connection with Hornby or Airfix apart from using the names.

 

 

Jason

[Harlequin]

Please don't get too hung up on the magazine connections. The question is really about why manufacturers go to that particular YouTube channel which brings the competing Hornby branding with it. (And model pricing is irrelevant to this question.)

 

We don't have to avidly watch the HM channel to see these launches because, as has been pointed out, they are pre-announced and linked all over social media including here on RMweb. So various independent manufacturers are shepherding people from all over the web to the "Hornby magazine" YouTube channel. It just seems really odd to me.

 

Thinking about BRM/WorldfOfRailways/RMWeb: We've seen them publish many videos to YouTube over the years. Howard, Phil and Andy have all interviewed the great and the good and they clearly have in depth knowledge of the subject. So why aren't launches, that are pre-announced on RMweb, put out under the BRM/WOR banner, with more organised communication with RMweb members and no hint of any competing model branding?

 

Or think about that august organ, the "Railway Modeller" and it's readers. Wouldn't that be a more appropriate community for some of these high-end models to be launched?

 

Furthermore, why don't the manufacturers have their own channels???

 

I guess part of the answer is perhaps that HM are the only organisation who get the importance of having a Channel and the others don't yet!.. Maybe?

 

Edited February 22, 2022 by Harlequin

[Revolution Ben]

5 minutes ago, Harlequin said:

Furthermore, why don't the manufacturers have their own channels???

 

I guess part of the answer is perhaps that HM are the only organisation who get the importance of having a Channel and the others don't yet!.. Maybe?

 

 

Hi there,

 

Revolution Trains has its own YouTube channel and recently launched our Class 18 shunter there as you can see.  There are also videos launching our Class 59 in N and some Facebook Live recordings etc.

 

 

 

There isn't a huge amount of content there yet, but we are working on it!  Generating decent quality video, if it isn't your core business, takes considerable effort.  

 

cheers

 

Ben A.

[AY Mod]

30 minutes ago, Harlequin said:

So why aren't launches, that are pre-announced on RMweb, put out under the BRM/WOR banner, with more organised communication with RMweb members and no hint of any competing model branding

 

Mike and Richard do their YouTube vids and release as standalones whereas Phil, Howard and I tend to tie our vids in with the digital version of BRM (especially layouts in the mag in my case). However we each have other other time pressures (me with this for example) which precludes standalone YouTube vids.

[woodenhead]

1 hour ago, AY Mod said:

 

Mike and Richard do their YouTube vids and release as standalones whereas Phil, Howard and I tend to tie our vids in with the digital version of BRM (especially layouts in the mag in my case). However we each have other other time pressures (me with this for example) which precludes standalone YouTube vids.

Probably why Hornby Mag took a less intensive route and went YouTube for Social Media over an RMWeb style Hornby Magazine forum + curated WOR/digital mag content.

[Phil Parker]

2 hours ago, Harlequin said:

Thinking about BRM/WorldfOfRailways/RMWeb: We've seen them publish many videos to YouTube over the years. Howard, Phil and Andy have all interviewed the great and the good and they clearly have in depth knowledge of the subject. So why aren't launches, that are pre-announced on RMweb, put out under the BRM/WOR banner, with more organised communication with RMweb members and no hint of any competing model branding?

 

Well, if we switched off RMweb, we'd have more time to make videos! 

[wagonbasher]

31 minutes ago, Phil Parker said:

 

Well, if we switched off RMweb, we'd have more time to make videos! 

Please don’t turn it off I enjoy the bit I can see on my iPad between the ads.  Even as I type I can’t see my words but I know I can get mouser electronics Opamps for battery powered installations.  I’m not sure what that is but I may one day.  Sorry,didn't mean to drift off topic.

 

Andy

[Enterprisingwestern]

9 hours ago, Phil Parker said:

 

Well, if we switched off RMweb, we'd have more time to make videos! 

 

If we switched off RMWeb we'd have more time to model!

 

Mike.

[2ManySpams]

If we switched off RMweb @AY Mod's hair would grow back...

[AY Mod]

46 minutes ago, 2ManySpams said:

@AY Mod's hair would grow back...

 

I'm getting old, it's coming out of my ears and nose.

[Oldddudders]

31 minutes ago, AY Mod said:

 

I'm getting old, it's coming out of my ears and nose.

TMI.

[Enterprisingwestern]

2 minutes ago, Oldddudders said:

TMI.

 

Could have been worse though!

 

Mike.

[Dragonboy]

Now that thought has traumatised me 

[HonestTom]

15 hours ago, Harlequin said:

Please don't get too hung up on the magazine connections. The question is really about why manufacturers go to that particular YouTube channel which brings the competing Hornby branding with it. (And model pricing is irrelevant to this question.)

 

We don't have to avidly watch the HM channel to see these launches because, as has been pointed out, they are pre-announced and linked all over social media including here on RMweb. So various independent manufacturers are shepherding people from all over the web to the "Hornby magazine" YouTube channel. It just seems really odd to me.

 

Thinking about BRM/WorldfOfRailways/RMWeb: We've seen them publish many videos to YouTube over the years. Howard, Phil and Andy have all interviewed the great and the good and they clearly have in depth knowledge of the subject. So why aren't launches, that are pre-announced on RMweb, put out under the BRM/WOR banner, with more organised communication with RMweb members and no hint of any competing model branding?

 

Or think about that august organ, the "Railway Modeller" and it's readers. Wouldn't that be a more appropriate community for some of these high-end models to be launched?

 

Furthermore, why don't the manufacturers have their own channels???

 

I guess part of the answer is perhaps that HM are the only organisation who get the importance of having a Channel and the others don't yet!.. Maybe?

 

Hornby, Bachmann, Rapido and Dapol certainly have their own channels.

[woodenhead]

Hornby Mag doing the Accurascale announcement at Midday too.

[franciswilliamwebb]

3 hours ago, AY Mod said:

 

I'm getting old, it's coming out of my ears and nose.

 

Same here, but we can be on call re-thatching suppliers for Pendon

[The Johnster]

You are all very bad people; I have mental images now that I didn't want and I can't unget them.  I also have hair emerging from all sorts of orifices in varying states of unpleasantness and fragrance, but you don't hear me going on about it.  Oh, hang on...

 

I very much doubt if any of my potential contributions would pass muster at Pendon, though!

 

The Squeeze would certainly agree that I spend far too much time on RMWeb, and resents it a lot more than such time as I spend in the railway room, and she has a point.  The internet is addictive; in her case it's Facebook!

[Steamport Southport]

21 hours ago, Harlequin said:

Please don't get too hung up on the magazine connections. The question is really about why manufacturers go to that particular YouTube channel which brings the competing Hornby branding with it. (And model pricing is irrelevant to this question.)

 

We don't have to avidly watch the HM channel to see these launches because, as has been pointed out, they are pre-announced and linked all over social media including here on RMweb. So various independent manufacturers are shepherding people from all over the web to the "Hornby magazine" YouTube channel. It just seems really odd to me.

 

Thinking about BRM/WorldfOfRailways/RMWeb: We've seen them publish many videos to YouTube over the years. Howard, Phil and Andy have all interviewed the great and the good and they clearly have in depth knowledge of the subject. So why aren't launches, that are pre-announced on RMweb, put out under the BRM/WOR banner, with more organised communication with RMweb members and no hint of any competing model branding?

 

Or think about that august organ, the "Railway Modeller" and it's readers. Wouldn't that be a more appropriate community for some of these high-end models to be launched?

 

Furthermore, why don't the manufacturers have their own channels???

 

I guess part of the answer is perhaps that HM are the only organisation who get the importance of having a Channel and the others don't yet!.. Maybe?

 

 

But that channel is Hornby Magazine. 

 

I honestly can't fathom out what you are complaining about. The model wasn't announced exclusively on that channel.

 

Besides here is the Railway Modeller channel seeing as you can't find it!

 

 

 

MRJ are currently trying to find the Super 8 projector......

[MarkSG]

21 hours ago, Harlequin said:

Please don't get too hung up on the magazine connections. The question is really about why manufacturers go to that particular YouTube channel which brings the competing Hornby branding with it. (And model pricing is irrelevant to this question.)

 

I don't think the manufacturers do go to that channel. I'd exect that the channel goes to them. 

 

21 hours ago, Harlequin said:

Thinking about BRM/WorldfOfRailways/RMWeb: We've seen them publish many videos to YouTube over the years. Howard, Phil and Andy have all interviewed the great and the good and they clearly have in depth knowledge of the subject. So why aren't launches, that are pre-announced on RMweb, put out under the BRM/WOR banner, with more organised communication with RMweb members and no hint of any competing model branding?

 

Or think about that august organ, the "Railway Modeller" and it's readers. Wouldn't that be a more appropriate community for some of these high-end models to be launched?

 

Product announcements go to all the main publishers. It's up to the publishers what they do with them.

 

21 hours ago, Harlequin said:

Furthermore, why don't the manufacturers have their own channels???

 

They do. They all do. Even the small manufacturers do.

 

21 hours ago, Harlequin said:

I guess part of the answer is perhaps that HM are the only organisation who get the importance of having a Channel and the others don't yet!.. Maybe?

 

All of the main publishers do have a YouTube channel, but they don't necessarily all make the same use of it.

 

Hornby Magazine makes a point of using YouTube videos, because that suits their marketing strategy. Other publishers have a different focus, all of which fits in with their particular brand and strategy. Warners, for example, has RMweb, which the other publishers don't have any equivalent of, and also generally prefers to put video content onto the BRM cover DVD rather than YouTube - again, that's a USP for BRM, because the other mags don't have DVD content. Peco is very strongly focussed on traditional print distribution of Railway Modeller and prefers to avoid doing too much which might detract from that. Model Rail, as part of the Bauer Media stable, is promoted on its parent company's in-house digital platform whereas other mags generally use a third-party digital distributor. They're all different, because they all have a different strategy. And what works for one might not work for another.

[Michael Hodgson]

Well if you don't like that channel you could always watch Sam.