Dad Baffled By Modern Marketing Part N

I just received - maybe you did too - a spam email from amazon.co.uk entitled “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Pre-Order Your Copy Now!”.

I can understand what Amazon gains from this, but really, why would anybody bother?? This is a book whose print run is going to be really quite staggeringly massive: it will not be difficult to find a copy come publication date, in fact it will be almost impossible to avoid one. There are whole food groups which are going to be scrapped to create supermarket space for the thing. But even so here we are being asked to “make sure of” our copies.

Contrast the Glastonbury Festival, which is also available to pre-order: here we have actual scarcity value so the whole “intent to buy” thing makes sense.

I wonder if this is another example of people just not understanding the idea of rarity (or to be more exact, companies hoping people don’t understand it). Cf. the 1990s comics industry boom, which was - to be fair, only partly - built on persuading 12-year olds that because a whole lot of people want something it will go up in value.

Also of course it’s a bit of experiential marketing - if stores can persuade customers that pre-ordering their copy of HP7 is an integral part of the anticipation experience then they can coin it in. I suspect queueing at midnight dressed as a witch is a bit more atmospheric though.

1. Andy M on January 8th, 2007

   I think a lot of “proper fans”, especially kids, go for stuff like this - I “own” the book before anyone else, how hardc0re am I etc. Personally I enjoy the Monday lunchtime stroll down to the shop to snatch the thing off the shelf with my own greedy hands.

2. FT's pˆnk s lord sükråt cunctør on January 8th, 2007

   the entirety of newspaper culture — writing for em and then reading em — is based in a “need to know early”; the idea that yr the watercooler sadsack if you can’t animatedly discuss [xx] the very moment it has gone general

3. Pete on January 8th, 2007

   This book gets FIVE STARS on Amazon based on Two Reviews: Here is one of the five star reviews…

   This book should be the best yet. I feel that will will be worth all 5 stars when it comes out so I have gave it such. The fact is that Harry may very well die. The thing with the 7 horcruxes is that Harry could be the eigth (why do you think voldemort went away for 10 years after his attack n Harry failed as he was probably too weak on his own as he split himself so much). This is why he had to live off Quirrel in the 1st book. Once the diary was destroyed the neumber went back down to seven so he could have regained his strength as he did in book 4. The mirror showed Ron he would be quidditch captain ( which happened) and Harry saw his parents (which are dead) so this could be a premonition. It would be a shame if he does die but this doesn’t mean the end will be miserable. This story has captivated millions with many different theories and I am sure that everyone will find the ending to this series as great as all the other books ( except for book 5).

4. Andrew Farrell on January 8th, 2007

   Does pre-ordering cost more? If not I’m not sure how they’re coining it in more than otherwise? I suppose it means the kids aren’t picking it up off the ’street’ IE Tescos or whatever that had the book for a fraction of the proper price last time.

   Also I’ll note that Harry Potter is a pop phenomenom for books, the one time when you can be reading something knowing that a significant chunk of society is also reading it at the same time - it’s the only singles chart we have left! Also you might recall the hijinks that occurred last time when some ILXors got their hands on sensitive information before some others.

   Obviously as you say, no-one will actually be without a copy, but still, but still..

5. FT's Tom on January 8th, 2007

   I don’t know whether Amazon does this but pre-ordering in a lot of places involves a deposit - the idea is to guarantee the sale at this outlet rather than at a more discounted one, like you say.

6. Juliet on January 8th, 2007

   I think last time Amazon shipped so that pre-orders would arrive on the doorstep on the day of release; so if you are eager to get it but can’t be arsed showing up at midnight / stopping at shop en route to work, it will come to you.

7. FT's Pete Baran on January 8th, 2007

   Amazon aren’t taking a deposit and will charge you on dispatch the going rate (ie if there is another Tesco price war they take part in). In many ways thoughthis is a battle that they are least likely to win, and it may actually be silly for them to even take part in.

8. jeff w on January 8th, 2007

   The e-mail seems to be working: Nos. 1 & 2 in the Amazon Hot 100 at the moment.