Why do knife companies not advertise more?

stabman said:
That's just because there aren't commercials programming them to want some.;)

People don't have intrinsic interest in most of the crap peddled on television. It all about created false need.
The sam could be done with knives, and some of the companies could certainly afford to do it.

I guess the knife companies are making enough money as it is right now.:)
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Y'know, my mother did buy a Ginsu knife off of TV back in the late 1970's. That knife lasted her over 30+ years (I secretly threw it away finally to get her to use all the kitchen knives I've given her!)
 
oic0 said:
I mean are there honestly enough women with nether region infections to warrant a prime time commercial?
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Son, here's your problem- you haven't thought what you say through. Do you REALLY want the answer to that question? :foot:

KennyB said:
I dunno, have you seen those Dyson commercials? $500 vacuum cleaners, $300 desk fans. They're all fancy new "innovations" sure, but who spends $500 on a vacuum? Obviously someone, or they wouldn't have the revenue to keep advertising...

Makes you wonder... Are their vacuum nuts? Maybe a Vacuum Forums...
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OOh, ooh! I have close family that owns a Dyson- the top of the line one from a few years ago! And yes, it is worth it! Because the top of the line version was the "animal" version, and I can tell you, given the amount of vacuum attrition and lack thereof from the dyson, it can be a worthwhile purchase! But this is also a family that has several hundred pounds of longhaired animals in the house. Instead of a new vacuum every few years, that vacuum has been going for at least 5.

Zero
 
Heck, if companies selling stuff had to rely solely on sales to people who already wanted or knew about their products without the need for advertising, many would go out of business.

And any marketing proffesional will tell you, the purpose of advertising isn't to sell stuff to people who already want it, the purpose of advertising is to sell stuff to people who DON'T KNOW they want it. They're trying to convert new members, not preach to the choir.

As far as knife enthusiasts being a small group, I disagree. Yes, those knife enthusiasts who care about what super-steel a knife is made of, or how many foot-pound of pressure a knife lock can withstand ARE a small group, but I would imagine that the vast majority of males in this country, of all ages, have some interest in knives. It's a guy thing. Even guys who don't carry a knife, if you gave them one for free, and if it were a nice one, would be thrilled and say "Wow! Cool! Thanks!" and mean it.

I have no doubt that advertising would increase knife sales. I'm sure there are "devout" knife enthusiasts who would take special notice of an appealing knife in an advertisement, and then investigate further online. And I'm sure there are many, let's say, less mature individuals who might rush right out and buy a "wicked cool" knife if they saw it advertised in some flashy/trashy way. But I'm also sure that the bean counters working for the knife companies have crunched the numbers and determined that the increase in sales that advertising would produce would not be worth the expense.
 
stabman said:
That's just because there aren't commercials programming them to want some.;)

People don't have intrinsic interest in most of the crap peddled on television. It all about created false need.
The sam could be done with knives, and some of the companies could certainly afford to do it.

I guess the knife companies are making enough money as it is right now.:)
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I think you are onto something.
 
richard thurman said:
how much does it cost to make up a commercial and then put it up on the air??? the kershaw leek cost around $40.00 after they start makeing commercials about it the cost would be??? $200.00+ think guy just think. they cant be makeing that much profit right now.
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I would not advertise one particular knife, but just the entire company as a whole. A lot of people do own a pocket knife, but will limit their purchases to what they can pick up at Walmart or feel like they got a good knife at say Dicks Sporting Goods. They are just ignorant, most people have never heard of Spyderco, Benchmade, Zero Tolerance, Hinderer, Chris Reeve, and so on. I bet you could pick up some customers who like quality things, but have just never heard of the quality brands.
 
Zero_Time said:
Son, here's your problem- you haven't thought what you say through. Do you REALLY want the answer to that question? :foot:


OOh, ooh! I have close family that owns a Dyson- the top of the line one from a few years ago! And yes, it is worth it! Because the top of the line version was the "animal" version, and I can tell you, given the amount of vacuum attrition and lack thereof from the dyson, it can be a worthwhile purchase! But this is also a family that has several hundred pounds of longhaired animals in the house. Instead of a new vacuum every few years, that vacuum has been going for at least 5.

Zero
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Yes, In my younger days I ran AP (Assets Protection) at Target. I watched, followed, zoomed in on and caught people stealing all kinds of things. The top four stolen items nation wide were, (and I'm serious) 1. Electronics. 2. I won't say what kind, but a cold medicine because kids got high off it. 3. Razor blade refills for the latest mach five. 4. Dyson Vacuum cleaners.

Sorry I got off topic.
 
Let me tell you something about Dyson vacuums. They work well and they last a long time. My wife and I had gone through two different vacuums before we bit the bullet and bought a Dyson. We've had the Dyson for about 4 years now and it gets used weekly. Easy to use, easy to clean, great attachments, and it sucks up damn near everything on the first pass. Dyson, the Sebenza of the vacuum world. Seriously.
 
10mm Glock said:
Yes, In my younger days I ran AP (Assets Protection) at Target. I watched, followed, zoomed in on and caught people stealing all kinds of things. The top four stolen items nation wide were, (and I'm serious) 1. Electronics. 2. I won't say what kind, but a cold medicine because kids got high off it. 3. Razor blade refills for the latest mach five. 4. Dyson Vacuum cleaners.

Sorry I got off topic.
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Wait wait wait...

1-3 are small, high margin items- on a cubic inch/weight/cost basis, they make complete sense, and are easy to smuggle out. But how in the world do you steal a dyson??

The best I can think is bringing in fabric, and macgyvering it to look like a stroller, and walking out nonchalantly with the new dyson vacuum stroller you just made...

Zero
 
oic0 said:
Ever person I know owns at least one pocket knife, and most I know own a few fixed blades too. I don't know anyone using the substances in most of the prescription drug commercials I see, or that even have the conditions that would cause them to need them.
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TV advertising is hugely expensive; few people spend more than SAK prices on knives. And while you may not think you know anyone who uses prescription drugs, seniors in the US typical spend thousands of dollars a year on them - any of the big pharma companies could buy Spyderco out of pin money.
 
Zero_Time said:
Wait wait wait...

1-3 are small, high margin items- on a cubic inch/weight/cost basis, they make complete sense, and are easy to smuggle out. But how in the world do you steal a dyson??

The best I can think is bringing in fabric, and macgyvering it to look like a stroller, and walking out nonchalantly with the new dyson vacuum stroller you just made...

Zero
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Exactly my first thoughts, when I started. We actually had wanted posters in the office, for certain people (repeat offenders) because certian meth heads, and yes they were proven meth heads times over by law enforcement and their own admission. Had the guts to actually load up two full shopping carts full of stuff, wheel it to the emergency exit, the ones where it sets off the alarm. They would then push the cart out the door with the alarm going off, load the goods into the vehicle come back into the store and push out the other cart load it up into the vehicle and leave, all on camera and they knew it.

Another thing they did in the electronics department was grab the most expensive display camera, at the time it was a 700.00 cannon. Cut the anti-theft device, and walk out the store with it. Thing is, just because the red LED is glowing it doesn't mean anything. Most if not 95% of the time when the cord was cut nothing alerted anyone to anything they just didn't work.
 
Television is a bad investment of money for knife companies outside of perhaps some sponsorships on outdoor shows. Better to spend money on more targeted media.
 
I once did see a Buck commercial around Christmas time on the "Sportsman's Channel". Although that isn't a mainstream channel by any stretch. But it still was cool to see a knife commercial none the less:thumbup:.
 
Your making a good point, except for kitchen knives I have not seen very many knife commercials.
There are very few gun commercials either..........except when someone shoots up a theater or something.
 
Ownership and carry of folding knives is not illegal in Louisiana, or they just haven't bothered to notify the POST academies. It would be patently ridiculous to make knife carry illegal in a state with the hunting/fishing, outdoors, and agricultural industries LA has. By the language f the revised statute, the only way to make it unlawful for non-uniform personnel to have a one-handed knife is for it to have a seatbelt cutter.
 
Most recently I saw a Gerber commercial showing a people doing hard labor, camping in the woods, etc promoting why you need to carry a knife. Overall it kinda made me want to buy a knife, but not a Gerber unfortunately.
 
Thought: You know how they advertise high performance synthetic oils, premium filters, etc?

Well, why not do the same with knives, maybe with the steel, etc. I like the comments about dysons, and not having to keep buying vacuums... A commercial asking, "Would you rather buy a $50 knife that will last every year of your life time, or buy a $10 knife every year of your life time." Anyway that shows why I'm not in marketing, but I think as far as the "performance" crowd goes, it might behoove knife companies to advertise a little. Afterall these people are already looking for the latest/greatest.

Thing is I don't think TV is a medium they really need, and some have been around so long that their reputation alone is enough. So between magazines or just being long time players, I don't see makers of high quality knives really needing TV. Word of mouth and the Internet kind of makes up for the rest of the publicity needed.
 
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