You can count on these 52. And I can count on the dozens of folks here at DC Entertainment. It is an honor to work on the Sales, Marketing & Business Development team, which also includes the areas of Franchise Management, Interactive, and Publicity. Across the DC Comics, Vertigo, and MAD brands. Many title pages on your new #1’s read, “DC Comics Proudly Presents.” That’s how we feel today about DC Comics – The New 52. Pride. I am so proud, along with our creators and my colleagues and our thousands of retail partners, to present these stories and characters to you. What we have set out to do, from a Sales & Marketing standpoint, is to make it all bigger and make it all easier for you, no matter who you are. A favorite definition of Marketing I came across years ago is “removing barriers to a sale.” So if a barrier was displaced readership, we have tried to remove it – with fresh storytelling and clear narratives so anyone can jump (back) aboard a given title. So if a barrier was access, we have tried to remove it - with increasing new sales opportunities (i.e. new customers via new platforms) without jeopardizing our crucial core. So if a barrier was retailer resources, we have tried to remove it – with the most aggressive incentive and co-op program ever. So if a barrier was consumer awareness, we have tried to remove it – with a big and innovative advertising/publicity campaign. So if a barrier was price, we have tried to remove it – with keeping all standard issues at $2.99. So if a barrier was system morale, we have tried to remove it – with a collaborative and optimistic approach to all that we do. Many in the industry are under the wrong impression that we want to “win the month” at all costs with sales of DC Comics - The New 52. Sure, we’d love to get our books into more hands than ever before, profitably. But it’s most important that any industry growth comes in an additive manner, so that all publishers may succeed. To be clear – DC is not a market-share-chaser. If we were, we would not be creating a quality lasting direction across a controlled number of titles. We would instead be flooding the market with over 200 titles a month, changing your prices with abandon, killing off a character every quarter or so, and/or randomly announcing decimal-pointed event-ish thingies. We haven’t. So raise a glass – a real physical glass that feels good to the touch and is a lasting part of your collection, or one of those corny little drinking apps you’re temporarily enjoying on your mobile device – to DC Comics – The New 52. We are just getting started, but we are sure proud of our recent steps. And we sure do appreciate you being on this trip with us. Thank you all very much. See you in the stores. John Rood Executive VP-Sales, Marketing and Business Development
Editorial
Counting down to DC Comics-The New 52: A note from John Rood
BY: DCE Editorial
Monday, August 29th, 2011