While I have made clear that marketing is not a four-letter word to me; I will put in a thought or two on “hype” (yeah; knew I would…)
Most of us view hype for what it is: marketing. But we forget that there are other consumers who read this board. Sure, for me - buying a new CLYW that has been talked about for months on end is a whole lot of fun. Picking the color, waiting patiently for the throw to arrive, etc. When it finally is in our hands, we make our judgements and move on to the overly-hyped new yoyo. Did the yoyo live up to its expectations? Was it “hyped” too much? We will argue these points for months to come. In the end, I might grumble, but I’ll pony up my $ for next big thing. That is part of the fun.
But we are forgetting that 12 year-old kid who is reading the same marketing (cough) hype. The one who has been saving his money up for six months to buy the ONE throw he will be able to afford. Which ONE will he buy? Will he make an informed choice? Or, will he buy-in to the latest, greatest hype and end up buying a not-so-great yoyo?
Those that insist that hype; especially over the top hype, is somehow harmless are wrong. I have heard from a large undercurrent of very unhappy youngsters, and adults of modest means; that feel that they have been ripped-off by the marketing machine of a major yoyo company or website. Sure, I can afford to get a turkey once in a while (it DOES happen). But sometimes I think we lose sight of those that do not have the means to make a bad choice or two.
You’re making the dangerous leap that these companies are knowingly releasing shoddy products with the sole intention of collecting money.
Maybe in the Energy Drink world (for example), there are occasional instances of this (though you can bet the principals at Red Bull think they have the world’s best energy drink and are willing to stand behind it!). But I just don’t see this happening in the yoyo world commonly often if at all. We’ve all been disappointed in throws (because ultimately… they all do roughly the same thing… there are no miracles!) but I don’t think a company like One Drop or CLYW ever released a turkey and rubbed their hands together chuckling as unwitting people bought it.
So, let’s get back to the specifics here. We’re talking about the Summit. We’re talking about people claiming this particular yoyo has “too much hype” or whatever. Time will tell if it’s a great yoyo or not (and a short amount of time, really!), but in the meantime it’s clear that both CLYW and One Drop believe in this yoyo.
That doesn’t mean people won’t be disappointed. Someone always is. But it means that the companies didn’t willfully put a piece of junk in anyone’s hands with the sole intention of parting them with their money. They believe it’s a good product, and they sincerely hope the consumers agree. Getting “ripped off” by the “marketing machine” implies harmful intention. And I see none of that here.
I made this because people were making a really big deal about the summit being hyped and obviously I don’t agree with it.
I don’t think the companies “hype” up their products, we do. Every company out there has their own rights to market and advertise their product… Otherwise how will they sell? It’s up to us if we believe in it. There is a huge fan base for OD and CLYW , so you will have people (not the company) talk about oh can’t wait for this or that but truth is only a handful of people Have actually tried this. More so now after the cal release.
We in general are just excited to try this thing, because it’s new and this and that. The companies will advertise and market their product, but we are the ones who believe in the product and “hype” it up.
And then you have some who say oh they hyped it up too much, well we are the ones who hyped it up. The guys at OD and CLYW already know about this product. We as the consumers don’t and we want to believe this will be the greatest Yoyo ever but we won’t until we try it and come to our own conclusion.
Also, I know some say they won’t get this or that cus of tHe hype etc, to each their own. Don’t hate because you don’t want one. Lol jk ;D
With that being said, I can’t wait to get my hands on this thing!!
Hype hype hype!!! Don’t get one so that I can. (I would appreciate this a lot)
How could you sit there and do this to Jensens face?
In my other hobby, the funny thing is that the people who complain a lot about the newest product/s end up eating their words and buying the said product because they realize afterwards that it was not so bad like they thought.
Just got mine in the mail about an hour ago. So far I really, really like it. Definitely one of the smoothest return-tops I own, and it feels very satisfying to throw. Floaty, but with presence, if that makes sense. Tried some domes on it, too, but went right back to the ultralights. To me, they just feel right.
So I just got to spend some quality time with a friend’s summit and let me just say that it is pretty amazing! If you love the avalanche, you will absolutely adore the summit. It has a really solid feel on a throw, is well balanced, and doesn’t have a heavy feel on the string. It is definitely a bit on the floatier side, but you can tell it’s there and is easily maneuverable while playing.
I would definitely pick one up if I had some extra cash, but unfortunately probably won’t be able to. The only thing I didn’t like was the somewhat cheesy side engraving. It looked aight, but not as clean cut as my FG avalanche. Other than that I thought it was a wonderful collab throw. I am very impressed.
Believe me, I wanted to think this throw was just going to be a crappy modern yoyo rendition put out by two of the biggest high end throw makers out there, but this is the real deal guys. Stop talking about hype, because this throw actually plays very well. Yes of course we have a lot of expectations for when two big companies like this come together, but they have conceived a beautiful newborn. The summit. The way I see it, “SUMM will get IT” and some won’t, just don’t be the one complaining about hype when you haven’t even tried it :
Mine came in the mail today, and it is amazing, never thrown a yoyo that compares to this one, it has everything i like, it is floaty, fast and incredibly smooth. Unboxing video here: