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 p.1 #17 · Can Someone Please Post Some Memory Mate Samples | |
Tom D wrote:
Only because they haven't been exposed to work like Jeff's and Charles'. 
A no brainer...
Tom, totally agree with one caveat... put it side by side and charge the same price, yes it's a no brainer. However, I feel that work like Jeff's and Charle's and down the road... Chris's should demand more money than the mainstream ones. Demand, yes. Actually receive, no.
When you start doing cutouts and other graphical pieces, whether it involves large amounts of time or not, your expertise, time, and creativity warrants a higher price. However, there is only so much you can charge for a MM. Maybe $20-$25.00 maximum. You can argue all you want that the graphical elements are far superior and that the time involved is more consuming than the regular one. Hell, you can even sprinkle gold chips all over it. The fact still remains that an 8 x 10 is an 8 x 10 and parents still think they are paying more for the size of the paper it's printed on than the time it takes for YOU to create it. Charge a penny more than the price point, even if it's printed on gold, and they'll walk.
When you're putting together a MM as an 8 x 10, look less at the creativity aspect of it and more towards the business aspect. You have to work smart. If the max the market can demand is $25.00 (and even that's pushing it), then it really has to be cookie cutter. Drop in a photo, drop in a name and be done with it. Understand that large photo companies that do MMs by the hundreds or even thousands, do not use photoshop. They are using fulfillment software that use a simple PNG or BMP where the software drops in the photo and allows a text field for a name and team, sometimes even barcoded in. Everything is automated. It has to be. Large leagues need to get their photos back to the league reasonably quickly.
In my opinion, I'd much rather spend the time on graphical pieces for large posters where I can charge as much as $200 per poster. MMs, IMO, need to be cookie cutter. Don't get overly crafty. Not on that. Chris... my suggestion is that if you put together a MM line, then put it together as an entire set for every sport, with two or different types of layouts per sport. If you sell them as a "package", it might be more worthwhile. Also, bear in mind that when it comes to MMs... there is a lot of competition. And the competition is practically giving away the product. My lab actually actually just came up with a MM line that is superb. We are talking like 100s of MMs that they are giving to their clients for FREE. All they are asking is that you use their printing services.
ESPN has marketed a line of products called MyESPN Highlights which include MMs, trader cards, team composites, photo books, magazine covers, all with the ESPN branding. You can't buy the templates as standalone sets. You have to use the product line through the online lab you employ. There is no cost for the template, simply a markup for the print that uses that product whereas you might normall spend $1.20 for an 8 x 10 as a straight print, one that uses the ESPN MM might cost you $2.10.
I love the graphical stuff being shown here. I'm not trying to discount it. I'm just offering how things tend to work with MM from a business standpoint. And with MMs, it's gotta be done quick and easy. Save the time and creativity for the higher ticketed pieces.
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. Thanks for the heads up.