Observations of The Show Circuit: Fall Sire Issue!

[RSC]

Just recieved it in the mail.  Just wanted to hear other's thoughts.

1.  About Time Semen Now for Sale.  Hadn't heard this yet.

2.  Naughty Pine AD has a picture of NP X Galloway.  To all the genetic experts,  What will Galloway give us for clubcalf production.  How are
they for Maternal?

3.  False Advertisement:  This drives me nuts and I think it's boderline criminal.  There are a few bulls that still have there Ads where they list in Big
letters, THF but no mention of PHA status.  And one is a known carrier.  Most of us on here will check the SEK, Maine And Shorthorn lists but there are
many that make Sire Selection off these ad's.  In fact a close friend of mine used one of these Sires on a carrier female.  Sorry about the rant!!

4. They are Selling Sexed heifer semen on DCC New Look.  Has anyone had any luck flushing with sexed semen?



Any other thoughts,

RSC

 

[DL]

Just recieved it in the mail.  Just wanted to hear other's thoughts.

3.  False Advertisement:  This drives me nuts and I think it's boderline criminal.  There are a few bulls that still have there Ads where they list in Big
letters, THF but no mention of PHA status.  And one is a known carrier.  Most of us on here will check the SEK, Maine And Shorthorn lists but there are
many that make Sire Selection off these ad's.  In fact a close friend of mine used one of these Sires on a carrier female.  Sorry about the rant!!

Any other thoughts,

RSC

Oh RSC - you are such a silly person thinking that people will actually honestly disclose the carrier status of their bulls - where have you been? OZ? Don't you realize that sins of omission are the norm in the biz?

On another note I believe the Galloways will add hair! I know very little about the breed, however they did report TH before the Shorthorns did - it is unclear if it is the same genetic defect as there appear to be no samples available for Dr B to test. I have the old paper if you want a copy ;D

 

[shorthorns r us]

Naughty Pine AD has a picture of NP X Galloway.  To all the genetic experts,  What will Galloway give us for clubcalf production.  How are
they for Maternal?

Rumor has it that WMW's MGD is Galloway.

 

[afhm]

Is there a September issue or is it a Sept/Oct combined issue?  Thanks.

 

[farmboy]

who'd think theyed ever see britney spears and lohan on a bull add 

 

[RSC]

Is there a September issue or is it a Sept/Oct combined issue?  Thanks.

There will be a Sept/Oct issue coming out shortly.  This is strictly a Sire Issue that came today.

RSC

 

[Show Heifer]

I haven't seen an issue.

But I find it pathetic that lohan and spears would be a good PR move.  But also find it typical of such a business.
Screw whoever you can, whenever you can, but however much you can.
Don't tell the truth, and if cornered, tell only a part of it.
If you can't breed a good sound calf, create one with hair and make one develope.
If the DOB is a few days, weeks, or months off, well that's ok.
And if the BW is too big, well, turn down the scales, or better yet, just guess the 90 pounds it probably is anyway. 
If ya wanna create hype, pull semen off the market and raise the price.
And to promote a bull/heifer, use ANYTHING that is sexy, perverted, or just plain lude, forget about the actual bull/heifer.
If ya can't beat someone, run them down verbally.
And God forbid, if you see someone cheat, LOOK AWAY and RUN, but don't tell authorities.
Smile and greet everyone when you see them, then when they are gone, stab them in the back, because that is the way the business is.
If you happen to find someone with money, attach your lips firmly to their hind side and take them for all their worth, the hell with honestly helping them.

Think I am a bit turned off by the purebred and clubbie industry? Yep.
Do I think EVERYONE is like the above? No.
Am I sick of those "minority"? (Although I honestly think they are the majority?) Yes.

And by the way, About Time has been on the open market for quite some time, and so has Maximus. Both which was pulled then re-introduced.

 

[Jill]

Oh come now Show Heifer, tell us what you really think (toungue in cheek)

 

[stick]

She's still upset from last Saturday. So am I.

 

[DL]

She's still upset from last Saturday. So am I.

oh? I wasn't paying attention - did the Hawkeyes fail to win?You know I really hate it when Show Heifer beats arount the bush

 

[showcattlegal]

A lot of that agree with thats why I really, really, really don't like steerjocks. I would much rather to do business with the breeders that have been in for the long hall. People that want repete business. They also care what happends to the breed as well. (clapping) I'm glad someone finally said something.

 

[Show Heifer]

Stick - Isn't it amazing what I can type with a paper bag over my head!!! ;D
And yes, I am still upset, but keep thinking, that the last time ia st beat us, the Hawks went undefeated in the Big 10, so maybe.....
And yes again, I can't beat around the bush well can I??? NOT!!!!! (clapping)

 

[DL]

IMHO how a person or operation advertises itself or its product (in out case cattle, semen, embryos etc) says a lot about them - perhaps not always what they intend  ;D

IMHO again, the cattle should speak for themselves - if you need a gimick (condoms, snotty nosed kid, badly behaved stars, whatever) to promote your cattle maybe they aren't worth promoting

I do not have a paper bag over my head - but the iPod is here and appears to be working (maybe that is why I am so mellow  ;D) - more on that later  ;D

as a friend said a bit ago my karma is
F
A
L
L
I
N
G
SPLAT!

 

[knabe]

if i ever get up the nerve to try and sell an animal for anything other than meat, here's what my ad would contain.  since maine's have a few faults dut to unintended selection in france, i would address those faults directly in the ad.  i would have a

blown up picture of a hind foot with nice flex in the pastern and no swelling at the coronet band
something that compared and contrasted head size, smooth shoulders for calving ease, in addition to data
contrasting pop in the rib cage, sans hair
more pictures of aged bulls
a picture or video that demonstrated soundness such as steeping in tracks
contemporary group improvement pics of using a maine bull vs what people are doing now

the reason to me that ads all look alike, is because they are.  profile shot of one animal, or a grid of a few, so it's pretty easy to stand out with the nonsense as there is little competition in ad ingenuity.  perhaps it's not needed and they really want the profile shots and the grid of offspring.  but if i wanted to improve my herd, i would want to know what you have that others don't. 

content would change based on breed, ie deep socket eyes with good lash coverage and pigmentation on eyes, udders, testicles with herefords

 

[red]

In marketing, for an ad to be sucessful, it needs to catch your attention, create a buzz or be remembered. The ones you mentioned DL achieved all those. You might not like how someone advertizes but you remembered them.
I personally loved the red head child ad. I would have liked to have seen a picture of the bull however too. But look at the Nike ads on TV. Most of the time you never see a picture of the shoe. Nelson's first ads might not have appealed to everyone but their recent ads have been spot on. I look at some ads in magazines & can't quite understand what they're promoting or selling. A picture of a pond & distant cattle is pretty but it leaves me confused.
I like ads w/ some humor & tongue in check. Creative ads are great too. Somemany times we get swamped w/ facts & figures. If we all liked the same ads it would be a pretty boring world.

Red

 

[DL]

In marketing, for an ad to be sucessful, it needs to catch your attention, create a buzz or be remembered. The ones you mentioned DL achieved all those. You might not like how someone advertizes but you remembered them.
I personally loved the red head child ad. I would have liked to have seen a picture of the bull however too. But look at the Nike ads on TV. Most of the time you never see a picture of the shoe. Nelson's first ads might not have appealed to everyone but their recent ads have been spot on. I look at some ads in magazines & can't quite understand what they're promoting or selling. A picture of a pond & distant cattle is pretty but it leaves me confused.
I like ads w/ some humor & tongue in check. Creative ads are great too. Somemany times we get swamped w/ facts & figures. If we all liked the same ads it would be a pretty boring world.

Red

Red - they did catch my attention and I do remember the ads (there are some on TV I remember too) BUT I do not remember the product - so from that point of view it doesn't work - for advertising to be successful it must first catch your attention, second connect with a specific thing that you remember, and third get you to buy the product - a breakdown in any of those areas is likely not a successful campaign, IMHO- success begets success - look at the Witch Doctor ads - same picture of the bull for 10 plus years with words changing - the bull and his progeny sold the semen - you didn't need a nurse ratchet draped over the bull to sell the semen - I like ads with information  - I find it annoying when there is no pedigree, no PHA/TH status, no BD or BW and in mature buills I really like hip height or frame score and mature weight (yeah, dream on!) - I am well aware that many disagree with me - that's whats great about the US, now if we could get the MI legislators to pass a budget before the state closes down...

 

[DLD]

I haven't seen the SC yet, so I can't comment on anything in particular there. But I can tell you this - I sell semen and I can tell you that those ads that some folks may find to be too much fluff do sell semen. When and if mine gets here (chances are I'll pick one up at Tulsa first) I can flip through it pretty quick and be able to tell which bulls will be moving semen by looking at the ads, and plenty of 'em will be bulls I don't care for, but if they took a great picture and/or had a really catchy ad of some sort, they will be in demand. There are plenty of people in this business that will buy into the hype (quite literally), and there are some good reasons to. Some exhibitors (and parents and club leaders) are more likely to buy a calf if they've seen those shiny catchy ads on his daddy...

A good friend of mine is promoting a bull - he's a really good one if he's the kind you're looking for, but he's using pictures he took himself of the bull at like 21 months of age out in the pasture, and another friend put together the ad - I believe it'll sell some semen to some of the people that take the time to look, but it's prob'ly not catchy enough to sell big amounts. It's too bad that he'll get overlooked by alot of people that he could help, but the upside is that a bigger percentage of those who do find him will likely be breeders, not just multipliers. 

Once a bull has proven himself (like Witch Doctor), I don't think it matters nearly as much how catchy the ad is - practically anything that just reminds buyers that he (or at least his semen) is still out there will do the trick.

 

[RSC]

I haven't seen the SC yet, so I can't comment on anything in particular there. But I can tell you this - I sell semen and I can tell you that those ads that some folks may find to be too much fluff do sell semen. When and if mine gets here (chances are I'll pick one up at Tulsa first) I can flip through it pretty quick and be able to tell which bulls will be moving semen by looking at the ads, and plenty of 'em will be bulls I don't care for, but if they took a great picture and/or had a really catchy ad of some sort, they will be in demand. There are plenty of people in this business that will buy into the hype (quite literally), and there are some good reasons to. Some exhibitors (and parents and club leaders) are more likely to buy a calf if they've seen those shiny catchy ads on his daddy...

A good friend of mine is promoting a bull - he's a really good one if he's the kind you're looking for, but he's using pictures he took himself of the bull at like 21 months of age out in the pasture, and another friend put together the ad - I believe it'll sell some semen to some of the people that take the time to look, but it's prob'ly not catchy enough to sell big amounts. It's too bad that he'll get overlooked by alot of people that he could help, but the upside is that a bigger percentage of those who do find him will likely be breeders, not just multipliers. 

Once a bull has proven himself (like Witch Doctor), I don't think it matters nearly as much how catchy the ad is - practically anything that just reminds buyers that he (or at least his semen) is still out there will do the trick.

DLD,  You make some great points!  IMO,  a poor quality picture kills you from the start.  However,  A great profile picture in todays age,  doesn't  always mean success.  Most people now realize with the help of computer tech., anyone can fix up a great Bull Picture.  So than it comes down to how can you catch some attention?  Some of the controversial things being used to promote bulls,  are drawing attention.  If it makes you look twice & then you check out the pedigree further, the ad may sell some semen.

I However think if you are creative,  you can grab attention W/O being controversial.  We promoted a bull about 5 years ago.  We sold some semen the first year mainly because of attention from displaying him.  I myself did not care for the 1st year calf picture of him that we were using.  I felt it looked to fake.  When he was a 2 year old,  my partner emailed me a picture of the bull in his everyday clothes out on the Ranch, grazing with his head down.  At first I thought we shouldn't use it because it wasn't the typical profile picture that most used.  Some people didn't care for the picture but most people we viseted with liked seeing a natural picture.  It was different so It made people look a little further.

Another example of something different that grabbed your attention is Who Made Who.  Before I new who he was and someone would bring him up,  my response would be "Oh you mean that bull tied to the fence with his head cranked in the air?"  It was a different pose and it grabbed your attention.

RSC

 

[DL]

Hey DLD - how are ya? It is amazing what sells and what people will buy - I think ad men (so to speak) take advantage of the sheep and keep up with the Jonses mentality of the public (why wouldn't they - they are in the business of creating campaigns that sell things  ;D)  - all you have to do is look at the hype with the iPhone and other gotta have items (as well as people flocking to their doctors begging for this or that drug because it changed people's lives on TV) to realize the influence the ads have on a huge number of people - it is as if people allow the ads and the hype do their thinking for them..

yup RSC I agree with you too - that bull tied to fence with his head up - funny!  ;D.

 

[shortdawg]

I'll be running an ad on my new bull in the coming months. He is solid white and appropriately named " Blanco ".  What kind of pics or catchy slogan should I use for him ?