Comments below – they are only my opinions.
Bruce
From: runacc@yahoogroups.com [mailto:runacc@yahoogroups.com]
Sent: Saturday, June 18, 2016 10:40 PM
To: runacc@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [runacc] Some ideas for promoting CC (long, sorry)
I recently got back from AnimeNext where I was promoting CC35. I’ve been doing CC promo at anime and comic-cons on and off for around 4 years now, and have recently been mulling over my experiences and thoughts about what needs to be done to carry Costume-Con into the future and keep it successful and relevant.
I feel very strongly about Costume-Con and really love it. Because of this I’m very concerned about how best to attract younger costumers, because most of them have come up through the anime and comic-con circuit which is in most cases completely separate from the older sci-fi and literary con circuit. So many costumers who would have a blast at CC never even hear about it.
Here are some of my thoughts about what’s needed. I am willing to put my money where my mouth is and pitch in for a lot of this, but it would be great to get some help ;D
#1 – Improving Web Presence
First off, we urgently need a modern, accessible, centralized Costume-Con.com page so that when people google ‘Costume-Con’ they find useful, up-to-date information AND see something that will get them interested. This is the most critical thing. The current page is both out-of-date in terms of information, and makes the casual observer assume that the event is either defunct or very disorganized. Cosplayers are extremely web-savvy and are unlikely to take a chance on a con that has a weak web presence. We need something in line with the websites for your standard modern comic, media or anime con if we want the younger generation of costumers to not dismiss us out of hand without even finding out that CC has great stuff going on.
I would be happy to build and maintain a new costume-con.com page. I WANT to do it, I just need to be able to access the domain. If someone else is going to do it, that’s great, but it is extremely important that it gets done ASAP. Many people I was talking to at AnimeNext were very interested in attending CC37 in Salem and other future CCs, but without a functional centralized way of finding CC (and if they don’t know the CC# to search for it), we will continue to struggle at attracting new attendees. It’s about more than just promoting the current or upcoming CC; many people are now hearing about the con for the first time and we need to think about the long game.
Ideally the new page would have some good graphics, eye-catching photos, and clear, basic info about what CC is, how it works, why cosplayers should be interested. What it does that is different from other cons.
I absolutely agree. The website has desperately been in need for updating for years. The “countdown clock” has made me clench my teeth for a long time. I say, if someone wants to take on the task of a makeover, LET THEM DO IT! DON’T LET THEM GET AWAY!
#2 – Promotion at other cons
I think it would be really useful to have eye-catching promo material that is non-year-specific, that can be reused and passed on. It is critical to do outreach at anime and comic-cons in the areas near upcoming CCs, not just to get them to register for the upcoming one, but to spread awareness of CC and get them talking to their local costuming communities, to spread interest and excitement. I’m planning on getting at least one large-format banner printed that could be used by many successive CCs for promotion at anime and comic-cons, as well as some postcards that have a brief explanation of CC’s concept and the dates/locations of the next few upcoming CCs. So even if they can’t make the next one, they can start planning for future CCs.
The important thing is grabbing people’s attention and then explaining what CC can offer them. The spiel I’ve found which works the best usually touches on:
– 4 days of nonstop costuming/cosplay!
– any kind of costume is welcome, from media recreation to historical to original design! This is especially useful to emphasize, as many anime cons only allow or embrace Japanese-origin costumes. Many cosplayers would like to branch out but don’t know there’s a venue that would welcome this!
– 4 different competitions, including a fashion design competition
– dealer’s room full of costume supplies
– all the panels and workshops are about learning cool new skills and techniques
– “It’s basically cosplayer heaven”
In addition, every CC committee (and anyone in the general area of an upcoming CC) should be connecting with local cosplay groups on Facebook and in-person to do outreach.
– Send someone to every anime and comic-con within driving distance, to not just leave a pile of flyers somewhere, but sit at a table with an eye-catching display and explain CC to people.
– Print out promotional material that has lots of nice colour photos and big text explaining the basic elements of CC and what it can offer. For CC32 we went through a lot of double-sided colour postcards – they can have basic info, are eye-catching, easy to read and memorable. Paper registration forms aren’t really needed much anymore – most people at anime & comic-cons will be registering online.
– See someone walk by with a fantastic costume? Flag them down, hand them a flyer/postcard, explain what Costume-Con is.
This is the kind of thing of which Dawn and I did a lot in the years leading up to CC32.
Much of this we’ve been saying for years, but I think the MACS/CC34 really put this into practice. If you guys were doing it too, then good on ya.
#3 – Retaining New Attendees
I have heard time and again from younger people who have attended a CC for the first time that they felt excluded and isolated – that the atmosphere was very insular, that there was a clear assumption that everyone should already know how everything worked, that info was hard to find, that newcomers were mostly left to fend for themselves and felt left out as a result. I know that many CC conrunners have done great work to be more inclusive, but we need to keep working at that and do more. It may seem tedious to CC veterans, but we need to start aiming our promotional material and websites at people who have never attended a CC (or Worldcon, or similar con) before, and make sure we always have some programming tailored for both veterans and newcomers.
I mostly agree with this. Knowledge about CC has always been relatively de-centralized. The time is already here to recognize that there will be fewer and fewer committees made up of people from the earlier days of CC who know the ropes. And in turn, without guidance, regulars can’t grump if traditions and formats aren’t maintained because more often than not many of the future committees will have attended few, if any, CCs before they run their own.
Nora and I have found that having a “My First Costume-Con” panel at the con is a critical first step to making people feel included. Every person that attended that panel came away with a much better impression of the con. But, of course, not everyone is going to attend it. So, yes, there needs to be helpful information published both on line and in the program book. I wrote an FAQ for CC25 that has been used by some of the following CCs that can be tweaked.
There are plenty of cosplayers who just want to dress up and have fun, who have little interest in branching out or learning other techniques, and that’s fine. CC is not the place for them. But there are still a LOT of cosplayers attending anime and comic-cons who definitely are interested in the kind of things that CC can offer, and they just have no idea there is a venue for that. I talk to them at cons all the time and they are excited about Costume-Con, and amazed that it has existed for so long while they’ve never heard of it. Is every cosplayer who tries CC once going to become a regular who throws themselves into it wholeheartedly? Of course not, but we won’t get the die-hards without reaching out to everyone.
Over a decade ago, as we were watching the cosplay phenomenon grow by leaps and bounds, we said that if we could capture just 10% of that crowd, it could double the attendance at CCs.
If we want CC to not just survive but thrive, we need to keep reaching out to them. It’s going to take work to bridge the gap between our two communities. We can’t rest on our laurels and wait for them to come to us; we have to go out and convince them. It is critical to stop dismissing ‘those anime kids’, and instead embrace them as what they are – the next generation of costumers and the people who will keep Costume-Con vibrant for years to come.
This is where the most work needs to be done, trying to merge two different cultures and generations. Unfortunately, it could be an uphill battle to combat perceptions of each community. A major push needs to be made to educate and have a greater understanding between the established base of attendees and the new ones we’re trying to attract.
The regular attendees are probably largely unaware that, actually, many of the younger generation of costumers/cosplayers are intimidated by those of us long-time costumers. I recall observing any number of times how excited newbies were to be recognized by their older peers, validating their work in a competitive venue. But there’s still work to be done regarding the masquerade costuming community regarding competition. I’m reminded of Yaya Han’s (incorrect) perception of the “strict ICG rules” mentioned in an episode of “Heroes of Cosplay”. Scoff if you want, but it’s a perception held by many people who have not actually attended a CC.
Regarding “cliques”. This works both ways. I explained in the FAQ that many people may only get to see each other in person once a year, so they may not be as proactive about talking to newbies as they perhaps should be, if they want the con to grow. You also have to keep in mind that many costumers, both young and old, are shy. Shyness can be mistaken as aloofness. It’s a common mistake made by shy or new people to hope they will be noticed and approached. That’s not the way things generally work. It’s just a fact of human nature, even at CC. Are there things that can be done? Absolutely.
A thought about promotion: in any material, show that the hobby appeals to all ages. Include old recreation photos from earlier decades. Have people of all ages in recreations today. But also show there’s a whole ‘nother world of creativity with original works not just by the older generation, but also the younger ones (there are fewer of them, but they’re out there). Make sure works from other shows don’t get overlooked, like the FFS and Historical. This year, we had a lot of newbies in some of those shows. Good stuff. People need to see that.
Bruce