Power to the people, right on...
A few months ago, I posted about how Fox was asking fans to help pick the artwork for season five of 24. They had set up a pretty meticulous survey site to get your take on the art, the box layout, etc. It was a fun survey and I was excited to see what box design would be chosen by the massive 24 fanbase.
Here were the choices...
Here is the "winning" artwork selection as per Fox...
You may be asking yourself why the winning artwork doesn't quite look like any of the choices given to us fans some months ago.
I'm asking myself that very question and I'm pretty pissed that I have to.
Why the hell would you get fans excited about taking part in this process only to strip it away from us at the last moment? We think we are actually going to have a voice in the selection and we wind up with bupkis. This is wrong on so many levels. I realize that this new artwork was developed based on our written comments in the survey, but it still doesn't work for us.
So maybe you didn't like what we chose, but, if that was the case, you should just choose the offered option that you prefer and lie by saying it was "the winner." We would never know any better.
This, however, reeks of bad customer relations. There's no way to cover this up with a little white lie. You simply teased us and then took the power away.
Bad move.
I still prefer the box in the lower left corner anyway.
the lower left one seems so angsty. hee hee. i do like it though. and wtf? is fox modeling itself after our government.
uh oh. . . can of worms.
:) Sizz
Posted by: ms. sizzle | Wednesday, 20 September 2006 at 09:24 AM
This is pretty typical of monolithic corporate design centers... they take a whole bunch of customer feedback, roll it up in MBA marketing theories, sprinkle it with committee input and release whatever the corporate deity scratches out on a napkin.
Have you seen the video spoof on what would happen if Microsoft designed the IPod package?
Posted by: Rick | Wednesday, 20 September 2006 at 10:51 AM
Rick,
That was too funny...
And so very true.
Posted by: Allison | Wednesday, 20 September 2006 at 11:02 AM
Sizzle, break out the can opener!
Rick, I have seen that video and it cracked me up. I think I may have even blogged about it quite some time ago. I'll have to go back and check. Oh and you summed up the process quite nicely. And all too accurately.
Allison, that was funny and true.
Posted by: kapgar | Wednesday, 20 September 2006 at 11:12 AM
What a bunch of BS. I would be pissed off too. Why design five covers and not use one of them? Maybe they thought the gun needed to be bigger to get more people to buy it.
Posted by: kilax | Wednesday, 20 September 2006 at 11:15 AM
What?! Hell, that blows. I took part in that survey, too, after you posted about it. Why the hell solicit the world's opinion and then just discard them all for something totally different?
Ugh.
Posted by: Karl | Wednesday, 20 September 2006 at 12:25 PM
I voted for the same one as you. That is pretty wierd that they created one that wasn't even an option.
Posted by: jacquie | Wednesday, 20 September 2006 at 12:38 PM
Kilax, and if I were the designer, I'd be even more pissed off. Well, unless I designed all six. Then, at least one of them winds up as a portfolio piece.
Karl, I don't get it either.
Jacquie, it's pretty damned annoying. I say we just stick with the idea that we were right. They can't take that from us, right?
Posted by: kapgar | Wednesday, 20 September 2006 at 12:53 PM
I totally remember you writing this post and thought it was great that they were letting their loyal fans get involved. Why would they do something so stupid? The whole thing was a gimmick for nothing.
Posted by: Neil | Wednesday, 20 September 2006 at 06:13 PM
you know I have never watched even one episode of that show?? I have no idea why because I have always loved Kiefer Southerland..
Posted by: Debbie | Wednesday, 20 September 2006 at 06:25 PM
Neil, it's just not right, wouldn't you agree? Why would they do this?
Debbie, BLASPHEMER!!!!!
You will go out this instant and buy (or, at the very least, rent) the first four seasons of this fan-friggin-tastic piece of televised enjoyment!
Posted by: kapgar | Wednesday, 20 September 2006 at 06:58 PM
I do like the fact that it has a bigger, clearer pic of Kiefer... but... grrrr... stupid Fox.
Posted by: Bec | Wednesday, 20 September 2006 at 07:01 PM
That is completely lame. And since you are a fellow 24 geek, who also has TiVo AND a flickr account, I know that you will come over and play now.
Please?
Posted by: Belinda | Thursday, 21 September 2006 at 01:32 AM
Bec, leave it to Kiefer's sex appeal to win over the masses...
Belinda, oh heck yeah! I hadn't been over to read that post yet. I'll get right on it!
Posted by: kapgar | Thursday, 21 September 2006 at 06:54 AM