Hello Fellow Outlaws,

During our last "ad development meeting" we decided to take a sharp departure from our previous ads. We'd love to hear what you think. Please check out the following AD and let us know what you think right here in this thread. In 10 days, we'll randomly select one participant to receive $250 in Outlaw Bucks that can be used towards a new Model 1070, Model 990 or any of other products. These Outlaw Bucks are unrestricted, meaning that they may be used in conjunction with any product or promotion!

Scott

Generally I have a positive reaction to the ad. Would you allow me to nit-pick a little?

I’m not one that usually peruses through audio mags, but I wonder how the information in this ad looks compared to other products that might be of lesser quality but have some “bigger” specs to offer, and maybe in some variations, a smaller price tag.

What are some of the strong points of Outlaw that may not show in the ad? Quality. Customer Support. Sometimes you don’t get better than some of the positive comments that appear right here in the Saloon for “actual user reality.” If I were a (insert Outlaw product here, like the 1070) owner that had made a positive comment here, I wouldn’t mind being quoted.

I guess what I’m getting at is, how can points beyond specs and capability in which Outlaw excels be represented in such an ad?

Other, smaller nit-picks: should the Lip-Sync Delay spec be changed to “(up to 200ms)?” I know that the word “Adjustable” means not a fixed delay, but some folks need things spelled out for them. Also, the hat over the 1070 could be a bit better as far as the fake shadow and the way the lip of the hat goes over the edge of the 1070.

I think it's a pretty eye-catching ad from a color and layout standpoint. The colors stand out, and it's not just another typical "pretty woman standing next to equipment" type of ad. I'm not sure if the Celtic font that says "how to steal like an Outlaw" is necessarily the right font. I also agree with the above comment - the hat looks like it was photoshopped in hastily.

There's the idea of "robbing" from the rich and bringing to the "poor," which is sort of what Outlaw does by bringing quality products to market for a good price.

I agree about the lip sync delay comment; it should say "up to 200ms," or provide the capable range (e.g. 0-200ms).

Maybe the bit about "direct inputs" should say "7.1 direct inputs" or something.

"Dolby Headphone" bullet item might be lengthened to say "Dolby Headphone support"

Not bad overall, though. It probably would have caught my eye.

I took a quick look at the ad and frankly think it looks a little cheesy. I think that the Robin Hood theme is weak. The Text font for the heading does not seem to fit well and makes the high end products you sell look cheap. A larger picture of the 1070 with a front and back view would be better to me. I think that a Cowboy hat and a train robbery theme would be a better fit for the outlaws. Get rid of Robin hood and go for Jesse James!!!

Personally I like the Robin Hood theme,It would catch my eye. I do think you should draw more attention to "all channels driven", and I do agree about the lip sync delay as well. Maybe a shot of the back somehow on the same page or make it a two page add.........Whoa, easy to spend someone else's advertising dollars.

come on,Robin Hood wore tights!Outlaws are not sissies,how about guns & a stagecoach!

how about horses pulling a 1070 (on wagon wheels) ..."there's a new sheriff in town,folks"...

In general, I like the Robin Hood theme with the associated comments nicely mixed into the text. It keeps up with that great Outlaw sense of humor.

My problem with the ad is that is seems very much geared to someone who already knows more than a little bit about home theater. I know that the people in the Saloon generally know more than average, but I don't think we're the target customers considering how much equipment most of us already own. After working at an audio store, you're average consumer who's looking for a nicely priced set of home theater components is not going to know exactly what a "fully-featured, high performance 7.1 channel A/V receiver" entails.

I guess what I'm suggesting is some comparison to what other competitors may be offering and how the Outlaw is the "steal" that it is. Also, you may want to tone down the humor a touch to allow more of the pratical information to come out.

One more thing, to keep the technically inclined people happy, a photo of the rear panel showing all of the connections is always a good thing.

I'm in agreement about adding a shot of the back. Also, a link to a full set of specs would be useful. Get rid of the hat completely; its blocking the cooling vents!

I like the ad. The only suggestion I have is to have a URL to Forums. Make it easy for people to see what owners of Outlaw products think. Jim

Great ad. Agree with the comments on the delay, should be "up to 200 ms."

Is the phrase "with OSD on component outputs" really necessary? I don't think that's entirely a positive thing to have on an ad (we'd all really prefer the OSD on all outputs), and I think people will just assume OSD these days. I'd leave the bullet as "Video transcoding."

Could someone check the consistency of the capitalization of the words in the bullets? It looks kind of random to me.

Since there isn't room for a picture of the back panel, would it be useful to have some bullets on the numbers of inputs and outputs, by type, e.g.:
o 3 sets of component inputs
o 4 S-video inputs, 2 S-video outputs (or whatever--I don't have the manual at hand)

Love the colors, definitely eye catching.