Pink Poogle Toy Forum

Indeed i agree with you there 100%. But i wont be buying a premium account as neo makes enough money as it is . So theres no reason for me to buy one

Cranberry and Slime Lord:

I agree with the both of you. The reason I feel that the "pump and dump" strategy is being used on Neo is mainly because the whole "Immersion Advertising" technique has been Mr. Dohring's baby since the start. It was his trademark, his "big thing", what he was known for...not using banners and using strategic ad placement that affects the client subconciously.

EX: Placing ads in the blind spot of the left eye section (that small ad on the old sidebar) etc...

It was his thing. He was trying to get a PATENT on the technique.

I don't see why a man would give up the one thing that made him a name for himself with the press without other reasons..

But now, where is all that "subconcious ad technique"? Gone. It's all big banners and the standard "in your face" ads. That's why I think the plan has shifted into "Getting what we can profitwise now at the peak of popularity, and then killing it and reinvesting profits elsewhere."

I think the long-term life of Neo has been comprimised, and I think it's INTENTIONAL.

Wow, you really have researched this (yes that's a positive comment)! I never knew that, yet it remarkably scares me.

Though, I do agree with you about the long term life of Neopets being compromised.

I agree that I think they've killed their market to those on dialup. I can't imagine how slow and agrevating it must be to try to play now. The first banner was bad enough, this huge one is probably the 'final straw' for alot of people.

I also don't understand why corporate must think they "have" to have the banners. Sadly I think Adam & Donna are stuck in the middle. I can't imagine how hard it is seeing all the hard work they put in to creating the site and their standards (no banners, pop ups, adverts, etc) being washed down the drain cuz of corporate greed. I hope Adam & Donna have invested & saved well cuz you think Dohring will give a rats behind once he's sucked neopets for all the cash they can get & thrown it out to the dotcom graveyard? Maybe they should start putting out resumes now.

I would understand if this was a baby site...just starting off.

But they must make lots of money off of merchandise and other stuff...I'm just mildly confused as to why it's necessary _now_....

merchandise, having sponsor games etc on the site. I mean, they have to make a good amount of money from that alone. Granted it probably doesn't pay all the bills...but.

I think you're right. It's just odd because it's such a major shift and it's happened so quickly. I mean, the article I quoted was from August. Sometime within the past four months, Dohring threw his (by all accounts) highly successsful "immersive advertising only" strategy out the window and decided to go with horrible banner ads as well? Why? What happened? And are these ads really making him more money than his previous strategy?

I'm also wondering why he's not more worried about this. Here's a paragraph from that same article I quoted before:

If there's any marketing Neopets.com that may raise an eyebrow from the children's privacy watchdogs, it's the e-mail marketing offers that riddle the site registration process. Several auto-checked boxes promise marketing e-mails, which begs the question of whether the site's young audience is savvy enough to understand the full implications of an opt-in.

If the children's privacy watchdogs are worried about opt-in forms, won't they throw a fit at this spyware, these tracking cookies, and the unsuitable ads? Let's hope so.

I wonder if the Neopets marketing team will trumpet their new banner ad strategy in their press kit like they did immersive advertising. For some reason, I doubt it.

Exactly. Pump and Dump. Make all the money while you can through advertising while the place is at it's peak...and take the cash and run.

I think that's why he's not worried. I think he knows exactly what this is doing to the site, but as long as the clickthoughs are guaranteed by large visitor number of the site...and banners get seen a lot (and add in refreshing statistics the banners make a full cycle...like...why not add in an avatar you have to refresh for *cough* space faerie* wheeze* or a new BD challenger so those banners get a full rotation?)

Make it hard, make it fast, get the cash and out in a dash.

Seems very typical, and the kids are going to be the ones who pay the price. But there is very little business ethics anymore in the corporate world these days...even when it comes to kids.

If Adam and Donna have no control over this, I apolgize to them for the semi-direct attacks I've made.

It dose not how ever take away from this stupid banner. The site is, and was, doing great with the small banner to our left side, the sponsor games and the sign ups we had.

Does anyone remember when we had to sign up for things in order to get items? We had Moehog Plushies, Job Coupons, Battle Moves, Brain Tree Plushies and I'm sure several other things (Stamps I believe as well.) But all of that has vanished. Now tell me, which of the two are better? Sign Up's with items/moves/specialties or large banners where Dial-Up users, who are having a difficult time as is, for us? Hmm...Lets ponder that shall we?


I would love to see this happen.

Adam and Donna and the rest of the TNT (Snowflake, etc.etc.) give their resignations. I want to see this Dohring guy try and do this site with a new set of people. See how loyal these players are when Adam and Donna go and start a new pet site. Given it would be hard like it was at first, they would have full support and great patience by their players while they begin things. You know that they would get sponsors right off the bat because they, the sponsors, will see the effect of this hypythitcal TNT on it's players and the players not wanting to play anymore because they'll turn it into this Pokemon Cliche thing. Which might I add is has tooken the turn for in what feels like the last six months (IE the "Barbie" Jhudiah, Illusen, Faeries and others."

If everyone keeps feeling like they do, I believe the moderators here should post a sticky with TNT's address (both.) and write direct letters to this president guy. How many HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS of letters would be sent in from across the world? How many would be sent to Adam and Donna and the rest of the TNT would get encourgaing them to break away and start over again?

I'm personally about ready to start writing that letter now, I'm gonna wait a day and see how thigns are in the morning, including this thread. But I'm really serious about posting the address, cause I know the moderators (at least some of you...) are feeling the same way we do.

I don't think he cares, in fact, I think it's his intention.

And I think it's working out well for him. Have you lurked on the Neoboards today? The signups for premium have skyrocked today alone. At 8 bucks a month or 70 dollars a year per person....that's a lot of lettuce. O_o

It's even slow for me and I'm on cable. The page is loading fast -- but not as fast as it used too. Oh well, I hardly ever go on Neopets now anyway.

Ugh, that just makes me wanna boycott the site. The smell of greed is awfully stinky.

oh my gosh no! that would be terrible. neopets would completely lose their already diminishing "tangible" feel. i like the fact that we have a way to communicate with adam and donna (if they so choose to keep coming here of course) it shows that someone cares.

i miss the way it used to be, but i guess thats the way things go when corporations become big.

i'd be very upset to see them go, i hope it never comes to that!

Just for the record, I have ZERO problems with Adam, Donna, and Snarkie. They are the ones giving me hope. Some of the hardest working people I've seen, and it's obvious they care about the players. They're the ray of sunshine in all this.

For your information. Donna and Adam arent the owners of neo. Doug is. So he can do as he pleases. So thats why donna and adam havent done anything to stop these ads. They work under Doug`s authority x.x