Myriad Morals in Marketing · 12:56am Sep 13th, 2015

Warning: Spoilers from the latest episode, Canterlot Boutique, abound. Proceed with caution.

Okay, I think I've been watching too much Jim Sterling. Because after I finished watching this episode, my first instinct was to send it to all the CEOs in the Triple A game industry and show them just how harmful unfettered corporate homogenization can be. I know, I know. This problem is not unique to the gaming industry. Again, that's just me. But I do applaud Amy Keating Rogers for this excellent use of social commentary. Especially since it was, well, rather realistic.

Whether you agree with Sassy Saddles's methods or not, the fact remains that they work. Canterlot Carousel was making a significant profit thanks to the success of the Princess Dress. However, this mentality can only bring you so far. I'd imagine if Sassy's vision was allowed to continue unencumbered, ponies would get tired of the Princess Dress and take their business elsewhere. It wouldn't happen right away, of course. It'd take time. But of course, all Sassy could think was "We're making money on this now, so surely we'll keep making money on it for generations to come! We just need to continue giving ponies the same thing over and over again!"

I defy you to name one Triple A video game publisher that has not adopted this mentality in one way or another. And yes, I'm including Nintendo in that regard. Their library of Pokémon games alone is testament to that.

But see, what Nintendo does is that they take an existing model which they know is successful, and they tinker with it and refine their craft. That's what Rarity did when she tried to update the Princess Dress. Now, she couldn't replicate Nintendo's success with this tactic, but that's because the customer was already told what she wanted by Sassy's advertising campaign. Had she never heard of the Princess Dress before, maybe she would've loved Rarity's new design choices. Again, it's very reminiscent of many marketing trends in the game industry, as well as some of the psychology that most executives are oblivious of. And just to reiterate, I know this problem is not unique to the game industry. I'm just using it as a case in point, as this is the kind of nonsense that Jim Sterling has been railing against for years.

So, if nothing else, this rather low-key and mellow episode did have some interesting things to say about the world of marketing. Though honestly, I wouldn't give a darn about it if it weren't for Jim Sterling. So, thank Celestia for him, I suppose.