I can't argue with this. The public forums are going to be a neutral environment even in the best of circumstances. It just draws a lot of negativity. It takes a thick skinned community organizer to make this work. I wonder sometimes if Bols is so negative because of bitter 40K players or just that a dystopian game draws people with pessimistic mindsets.
I can't see the cost being the issue. Think about it.. If the smaller gaming companies can afford a high end booth at GenCon then there must be something going on besides a money issue. A GW booth with a couple of the Heavy Metal painters and a community organizers would get a lot of foot traffic. In 2014, Gencon attendance was about 60,000 people. And that's a drop in the bucket compared to ComicCon.2) FW do reach out. Warhammer Fest was fun, and apparently organised by FW primarily, and they attend various conventions. For GW, the cost may not work out. After all, you need to fly out big names to make it worth it. One could argue (and not saying it's necessarily a strong one!) that their own stores mean they can reach out in a more cost effective way, as anyone wandering in can be shown the whole gamut of the hobby (which to me is more customs service than others can offer themselves)
Most of the marketing people I know would be literally salivating over that much foot traffic for 4 days. Actually, does GW even have a marketing department?
True.. That is the conclusion I came to after 7th edition. I can either keep being dissappointed or I can move on to something else. I'm not going to do a massive model dump on Ebay but I'll probably never go on another 40K buying binge.3) yeah GD went downhill - and I don't think it's just our increasing maturity. They keep a tight rein on leaks and previews, apparently/allegedly because they don't want to give third parties the time to produce knock off versions of new kits.
I think it's just one of those things. I know what good customer service means to me, but it's not a universally definable trait. Good example? I like staff to acknowledge me when I'm in store, and to engage me about what I'm up to. GW do this, so I'm happy. Others prefer to be left alone to browse in peace. And you know, that's all personal preference, and neither is more correct a method than the other. But GW have made their choice.
Sadly for some GW just isn't going to be the company they want.