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+-- Thread: Tap, tap, tap... (/showthread.php?tid=7361969)
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RE: Tap, tap, tap... - iclark - 04-02-2021
(04-01-2021, 05:07 PM)Handplanesandmore Wrote: Why waste time, money and effort on April Fools? I'd rather merchants spend their energy on improving customer service or internal efficiency than on an annual joke that, with a few exceptions, is second-class.
Simon
In addition to the fun, it was a brand marketing tool. It drove a lot of traffic to the LV website on 4/1.
There was almost always a whole bunch of What's New products added to the website on 4/1 in addition to the April Fool's Day tool. It kept lots of us looking at all of those new tools until we found the AFD tool. More than once, I guessed wrong about whether a new tool was the AFD.
I think that I may have even bought some of those new tools that I probably would not have read about in detail if I were not looking for the gag.
RE:LV April Fools Substitution - hbmcc - 04-03-2021
Maybe, we can present our own thoughts, or prototypes, of an Alternative to Lee Valley's Gag. I can satisfy my 'multi-tool' fascination with a double-tipped chisel. Picture one of those cheap four-shape-grit rasps that chew up your hand while tearing up wood at the other end.
RE: Tap, tap, tap... - Handplanesandmore - 04-03-2021
(04-02-2021, 10:15 PM)iclark Wrote: In addition to the fun, it was a brand marketing tool. It drove a lot of traffic to the LV website on 4/1.
There was almost always a whole bunch of What's New products added to the website on 4/1 in addition to the April Fool's Day tool. It kept lots of us looking at all of those new tools until we found the AFD tool. More than once, I guessed wrong about whether a new tool was the AFD.
I think that I may have even bought some of those new tools that I probably would not have read about in detail if I were not looking for the gag.
If I had to guess, driving traffic would be pretty low on the list of reasons for doing the April Fools. Technical or design challenges could be a better motivation.
Companies don't rely on April 1, one single day or week?, to get people to look at their new products. April 1 is no Boxing Week or Cyber Monday etc. If April 1 were really that important, what does it say about LV not having any April Fools products for several years in a row? I don't think they've suffered any serious sales because of that. Other vendors would have also budgeted (I don' think it's a small one) for their turns if April Fools is really a serious marketing campaign.
April Fools or not, I know people check out new products year round with businesses like LV.
Simon
RE: Tap, tap, tap... - bandit571 - 04-03-2021
One word comes to mind with LV doing the AFD projects......
TRADITION....( wasn't there a song in Fiddler on the roof about that subject?)
Recently, didn't LV do a promo about tiny tools? including a bench to work on....all to make the world's best toothpick....
Sometimes...one just has to step back, lighten up..and just have a wee bit of FUN.
The wood doesn't care if you laugh at it, or cuss it out.....nor does it really care what brand of tool you are using....sharp is sharp.
RE: Tap, tap, tap... - mdhills - 04-03-2021
The word I think of for the AFD tools was "Delight".
Not sure if it is meant more for the customers/audience, or the guys dreaming this up over the year.
Matt
RE: Tap, tap, tap... - iclark - 04-03-2021
(04-03-2021, 06:44 PM)mdhills Wrote: The word I think of for the AFD tools was "Delight".
Not sure if it is meant more for the customers/audience, or the guys dreaming this up over the year.
Matt
agreed. It is a shame that the older ones did not make the trip to the new LV website.
I have not checked the waybackmachine yet to see if they are preserved for posterity.
RE: Tap, tap, tap... - AHill - 04-05-2021
You can still find the videos of the previous April Fools Day tool on Lee Valley's Facebook Page.
RE: Tap, tap, tap... - Arlin Eastman - 04-05-2021
Last time I seen the Tap, Tap, Tap was in a cartoon and it went boom.
RE: Tap, tap, tap... - TomFromStLouis - 04-06-2021
This guy makes some pretty cool tools:
https://www.howardjonesartist.com/