Re: My Growth Rings with Scott Markwood
Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2021 12:38 pm
I support the idea that Jim, and everyone else, has the right to use whatever tools they wish. But one cannot ignore the fact that Youtube is about influence. Shopsmith's long time face of engineering is a serious woodworker and does not use Shopsmith's flagship tools in his own shop. I was surprised, and it causes me to question my own choices. It is a negative influence if it is perceived as one, period. Shopsmith, I would argue, is a company in dire need of positive influence for their products. On Youtube, specifically. But the responsibility is on Shopsmith, not Jim, to change things to achieve that.
I'm not an avid watcher, but if I explore a woodworking video on an influential channel I'd guess there's an 75% chance I'll see a SawStop in it even if a table saw is not used. That is marketing. An implied endorsement on every view. Rockler, Woodpeckers, Festool, the list goes on. And the opposite side of that coin exists. If I see Nick not using a tool today that he perhaps endorsed in a Sawdust Session, I may be somewhat more skeptical of that endorsement because he still clearly does choose to use some Shopsmith tools.
The conical sander is a great example of this. The Shopsmith version of this is, I'm quite certain, far superior to the other guy's. And I have little doubt that Scott's video boosted sales because it is a difficult tool to grasp the use of without video. But I also have little doubt that far more people were influenced to buy the other guy's conical sander because 1) more viewers and subscribers and 2) it "works" on a table saw. That's influence. And they will buy his consumables, which might not be as long lasting due to less square inches of abrasive, excessive speed, difficulty in changing just one side of the abrasive.
- David
I'm not an avid watcher, but if I explore a woodworking video on an influential channel I'd guess there's an 75% chance I'll see a SawStop in it even if a table saw is not used. That is marketing. An implied endorsement on every view. Rockler, Woodpeckers, Festool, the list goes on. And the opposite side of that coin exists. If I see Nick not using a tool today that he perhaps endorsed in a Sawdust Session, I may be somewhat more skeptical of that endorsement because he still clearly does choose to use some Shopsmith tools.
The conical sander is a great example of this. The Shopsmith version of this is, I'm quite certain, far superior to the other guy's. And I have little doubt that Scott's video boosted sales because it is a difficult tool to grasp the use of without video. But I also have little doubt that far more people were influenced to buy the other guy's conical sander because 1) more viewers and subscribers and 2) it "works" on a table saw. That's influence. And they will buy his consumables, which might not be as long lasting due to less square inches of abrasive, excessive speed, difficulty in changing just one side of the abrasive.
- David