07-03-2017, 02:22 PM
About the NRA ad. Nobody saw it as an ad to promote gun sales? Guns last a long time if properly cared for. Guns purchased for specific purposes like hunting is a saturated market segment. Hunting is not a growing sport. How often do you need to replace one of your hunting guns? Not very often, so there is little sales potential there. Now what is the purpose of a hunting gun? To kill animals. What is the purpose of a military weapon? To kill people. These were traditionally the two most important market segments, sales of weapons to civilians hunters and weapon sales to the military.
Today there is a new market segment, military-styled semi-automatic weapons. What is their purpose? I suspect it is a fashion statement. Guns in the first two categories are tools. Once you have good tools, you only are going to buy when you want to replace an old one.
In contrast, one cannot never have too many fashion statements, as the purpose is to signal social status.
The ominous footage shown in the ad provides a justification for gun owners to be a "sheepdog" as opposed to a sheep, when faced by amorphous threats from people you don't like. The sheepdog lifestyle is best illustrated by the arsenal you have acquired. Encouraging conservative men to purchase ever more weapons keeps demand high for the industry--which is something you would expect from an industry group like the NRA.
Today there is a new market segment, military-styled semi-automatic weapons. What is their purpose? I suspect it is a fashion statement. Guns in the first two categories are tools. Once you have good tools, you only are going to buy when you want to replace an old one.
In contrast, one cannot never have too many fashion statements, as the purpose is to signal social status.
The ominous footage shown in the ad provides a justification for gun owners to be a "sheepdog" as opposed to a sheep, when faced by amorphous threats from people you don't like. The sheepdog lifestyle is best illustrated by the arsenal you have acquired. Encouraging conservative men to purchase ever more weapons keeps demand high for the industry--which is something you would expect from an industry group like the NRA.