Okay, this is going to be brief, and hopefully to the point.
BaselWorld is going to be smaller than it has been in modern memory. I have been writing about the incredible shrinking fair for the past 3 - 4 years. It seems that the drumbeats have increased as the great and the good of the publishing world are seeing their advertising revenues decrease, along with their sense of all out importance.
But what is (I have to be honest) comical this year, is the righteous indignation of some of my more well-heeled colleagues in the 4th and 5th Estates wringing their hands over the new realities and taking pokes at the fair's organizers. I'm sorry, but I guess I don't insist on business class and the 3 Kings during my BaselWorld travels, so I probably live in a different reality than outlets that essentially only cover the watch brands that advertise with them, and run their own online sales programs for selling watches, accessories and other ephemera. Sorry retailers, the brands don't really give two tosses who they sell through, so long as they sell.
Suddenly, these spendthrift magazines and outlets are espousing the importance of being frugal, concerned with the opulent, Pasha-like spending of the brands? I'm sorry, these are folks that never met a press junket or freebie that they didn't like. I'm calling bullshit.
So it will be intriguing to see how long this new sense of fiscal responsibility lasts ; )
More from the fair next week - stay tuned!
BaselWorld is going to be smaller than it has been in modern memory. I have been writing about the incredible shrinking fair for the past 3 - 4 years. It seems that the drumbeats have increased as the great and the good of the publishing world are seeing their advertising revenues decrease, along with their sense of all out importance.
But what is (I have to be honest) comical this year, is the righteous indignation of some of my more well-heeled colleagues in the 4th and 5th Estates wringing their hands over the new realities and taking pokes at the fair's organizers. I'm sorry, but I guess I don't insist on business class and the 3 Kings during my BaselWorld travels, so I probably live in a different reality than outlets that essentially only cover the watch brands that advertise with them, and run their own online sales programs for selling watches, accessories and other ephemera. Sorry retailers, the brands don't really give two tosses who they sell through, so long as they sell.
Suddenly, these spendthrift magazines and outlets are espousing the importance of being frugal, concerned with the opulent, Pasha-like spending of the brands? I'm sorry, these are folks that never met a press junket or freebie that they didn't like. I'm calling bullshit.
So it will be intriguing to see how long this new sense of fiscal responsibility lasts ; )
More from the fair next week - stay tuned!
You are an Eterna fan, no? Is Eterna going to be at Baselworld this year? Seems like their booth is no longer on the fair map, and their brand is not on the list of exhibitors. Do you know what happened?
ReplyDeleteYour timing is somewhat eerie! That is today's topic, stay tuned!
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