In an effort to become more current and reduce the time it takes to get product to market and into the hands of would-be collectors, Corgi announced last week that all upcoming products will be announced to the public as well as the trade one week before they are actually released. This represents the third time Corgi has decided to change their product announcement plans, moving from a yearly showing, to a quadmester and now virtually a day-and-date release schedule.
While we applaud their decision to maintain marketing momentum from product announcement to its actual release, the problem is that the trade isn’t quite as nimble as the manufacturer, oftentimes taking days or even weeks to formally list a new item to their web site. This becomes even more acute when the announcement occurs in conjunction with major showing events such as International Toy Fairs. Moreover, Corgi has, in the past, oftentimes taken weeks to post images for a new product. In the case of their RAAF English Electric Canberra Mk.20 Light Bomber – No.2 Squadron, Phan Rang Air Base, South Vietnam, 1969, the item was first debuted back in July yet product photos didn’t surface until mid September. As a result, its difficult for a dealer to forecast their pre-order needs when they cannot so much as show what the item will look like to their clientele.
So, for this strategy to work, Corgi has to ensure that product and marketing materials are available at the time an announcement is made, and, more importantly, give the trade a bit more time to get new items up and listed properly. A better formula might be a one-month window, which allows dealers, marketers and other entities a bit more time to work out the logistical issues that inevitably crop up each time a new item pops up on the radar.